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Knicks limp into Houston to face RocketsBasketball Betting Lines01/28/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Carmelo Anthony-less New York team limps into South Texas on Saturday to face off with the red-hot Houston Rockets. The Knicks lost for the eighth time in nine games and fell to 1-2 on a four- game road trip Saturday in Miami when Dwyane Wade sparkled in his return to the lineup, scoring 28 points, as the Heat withstood a bevy of three-pointers from New York to earn a 99-89 victory over the Knicks. With Anthony sidelined because of thumb, wrist and ankle issues, the Knicks tried to beat the Heat with the long distance shot. They were on target, going 18-of-43 from beyond the arc, but were just 12-of-41 on two- point attempts. Bill Walker was the offensive catalyst, going 7-of-10 from long distance for a 21-point night, but New York was outscored 42-14 in the paint en route to the loss. "I'm glad for him because we need him and he's got to keep improving," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said of Walker. "He needs to keep working out his body. He could be the outside guy once we get Carmelo back and give us some more scoring." Amare Stoudemire, who had 12 points in the game, was 0-for-4 from the field in the first quarter, part of a 2-for-14 effort from inside the arc in the stanza for New York. "They were keying in on him, but other guys were open," D'Antoni said. "That's why they were shooting a lot of shots. He was great because he was just playing the game. He didn't force anything." Toney Douglas scored 16 and Landry Fields 14 for the Knicks, who also got 12 rebounds from Tyson Chandler. Anthony will remain on the sidelines tonight and will be reevaluated from there. The Rockets, meanwhile, bounced back from their first loss in two weeks to trounce Washington on Friday, 103-76, despite playing without leading scorer Kevin Martin (plantar fasciitis right foot). Chase Budinger, playing for the first time in four games, scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Rockets used a strong second-half performance to take down the Wizards. Luis Scola added 19 points and eight rebounds for Houston, which has won eight of its last nine games. "Chase made shots for us tonight, played wonderful defense, really moved his feet well, rebounded the ball, just played really well," Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said. Martin, who traditionally dominates New York scoring 28.1 ppg in his last seven outings against the Knicks, is questionable for tonight's contest. Houston has won four straight vs. New York overall, sweeping the home-and-home series over the past two seasons.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers will resume a season-long seven-game homestand tonight by welcoming the struggling Detroit Pistons to Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers improved to 2-1 on the residency Friday when Lou Williams scored 1
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Jimmer returns to SLC when Kings visit Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmer Fredette will return to Utah Saturday as the Sacramento Kings attempt to put the brakes on a three-game skid when they open up a brief two-game road trip against the Jazz. The Kings were blown out in their last enco
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Braves and Bluejays mix it up in MVC action >>
Betting the NFL preseasonRule 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. |
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