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02/04/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers will try to extend their season-high winning streak to five games when they entertain the Orlando Magic tonight in the opener of a modest two-game homestand.
Indiana has won four in a row and seven of its last nine games, including Friday's 98-87 triumph at Dallas. Paul George sank seven three-pointers en route to a career-high 30 points and also collected nine rebounds and five assists to lead the victors.
David West finished with 20 points and six boards, while Danny Granger added 16 points and five rebounds for the Pacers, who won in Dallas for the first time since January 9, 2004, halting a seven-game skid in Big D. Darren Collison donated 13 points and six assists in the victory.
"Obviously really excited about the win; a team effort indicative of 25 assists on 37 made buckets," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said. "Stellar defense, in particular in the second half, and in that first half, too; they were hitting a lot of tough shots."
The Pacers will also welcome Utah to Indy and are 6-1 as the host. They are currently 1 1/2 games behind Chicago for the Central Division lead.
Orlando has won back-to-back games since losing four straight and six of eight, and recorded a 102-94 victory versus Cleveland last night at Amway Center courtesy of 19 points and 16 rebounds from All-Star Dwight Howard.
"I just tried to be aggressive on the defensive end and block shots," Howard said. "The last couple of games we've been playing against a lot of quick guards who take it and go. So I was just trying to be the guy back there for us who could block shots and make our defense work."
Jason Richardson scored 19 points as well and Hedu Turkoglu added 18 for the Magic, who shot 42.5 percent and were coming off a win over Washington. Ryan Anderson netted 17 points and Von Wafer added 11 in a reserve role.
The Magic have been without starting point guard Jameer Nelson since January 27 because of concussion-like symptoms and the former Saint Joseph's star will most likely miss tonight's game. After visiting the Pacers, Orlando will play three straight and six of seven games in central Florida. It is 6-5 away from home this season.
Magic center Glen Davis is eligible to return from a two-game suspension Monday. Davis was penalized for conduct detrimental to the team, general manager Otis Smith announced Friday. Davis, who was acquired during the offseason via a trade with the Celtics, missed Friday's game against the Cavaliers and is averaging 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 22.3 minutes in 22 games this season.
The Magic handed Indiana its first home loss of the season with a 102-83 victory on Jan. 24, but the Pacers evened the season set thanks to a 106-85 triumph five days later. Orlando is 12-3 in the past 15 meetings with the Pacers, who have dropped four in a row as the host in this series.
<< Knicks square off with Nets at MSG
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks will play their third game in as many
nights when they entertain the local New Jersey Nets Saturday at Madison
Square Garden.
The Knicks have lost the first two of back-to-back-to-back con
<< Pistons welcome Hornets to The Palace
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of also-rans get together tonight at The Palace of
Auburn Hills, where the Detroit Pistons will host the New Orleans Hornets.
The Hornets have lost four in a row and 13 of their last 14 games, including
Thursday
<< Timberwolves host Rockets in Twin Cities
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves aim to reach the .500 mark
tonight versus the Houston Rockets at the Target Center.
Minnesota is 11-12 on the season and has won seven of its last 11 games,
including Friday's 108-1
<< Bulls continue long trip in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of a nine-game road trip
and will continue the lengthy trek tonight against the Central Division-rival
Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.
The Bulls improved to 2-2 thus far on th
Blazers entertain Nuggets at Rose Garden >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Northwest Division rivals meet in Rip City on Saturday when
the Jekyll and Hyde Portland Trail Blazers entertain the well-rounded Denver
Nuggets at the Rose Garden.
The Blazers have been two different teams this season
Bobcats hope to end slide against Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats certainly hope to halt an ugly 10-
game skid tonight but maybe Paul Silas' club should just focus on staying
competitive when its visits the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns.
The Bobcats are
Lakers resume trek in Utah >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers will resume a six-game road trip
tonight against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.
The Lakers have won three in a row and four of five games since a season-high
three-game slide and kicke
Clippers kick off trek in Washington >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were named starters on the
Western Conference All-Star squad and look to get the Los Angeles Clippers
back in the win column tonight against the Washington Wizards.
The Clippers will
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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Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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