Ridnour lifts Minnesota over Utah
Basketball Betting Lines
02/22/2012 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Ridnour finished with 17 points, none bigger than his floater at the final buzzer, lifting the Timberwolves to a 100-98 comeback victory over the Jazz at Target Center on Wednesday.
With seven ticks on the clock, Minnesota inbounded the ball to Barea, who dished it back to Ridnour. Ridnour split the defense at the top of the key and let go of a floater from the foul line that hit nothing but nylon to complete an 18-point comeback for the Timberwolves.
Five Jazz players finished in double figures, led by 22 off the bench from J.J. Barea. Nikola Pekovic added 15 and Derrick Williams netted 13 points to help Minnesota reach the .500 mark heading into the All-Star break.
Paul Millsap led the Jazz with 25 points to go with nine rebounds, while Al Jefferson contributed a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards to hand Utah its third straight loss. Josh Howard added 19 points in a losing effort.
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joakim Noah recorded his first career triple- double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, as the Chicago Bulls cruised past the Milwaukee Bucks, 110-91. Carlos Boozer added 20 points and seven
<< Rockets hand 76ers a 5th straight loss
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston's Luis Scola had 19 points and 10
rebounds in Wednesday's 93-87 win over the 76ers.
Kevin Martin scored 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and Kyle Lowry
finished with 13 for the Rockets,
<< Ferrer breezes into quarters at Copa Claro
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed and world No. 5 David
Ferrer easily dispatched Argentina native Facundo Bagnis on Wednesday at the
Copa Claro tennis event.
Ferrer, who was the runner-up at this event two years
<< Wichita State downs Illinois State, claims MVC crown
Normal, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Ragland paced four Wichita State players in
double figures with 14 points as the Shockers took down Illinois State by a
68-55 count on Wednesday to lock up the Missouri Valley Conference title.
Garrett
<< No. 10 Marquette sends Rutgers to another loss
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jae Crowder scored 27 points, Darius Johnson-
Odom had 21 and No. 10 Marquette handed Rutgers its sixth straight loss on
Wednesday night, 82-65.
Vander Blue added 10 points for the Golden Eagles (23-5, 12-3 B
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Marchand scored twice as Boston doubled up St. Louis, 4-2, at Scottrade Center. Chris Kelly and Milan Lucic each posted a goal and one assist for the Bruins, who had lost three of four coming in. Ti
No. 6 Michigan State edges Minnesota >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Keith Appling's go-ahead free throws with
32 seconds remaining lifted No. 6 Michigan State to a 66-61 victory over
Minnesota on Wednesday.
Austin Hollins airballed a three-pointer from the right w
Packers TE Finley tweets 2-year deal >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers and tight end Jermichael Finley have
agreed on a two-year deal.
Finley confirmed a report of the deal on his Twitter account Wednesday night,
saying:
"It's TRUE! Thank you so much to the Packers
Vinci out at Monterrey Open >>
Monterrey, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci was a
second-round loser at the $220,000 Monterrey Open on Wednesday.
Vinci fell to Russian Nina Bratchikova 7-5, 7-5 in 1 hour, 21 minutes on the
hardcourts at Sierr
Ellis' last-second shot lifts Warriors over Suns; Curry injures foot >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Monta Ellis scored 26 points and made the game-
winning jumper with one second left, lifting the Golden State Warriors over
the Phoenix Suns, 106-104.
Ellis' fadeaway jumper with Grant Hill in his face snap
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.