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Bucks to host Sixers, shoot for ninth straight home winBasketball Betting Lines03/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff-hopeful Milwaukee Bucks aim for their ninth straight win at the Bradley Center in tonight's matchup against a hapless Philadelphia 76ers team that has dropped 13 of their last 15 encounters. The Bucks earned their eighth straight home win on Monday against Atlanta, when John Salmons poured in a 32 points and hit the go-ahead free throws with 21.8 seconds remaining as Milwaukee earned a hard-fought 98-95 victory. Carlos Delfino chipped in 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Bucks, who have won 15 of 17 overall since acquiring Salmons from Chicago on Feb. 18. Luke Ridnour added 18 points off the bench for the victors, who currently hold the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. "It was just one of those days that anything you shoot just goes in," said Salmons, who went 12-for-19 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the foul line. The Bucks, who haven't won nine consecutive on their home floor since a 10- game run from Dec. 10, 2003-Jan. 15, 2004, now have a magic number of seven for clinching their first postseason berth in four seasons. The Sixers, meanwhile, have checked out on embattled coach Eddie Jordan and continue to pile up the losses, most recently falling to Orlando in the City of Brotherly Love on Monday. Dwight Howard logged 23 points and 15 rebounds as the Southeast Division-leading Magic topped the 76ers, 109-93. Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala notched 23 points apiece and Samuel Dalembert came up with 16 points and 14 rebounds for Philadelphia, which has lost seven straight to Orlando and eight of its last nine games overall. "[The Magic] make threes, that's what they do and they did it tonight," said Jordan. The Bucks and Sixers have split a pair of games so far this season, with each club holding serve on its home floor.
<< Desperate Rockets hope to maintain mastery of Thunder
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets shoot for their 14th straight victory over the playoff-hopeful Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at the Ford Center. The Thunder franchise hasn't beaten Houston since they were known as the Seattle SuperSon
<< Habs get reinforcements for battle in Buffalo
<< Report: Charge against Sapp dropped
<< Pens and Caps clash in D.C.
<< Rangers try to solve Isles at MSG
Lakers begin road trip with stop in San Antonio >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers continue their march to the postseason Wednesday by opening up a five-game road trip in the Alamo City against their long time rival, the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers won their sixth straight game o
Wings welcome Blues for important test at the Joe >>
Kings and Avs cap home-and-home in Denver >>
Grizzlies head to Golden State seeking needed win >>
Ducks shoot for road win in Vancouver >>
Betting FootballNFL Football Betting OnlineIs 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. |
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