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02/18/2009 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pau Gasol had his third career triple- double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and despite Kobe Bryant's lowest point total in over a year, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated Atlanta, 96-83, at the Staples Center.
Coming off his co-MVP performance with ex-Laker Shaquille O'Neal in the All- Star Game, Bryant totaled just 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in nearly 29 minutes of court time. It's his lowest point total since February 5, 2008, when he scored six at New Jersey.
Lamar Odom scored 15 and had a season-high 20 rebounds for the Lakers, who won for the eighth time in nine games. They headed to the All-Star break with a 113-109 loss at Utah, but have now won 12 of their last 14 contests, also moving to 25-4 at home.
"We were rusty in the first half," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "And then our young guns came in and bailed us out. Obviously we had a lot of support with Lamar getting 20 rebounds. We started playing in rhythm and passed the ball well."
Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar each scored 10 for Los Angeles, which dominated by a 67-39 count on the glass and forced the Hawks to shoot 36.9 percent from the field.
Joe Johnson had 14 points, Josh Smith scored 13 and Marvin Williams 10 for the Hawks, who came into the post All-Star break having won four of their last five games. But this was the continuation of an arduous road trip for the Hawks, who won at Detroit right before the All-Star game. They're on a stretch of playing six straight and nine of 11 games on the road.
"We played well for a quarter and a half," said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson. "Then they hit us in the mouth and we shut it down. LA's defense was solid and they shot it well. They were good tonight."
Zaza Pachulia had 12 rebounds for Atlanta, which has dropped 16 of its last 19 at the Lakers.
Ahead by nine at the half, the Lakers opened the third quarter on a dominating 16-2 spurt. Bryant and Fisher hit consecutive three-pointers, and Fisher's runner with under eight minutes left moved LA to a 61-38 bulge.
The margin stood at 85-60 going into the fourth, and the Lakers were on cruise control over the final 12 minutes, even getting new acquisition Adam Morrison into the game.
The Hawks scored six of the game's first seven points and managed a 24-23 lead after 12 minutes, but the Lakers used a 12-2 spurt midway through the second, expanding to a 40-32 lead following a Josh Powell jumper to cap the flurry.
Fisher's three-pointer represented the final offensive push for the half, leaving the hosts with a 45-36 lead.
Game Notes
The Lakers have won eight of the last 12 meetings...Morrison, who was traded from Charlotte on February 7, played his first game as a member of the Lakers...Atlanta plays at Sacramento Wednesday, while the Lakers are on the road versus Golden State the same night.
<< Rays sign Kennedy to minor league deal
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday signed veteran
infielder Adam Kennedy to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring
training.
The 33-year-old hit .280 with two homers and 36 RBI in 115 games fo
<< Canucks rally late, beat Flames in shootout
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Bieksa tied the score inside the final
minute of regulation and Pavol Demitra tallied the only goal of the shootout,
as the Vancouver Canucks downed the Calgary Flames, 4-3, at Saddledome.
Ryan Kesler
<< Wolski's goal in OT leads Avalanche past Senators
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wojtek Wolski's tally 1:20 into overtime sent
Colorado past Ottawa, 3-2, at Pepsi Center.
Wolski let a heavy shot go from just inside the blue line which was stopped by
Alex Auld. The rebound kicked out to
<< Royals, Jacobs agree to one-year, $3.275 million deal
Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals and first baseman Mike
Jacobs avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.275 million contract
on Tuesday.
The Royals, who acquired Jacobs in the offseason in exchange for pitc
No new agreement for Texas Tech and Leach >>
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Tech head football coach Mike Leach
turned down the school's latest contract offer, missing a Tuesday afternoon
deadline, and that could lead to him losing his job
"Coach Leach has declined ou
Gasol's triple-double leads Lakers over Hawks >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pau Gasol had his third career triple-
double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and despite Kobe Bryant's
lowest point total in over a year, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated Atlanta,
96-83,
Wake Forest seeks redemption in clash with Georgia Tech >>
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Wake Forest Demons
Deacons will attempt to even the season series with the Georgia Tech Yellow
Jackets in tonight's ACC showdown in Winston-Salem.
Georgia Tech upset Wake Forest by a 76-
Surging Tigers pay a visit to struggling Hogs >>
Fayetteville, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked LSU Tigers are one of the
nation's most surprising teams, and they hope to move one step closer to
wrapping up the SEC Western Division title as they take on the Arkansas
Razorbacks in Fayette
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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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.
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