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12/28/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook aren't household names by now in Oklahoma City they will be soon.
Durant is the star of the show and currently sits fourth in the NBA with 27.8 points per game. He's right up there with NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and is only going to get better. The slender youngster has scored 30 or more points in three straight games, and is coming off a 30-point effort in a recent win over Charlotte.
The second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft has been a model of consistency and durability so far in 2009-10, and has helped the Thunder to a solid 15-14 mark. Oklahoma City is only four games behind Denver for the top spot in the Northwest Division, and has won two straight and three of five games.
Westbrook has been running the floor at the point and has handed out 37 assists to just 10 turnovers over the last five games. He did not record a turnover for the third time this season against the Bobcats, and is averaging 16.4 points, 6.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per contest this season.
"It's all a learning process for me," he said on the team's official Web site. "This is a learning process. I'm slowing down and seeing the game and the big thing for me, if I play aggressive and not think too much the turnover stuff won't happen as much."
Oklahoma City will open a two-game road trip Monday versus New Jersey and Washington, and is 7-7 away from the Ford Center this season.
ARTEST MAKING HEADLINES AGAIN IN LA
Maybe Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest was dipping into the Hennessy on Christmas night when he allegedly fell down a set of steps at his home, suffering a concussion and an elbow injury.
Artest, who admitted earlier this season that he drank the powerful cognac during halftime of Chicago Bulls games, is listed as day-to-day and will most likely miss Monday's road contest against the Pacific Division-rival Phoenix Suns. The savvy defender scored his 10,000th career point and dished his 2,000th career assist earlier this season, giving the Lakers four players with over 10,000 career points (Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Artest).
The Lakers obviously hope that Artest can make a healthy return when they commence a four-game homestand this week versus the Warriors, Kings, Mavericks and Rockets. Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles currently sits six games ahead of Phoenix in the standings.
Meanwhile, Pau Gasol is coming off a 24-point, 11-rebound, six-block effort against the Kings in double overtime on Saturday. Gasol, who was recently signed to a multi-year contract extension, has helped the Lakers to a 16-2 record since making his season debut on November 19. LA is also beating teams by an average of 10.6 points per game over that stretch and holds the best record in the NBA at 24-5.
DON'T OVERLOOK THE GRIZZ
Yes, they sit last in the Southwest Division with a 13-16 record, but the Memphis Grizzlies have something brewing in The River City.
Defense has been an issue for Lionel Hollins' bunch, which had a three-game winning streak stopped in its last game on Saturday at Dallas. But the young roster is loaded with talent and it starts with leading scorer Rudy Gay. Gay, who scored a career-high 41 points on December 13 at Miami, is averaging career highs in scoring (20.6), field goal percentage (.477), steals (1.64) and minutes (39.2) this season.
Gay, the runner-up to Hedo Turkoglu for the 2007-08 NBA Most Improved Player Award, is just the third player in franchise history to average more than 20 points per game (Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Pau Gasol). Meanwhile, Zach Randolph is enjoying a productive first season in Memphis and is second on the team with 19.9 points per game and first with 11.1 rebounds.
Randolph leads the NBA in offensive rebounding with a career-high 4.7 boards and has ripped off five straight double-double performances, including a 32- point, 24-rebound effort in a win over Denver on December 20. The 24 boards were a career high for Randolph, who had the first 32-24 contest since Kevin Garnett notched 33 points and 25 rebounds on December 5, 2003 at Sacramento.
After hosting the Washington Wizards on Monday, the up-and-coming Grizzlies will hit the road for four games against the Pacers, Suns, Blazers and Jazz.
NUGGETS NEED THEIR HEART AND SOUL
With the lead in the Northwest Division hanging by a thread, the Denver Nuggets could really use the services of perhaps their most valuable player, injured point guard Chauncey Billups.
Billups is as valuable to the Nuggets as Peyton Manning is to the Indianapolis Colts. The nation saw what happened Sunday when Manning rested in the second half of a loss to the New York Jets and Indy's perfect season came to an end.
