Hawks edge Suns behind Smith's big night
Basketball Betting Lines
02/15/2012 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Smith scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks held off a run in the final minute to best the Phoenix Suns, 101-99, at US Airways Center.
Willie Green added 20 points, Jeff Teague netted 16 and Zaza Pachulia had 15 for the Hawks, who snapped a two-game skid.
Steve Nash paced Phoenix, scoring 22 points and dishing out 16 assists. Grant Hill posted 18 points and Channing Frye dropped 13 and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Suns, who have lost three straight and four of five.
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Love posted 30 points and 18 rebounds and Nikola Pekovic added 21 and 11, as the Timberwolves sent the spiraling Bobcats to a 16th straight defeat in a 102-90 decision at Target Center. The Bobca
<< Mavericks cruise at home over Nuggets
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shawn Marion had 16 points and 10 rebounds and
the Dallas Mavericks led by as many as 31 on the way to a 102-84 win over the
Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Vince Carter chipped in 15 points, Lamar Odom
<< Seguin lifts Bruins over Canadiens in SO
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Seguin scored the winner in the shootout
as Boston took a 4-3 win over Montreal at Bell Centre.
Boston had blown a two-goal lead in the third, but Seguin scored on the second
chance of the shootout when
<< No. 3 Missouri cruises against Oklahoma State
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Denmon scored a team-high 17 points as
No. 3 Missouri rolled past Oklahoma State with an 83-65 victory at Mizzou
Arena.
Ricardo Ratliffe added 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Phil Pressey and K
<< Anderson, Senators beat Panthers 6-2
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Craig Anderson came back to haunt his old team
on Wednesday.
The 30-year old goaltender, who used to wear a Panthers sweater, made 42 saves
Wednesday to backstop the Ottawa Senators to a 6-2 win over Fl
Moraga, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Viney dropped in a team-high 17 points while Anthony Ireland added 16 with seven assists as Loyola Marymount handed No. 21 Saint Mary's its first home loss in almost a year with a 75-60 decisio
Connolly lifts Leafs to OT win over Oilers >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Connolly scored the game-winning goal just
1:39 into the overtime period, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win
over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place.
Joffrey Lupul collected the disc in the
Luongo strong as Canucks top Avs >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roberto Luongo made 29 saves to lift the
Vancouver Canucks to a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
David Booth, Alexandre Burrows and Jannik Hansen all scored for the Canucks,
who have w
Blazers steal one from Warriors >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford made the game-winning free
throws in the final minute, as the Trail Blazers survived a seesaw battle with
the Warriors, 93-91, at Oracle Arena.
Gerald Wallace chipped in 24 points, Nico
New Mexico downs No. 13 San Diego State >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kendall Williams had 21 points, Drew Gordon
scored 17 with 17 rebounds and New Mexico beat No. 13 San Diego State, 77-67,
on Wednesday night to take sole possession of first place in the Mountain West
Confere
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.