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02/12/2012 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade scored all 21 of his points in a lopsided first half, and the Miami Heat cruised past the Atlanta Hawks, 107-87, in a Southeast Division showdown at Philips Arena.
LeBron James chipped in 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, while Chris Bosh added 14 points and 16 boards for Miami, which was able to rest Wade and James for the entire fourth quarter and Bosh for all but 5:17.
The division-leading Heat led by as many as 32 against the second-place Hawks. They outscored them at the foul line, 26-6 and won the battle on the glass, 52-38.
Willie Green scored 17 points off the bench to pace Atlanta, while Joe Johnson netted 12 in defeat. Marvin Williams and Josh Smith combined for 14 points on 6-of-21 (29 percent) shooting.
The Hawks were coming off wins over Eastern Conference contenders Indiana and Orlando and were looking to cut into their two-game deficit in the standings.
Their quest was denied early and emphatically, as the Heat went an 11-0 run in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the first quarter. Their 30-18 lead ballooned to as many as 25 in the second following a Wade-fueled 22-4 spurt.
Wade scored 13 points during the late surge, including a three-point play for a 58-33 cushion with 74 seconds left before halftime.
It was 63-41 at the break, and Mario Chalmers went off for 10 of his 15 in the third quarter to maintain the healthy cushion. James' three-pointer with 4:02 remaining extended the margin to 81-49, and the visitors cruised from there.
While Bosh played a little over five minutes in the fourth quarter, Wade and James sat to rest up for road tests at Milwaukee and Indiana on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Game Notes
The Heat have won five of six overall and improved to 2-1 on a six-game road trip...Miami leads the season series, 2-1...Before the game, the Heat signed center Mickell Gladness to a 10-day contract...Smith had a game-high seven assists.
<< Blues shut out Sharks, extend home points streak
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaroslav Halak made 25 saves to record his
sixth shutout of the season and 22nd of his career as the St. Louis Blues kept
rolling at home with a 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks at Scottrade Center.
Alex
<< Prahalis helps Ohio State outlast Purdue
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samantha Prahalis scored 26 points, including
a clutch three-pointer in the final minute to help No. 10 Ohio State fend off
No. 16 Purdue, 80-71, in a Big 10 clash.
Amber Stokes and Ashley Adams chipped in
<< Perry's hat trick lifts Ducks over Blue Jackets
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Corey Perry recorded his second hat trick of
the season and fifth of his career, leading the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-3 victory
over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
Bobby Ryan scored and added a
<< Wizards use big second half run to top Pistons
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Wall dished out a career-high 15
assists and scored all nine of his points during a game-changing run in the
second half as the Wizards earned their second road win of the season with a
98-77 t
Malkin scores twice, Pens double up Lightning >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin lit the lamp twice and the
Pittsburgh Penguins scored four unanswered goals Sunday night to beat the
Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2.
The Penguins bounced back from the two quickest goals b
San Pail named Harness Horse of the Year >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seven-year-old trotter San Pail has been named
harness racing's 2011 Horse of the Year. The announcement came Sunday night by
the U.S. Harness Writers Association at the annual Dan Patch Awards dinner.
Trained
Jazz top Grizzlies to snap 3-game slide >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gordon Hayward scored 23 points and handed out
five assists, and the Utah Jazz snapped a three-game slide with a 98-88
victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Al Jefferson chipped in 21 points a
Warriors edge Rockets behind Ellis' 33 >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Monta Ellis poured in 33 points and the Golden
State Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak to the Houston Rockets with
a 106-97 win on Sunday.
The Warriors got 15 points and 13 rebounds from David Lee a
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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.
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