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Wizards hope to extend hot play versus GrizzliesBasketball Betting Lines02/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweeping changes have begun to pay off for the Washington Wizards, who'll be seeking their fourth win in five games when they host the Memphis Grizzlies this evening at the Verizon Center. The Wizards made three trades prior to last week's deadline and shipped out two of their top players in former All-Stars Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, but the moves have turned out to be a boost for the previously-struggling club in the short term. Washington has gone 3-1 since dealing Jamison to Cleveland in a three-team, six-player swap on February 17, with all three of those victories taking place on its home court. Washington opened up a current three-game residency with Monday's 101-95 triumph over Chicago, in which Andray Blatche amassed 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way. Al Thornton, acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Jamison trade, added 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Wizards, with Randy Foye contributing 16 points and nine assists to the win. "I just feel like we have a group of guys that's on the same mission, that's working hard and winning," said Blatche, who has averaged an outstanding 25.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in four games since replacing the departed Brendan Haywood as the team's starting center. Haywood was sent to Dallas along with Butler and guard DeShawn Stevenson on February 13 in exchange for swingman Josh Howard and three others. Howard didn't get much of an opportunity to make an impression on his new teammates, as the one-time All-Star suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee in the first quarter of Monday's win. The new-look Wizards will be out to stop a three-game losing streak in this series and avenge a 116-111 overtime defeat to the Grizzlies in Memphis on December 28. Washington has dropped seven of its last nine meetings with the Grizzlies. Memphis comes in off a tough one-point home loss to the defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Returning from a five-game absence due to an injured ankle, Kobe Bryant poured in 32 points and hit a go-ahead three- pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining to lift Los Angeles to a 99-98 decision. The Grizzlies owned a 96-92 edge with 2:07 left to play, but a technical foul on Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins helped swing the momentum in favor of the Lakers. Bryant made the bonus free throw to cut the deficit to three, then tied the contest at 96-96 with a trey from the top of the arc with 54 seconds on the clock. A Rudy Gay basket with 37.9 seconds to go put Memphis back up by two, but the Grizzlies failed to build on the lead when O.J. Mayo missed two crucial foul shots with 18.8 seconds left. Bryant made them pay by drilling the winning shot on the ensuing possession. "The technical was not the play that won or lost the game," said Hollins, who was penalized for arguing an offensive foul called on center Marc Gasol. "I was upset at Marc for setting an illegal screen. I hit the table, and he called a technical. Kobe hitting a couple of big shots was the game coming down the stretch. That was the game." Mayo finished with 25 points in the loss, the seventh in nine games for Memphis, while Zach Randolph compiled 20 points and 14 rebounds. The Grizzlies, who have fallen 3 1/2 games back for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with their recent slide, are just 10-17 on the road this season but have won their last two tests as the visitor.
<< Pistons, Clippers square off in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers will both be in search of a rare three-game winning streak when the two clubs square off at Staples Center Wednesday night. LA is aiming for its first three-game spurt sinc
<< Sixers continue road trip in Phoenix
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<< Banged-up Jazz play host to Bobcats
<< Seventh-ranked Wildcats try right ship in bout with Bulls
Bulls aim to bounce back against Pacers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After having a four-game winning streak snapped in their most recent trip to the court, the Chicago Bulls will try to bounce back when the slumping Indiana Pacers pay a visit to the United Center this evening for a Central Di
Bucks shoot for rare victory over Hornets >>
Red-hot Raptors to receive visit from Blazers >>
Timberwolves shoot for rare win in Atlanta >>
Dementieva charges into Kuala Lumpur quarters >>
Super Bowl 2009 BettingSuper Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder. Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while. Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books. If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl. Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX. By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI. In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite. So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs. While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl. There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog. In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl: SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots. XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired. XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers. Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later. While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better. For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory. 1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season. 2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped. How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number. Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules. Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically. How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games). Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition. Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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