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Wizards try to turn down Heat in D.C.Basketball Betting Lines02/28/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat close out a brief two-game road trip tonight when they take on the Southeast Division-rival Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. Miami has dropped three of its last four games, including Monday's 99-93 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Shaquille O'Neal ended with 20 points for Miami, which is 11-19 as the visitor this season. Jason Kapono added 24 points in the losing effort. After Wednesday's game in D.C., the Heat will open a six-game homestand versus Detroit, Atlanta, Chicago, Minnesota, Washington and Utah. In injury news, the Heat are 1-2 since star guard Dwyane Wade went down with a dislocated left shoulder against Houston on February 21. They are 2-8 overall this season without the former Marquette star in the lineup. The Wizards, who own a 4 1/2-game lead over both Orlando and Miami in the standings, have lost three straight and suffered a 113-101 setback to the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday in the finale of a three-game road trip at Continental Airlines Arena. Gilbert Arenas had 26 points and Jarvis Hayes added 21 with nine boards for the Wizards, who will open a four-game homestand this evening. Washington will host Miami, Atlanta, Golden State and Toronto, and owns a 21-7 record at the Verizon Center this season. Wednesday's showdown between Miami and Washington is the second of four matchups this regular season. The Wizards won the first encounter, 106-95, on December 15 at the Verizon Center. Both teams will meet again on March 11 and April 11 this season. Miami has won 12 of the last 13 meetings with the Wizards. It has also won six of its last seven trips to D.C.
<< Jazz visit Grizzlies in Memphis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Northwest Division-leading Utah Jazz open a three-game road trip this evening when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum. Utah, which owns a 9 1/2-game lead over Denver in the Northwest standin
<< 76ers continue homestand vs. Suns
<< Celtics, Knickerbockers square off in Beantown
<< Sharks to unveil new look against Predators
<< Flames and Wild clash in Calgary
Hornets aim to sting visiting Hawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets will try for their sixth straight win at home this evening when they welcome the Atlanta Hawks to the Ford Center. The Hornets were on the road last night and fell to the Clevelan
Bulls welcome Warriors to Windy City >>
Rockets in flight vs. Raptors >>
Bobcats, Kings set for battle at ARCO >>
LA aims to clip visiting Sonics >>
Betting the NFL preseasonRule 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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