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02/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Division-leading Phoenix Suns welcome the NBA-worst Boston Celtics tonight to US Airways Center.
This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the squads. On December 8th, Shawn Marion poured in 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and scored Phoenix's last four points to lead the Suns to a 116-111 victory over the Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.
Boston has lost three of five and seven of its last 10 at Phoenix. The Suns have won three in a row in the series.
Phoenix has lost three in a row on its homecourt. Reigning MVP Steve Nash scored 13 points and dished out 12 assists before spending a large chunk of the second half enjoying his return to the lineup from the bench, as the Suns cruised to a 115-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.
Nash missed four games with a sore right shoulder, then didn't play in Sunday's All-Star Game. He was a solid 5-of-11 from the floor and committed four turnovers.
All-Stars Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire were the recipients of Nash's assists, finishing with 31 and 22 points respectively. Both players also grabbed nine rebounds for the Suns, who outrebounded the Clippers, 50-38, and snapped a three-game skid.
On the injury front for Phoenix, Boris Diaw (back spasms) is doubtful for tonight's game. Diaw, who is averaging 10.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists this season, has missed the last three contests.
The Suns are an impressive 20-6 at home this season. After tonight's contest, they will embark on a four-game road trip. Phoenix will visit Minnesota, Atlanta, Indiana and Philadelphia.
Boston plays the second of a five-game road trip. On Tuesday, Kevin Martin scored 22 points as the Sacramento Kings held off a late Boston rally to beat the Celtics, 104-101, at ARCO Arena.
Paul Pierce had 26 points in the loss to the Kings for Boston, which was back to its old tricks in the first game after the All-Star break. The Celtics ended a franchise-record 18-game losing streak with a victory against Milwaukee last Wednesday, but couldn't overcome the Kings and lost their ninth straight on the road.
Delonte West finished with 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics, but his three-point shot at the buzzer came up short.
The Celtics, whose victory as the visitor was on January 5th against Memphis at the FedExForum, are 8-18 on the road this season. They will also visit the Lakers, Utah and Houston on the current swing.
<< Magic, Pistons play front end of home-and-home set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic open a home-and-
home set tonight when the two teams square off at The Palace of Auburn
Hills.
Detroit comes into the game on a winning note after holding on for an 84-83
win over t
<< Nets open homestand against Hornets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets open up a five-game homestand this
evening when they welcome the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets to the
Continental Airlines Arena.
However, the big question for the Nets is how many of those games s
<< Cavs, Raptors meet in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers conclude a three-game road trip
tonight when they travel to Toronto to battle the Raptors at Air Canada
Centre.
Cleveland has split the first two games of its trek so far. The Cavaliers were
downe
<< Knicks visit Atlantic Division-rival Philadelphia
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers conclude their seven-game homestand
tonight when they welcome the Atlantic Division rival New York Knicks to the
Wachovia Center.
The Sixers fell to 2-4 on their stand before the All-Star break when
Miami's Pat Riley returns to bench in Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat welcome head coach Pat Riley back to
the bench tonight when they travel to Houston to battle the Rockets at the
Toyota Center.
Riley announced before the Heat's 104-85 win over Portland last Tuesday he
wo
Warriors return from All-Star break to host Grizzlies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors play their first game back from
the All-Star break, as they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies tonight to ORACLE
Arena.
Golden State went into the break on a winning note. On February 14th, Stephen
J
Spurs need to put together some big winning streaks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs own a solid 36-18 record, but that
is not good enough in the Southwest Division. Dallas, which is the
defending Western Conference champion, is at the top of the division, 8 1/2
games a
Saskachewan Roughriders (CFL) >>
Signed running back Hakim Hill to a one-year plus an option contract.
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.
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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