Celtics open trek in New Orleans
Basketball Betting Lines
02/10/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics kick off a five-game western road trip
tonight, when they pay a visit to the New Orleans Hornets in the Big Easy.
The Atlantic Division-leading Celtics will also take on the Kings, Lakers,
Blazers and Nuggets, and are 17-8 away from Beantown this season.
Boston had a three-game winning streak stopped in Sunday's 96-89 setback
versus the Orlando Magic at TD Garden despite Rajon Rondo falling just shy of
a triple-double with a team-high 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
Paul Pierce returned from a foot injury to post 13 points, while Kevin Garnett
added 13 and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who were outscored 36-11 in the
third quarter. Pierce is questionable for tonight's game.
"It's unpleasant, we don't like that at all," Garnett said. "Our goal is to
establish home court and try to add that as an advantage and we really haven't
done that consistently, at least against good teams. That's something we've
got to get better at going into the break and second half."
Ray Allen finished with 14 points in a losing effort. Allen (20,444 pts) is
closing in on Mitch Richmond (20,497 pts) for 31st on the NBA's all-time
scoring list.
New Orleans hopes to put the brakes on a four-game home losing streak when it
kicks off a four-game residency tonight versus the Celtics. The Hornets will
also play host to Utah, Indiana and Houston, and are 16-8 at New Orleans Arena
this season.
The Hornets haven't been playing so hot lately, as they suffered their fourth
loss in five tries with Monday's 123-117 setback at Orlando. Magic veteran
Vince Carter scored 34 of his season-high 48 points in the second half, while
Peja Stojakovic scored 29 points and pulled down nine rebounds in defeat.
"We were expecting them to come out with their full effort and intensity and
that's what they did," Hornets coach Jeff Bower said. "They made their run at
us and it was a strong performance by Vince Carter to put them in this
position."
David West and Darren Collison both netted 27 points for New Orleans, which is
still within striking distance of the final postseason spot in the Western
Conference standings. The rookie Collison has done a fine job in place of
injured All-Star Chris Paul, and is averaging nearly 16 points as a starter.
The Celtics beat New Orleans, 97-87, at home on November 1 this season thanks
to 27 points from Pierce. Boston has won four straight after losing the last
three meetings with the Hornets.
Boston has lost nine of its last 15 trips to the bayou.
<< Pistons welcome Kings to The Palace
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons have been showing signs of life
recently and hope to keep things rolling against a Sacramento Kings
team that normally struggles on the road.
The Pistons won their second straight
<< Suns return home to host Blazers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns are back in the desert and will shoot for
their sixth win in a row tonight, when they play host to the Portland Trail
Blazers at US Airways Center.
The Suns have won five straight games and completed
<< Warriors try to stop skid vs. Clippers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With leading scorer Monta Ellis doubtful for tonight with a
knee problem, it will be hard for the Golden State Warriors to put the brakes
on their nine-game losing streak versus the division-foe Los Angeles Clippers
at ORAC
<< Buckeyes bring act to Bloomington for Big Ten brawl with Hoosiers
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Ohio State Buckeyes invade
Assembly Hall in Bloomington for this evening's Big Ten Conference clash with
the Indiana Hoosiers.
Ohio State has plenty of reason to enter this game with confidence,
<< Bulldogs seek upset of 19th-ranked Panthers
Des Moines, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Northern Iowa Panthers hit
the road this evening for a Missouri Valley Conference clash with the Drake
Bulldogs.
This season has been one of tremendous success for Northern Iowa, which is a
Magic make a stop in Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter will try to build off his recent impressive
performance when he leads the Orlando Magic against the Chicago Bulls
tonight in the opener of a quick road trip at the United Center.
Carter poured in
Bobcats on the prowl in Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats will hit the road this evening to
face the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.
Charlotte put the brakes on a three-game losing streak with a 94-92 triumph
versus the Washington Wizar
Streaking Jazz play host to banged-up Lakers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Kobe Bryant's injured ankle making all the headlines
out West, the Utah Jazz have quietly ripped off nine straight wins. The Jazz
hope to make it 10 in a row tonight, when they play host to the defending
champio
Heat pay a visit to Hawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat managed to stop their longest slide of the
season last night but things figure to be much tougher on Wednesday as they
open up a five-game road trip against the talented Atlanta Hawks.
The Heat halted
76ers try to extend win streak in Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The resurgent Philadelphia 76ers hope to secure a season-
high sixth straight win tonight but it won't be easy. Eddie Jordan's club
faces a surging Toronto Raptors team in search of their eighth consecutive
home wi
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Notre Dame
Ohio State
West Virginia
Texas
USC
Florida
California
Auburn
Oklahoma
Iowa
Louisville
Florida State
Michigan
Miami (FL)
LSU
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Nebraska
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona State
Oregon
Clemson
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Alabama
Arkansas
Boston College
Michigan State
Maryland
South Carolina
Colorado
Purdue
Georgia Tech
TCU
UCLA
Arizona
Pittsburgh
Iowa State
Wisconsin
North Carolina State
Virginia
North Carolina
Fresno State
Hawaii
Northwestern
BYU
Oregon State
UNLV
Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1
7-1
8-1
8-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
18-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
70-1
70-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
150-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
250-1
250-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
400-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
1000-1
1000-1
40-1 |
ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Miami (FL)
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke |
2-1
2-1
3-1
7-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
50-1
500-1 |
ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Texas Tech
Colorado
Iowa State
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Missouri
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State |
7-5
9-5
9-2
12-1
14-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
35-1
100-1
100-1 |
ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Auburn
Florida
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Arkansas
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Mississippi State
Kentucky
Vanderbilt |
5-2
11-4
4-1
6-1
7-1
7-1
9-1
20-1
28-1
75-1
100-1
300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
NFL Football Betting Online
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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