Denver isn't flirting with perfection but might as well when Billups isn't on the floor. It dropped to 1-3 on Sunday without Billups, who is battling a groin injury that has hampered the former NBA champion. Billups will most likely miss Monday's tilt at Sacramento, while the Nuggets have lost two straight and four of their last five games. They own just a half-game lead over Portland in the Northwest standings.
"I thought we fought hard at different spurts of the game. We just didn't fight smart," said Billups, who has missed four of five games. "So much of this game, especially playing against really good teams, is being smart, not making the same mistakes over and over again in the course of a game. We didn't do a very good job of that."
It was only Denver's second home loss of the season (13-2). The Nuggets will open a quick two-game road trip tonight against the Kings and Jazz, and own a 7-9 record away from the Rocky Mountains this season. Nuggets rookie point guard Ty Lawson made his third start in the last four games versus Dallas and is averaging 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in each of his previous two starts.
HAS MCGRADY REACHED THE END IN HOUSTON?
Tracy McGrady made his return to the hardwood earlier this month following an extensive rehab assignment for microfracture knee surgery, but made different headlines the past few days.
McGrady made his season debut in a win over Detroit on December 15 and came off the bench for six straight games before missing the last two. He left the team and returned home over the weekend after Rockets head coach Rick Adelman told the superstar that his playing time of just under eight minutes would not increase. McGrady then got permission from the team to fly back to Houston.
The All-Star guard/forward thought he was ready to have his workload increased, but said he will not cause any confusion or confrontations. McGrady, who has a hefty salary and is in the final year of his contract, seems to have support on this case from general manager Daryl Morey. Morey stated that the decision to play McGrady just under eight minutes a game is the coach's decision and not a ploy to showcase his talents for a trade.
The Rockets are already playing without Yao Ming (foot surgery) and losing McGrady would not only hurt the team in some capacity, but also ticket and merchandise sales. Adelman said he's trying to create a flow where McGrady can get his shots and not have to worry about running the offense through the former first-round draft pick. The coach also said the team needs to play a certain way, and McGrady needs to be onboard for that.
Houston has dropped two of three games since a three-game winning streak and will begin a two-game homestand versus New Orleans and Dallas on Tuesday.
<< Rolling Coyotes visit Sharks for key Pacific battle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A record-tying home win streak has helped the Coyotes get
within three points of the top spot in the Pacific Division. Their play versus
the Sharks this year hasn't hurt either.
While Phoenix will have to wait a few days f
<< Surging Wild visit Kings in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wild will attempt to match a club record for the most
wins in a single month when they take on a Los Angeles Kings club that is
looking to stretch a five-game winning streak over Minnesota tonight at
Staples Center.
T
<< Oilers host Flames in battle between struggling clubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While it has been a rough two-week stretch for the Oilers,
December has been a month to forget all together for the Flames.
Edmonton will try to halt a season-high six-game losing streak tonight versus
a Calgary club that
<< Bruins try to continue roll in Tampa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to tie their longest winning
streak of the season tonight in a road matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning at
St. Pete Times Forum.
The Bruins posted a 2-1 victory over the Panthers on Sunday to wi
Bellamy dismisses City exit talk >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy
has played down rumors of him seeking to leave the club following the sacking
of former manager Mark Hughes.
Bellamy is thought to have been unhappy with Hughes'
Motherwell parts ways with Gannon >>
Motherwell, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Motherwell have parted company with
Jim Gannon due to a breakdown in relations between the manager and the club's
board.
A 3-1 home defeat at the hands of St Johnstone spelled the end for Gannon, w
Wolfsburg denies making Friedrich approach >>
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg have denied making an approach
for Hertha Berlin defender Arne Friedrich.
New managing director Dieter Hoeness was reported to have contacted his former
club to inquire about the availability o
Halak earns NHL's top star >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak,
Chicago right wing Patrick Kane and Vancouver netminder Roberto Luongo have
been selected as the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending December 27.
Halak ga
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.
Underdog 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.
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