Raptors host reeling Kings
Basketball Betting Lines
02/07/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Home cooking figures to be key this afternoon as the
Toronto Raptors shoot for their seventh consecutive win at Air Canada Centre
against a Sacramento Kings team aiming to avoid an 11th straight road loss.
The Raptors opened a four-game homestand in winning fashion on Wednesday when
Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani each provided 20 points, as Toronto defeated
the lowly New Jersey Nets, 108-99.
Antoine Wright added a season-high 18 points and seven rebounds for the
Raptors, who have won six of seven overall. Sonny Weems set career-highs with
14 points and 11 rebounds, while Jarrett Jack had 17 points and nine assists
in the victory.
"We were able to step up. We had a seven-man rotation," Weems said. "Antoine
stepped up big for us, Jack played really well. It feels good for a chance to
showcase your stuff in front of your coach and other coaches in the NBA. To
help my team win is all I wanted to do."
Weems is helping fill the void left by injuries to rookie standout DeMar
DeRozan (ankle) and Turkish star Hedo Turkoglu (fractured orbital bone).Both
players could return this afternoon but Turkoglu is still trying to get
comfortable with the protective mask he will have to wear for the next four to
six weeks.
The Kings, who are kicking off a three-game road trip today, have been falling
apart recently and fell for the 12th time in 13 contests on Friday when Steve
Nash finished just shy of a triple- double, recording 23 points, 10 assists
and eight rebounds, as the Suns used a big third quarter run to down a reeling
Sacramento team, 114-102, at ARCO Arena.
Donte Greene had a career-high 31 points to go with seven rebounds for the
Kings, who fell to 16-33 this season. Omri Casspi added 17 points and eight
rebounds, while Tyreke Evans had 13 in the setback.
Sacramento second-year forward Jason Thompson is expected to return for
today's game after missing the past two contests in order to attend a family
funeral.
The red-hot Raptors were once 11-17 this season but have rebounded to go 16-6
since and move all the way to fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff
hunt. Meanwhile, the Kings were once 13-14 on the year but have gone a
miserable 3-19 since.
Toronto, which is 18-6 at the ACC this season, has won five straight over
Sacramento north of the border.
<< Buckeyes host Hawkeyes in Big Ten action
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will
attempt to complete the regular-season sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes when the two
meet in Columbus today for a Big Ten Conference clash.
Iowa is in desperate need of a vic
<< Third-ranked Orange clash with Bearcats in Big East battle
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Off to their best start ever, the third-
ranked Syracuse Orange take their show on the road today to tangle with the
Cincinnati Bearcats in a Big East clash at Fifth Third Arena.
On Tuesday, the Orange squas
<< Lopez ends lengthy title drought
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Feliciano Lopez of Spain beat
France's Stephane Robert in Sunday's final at the SA Tennis Open.
Lopez, the third seed, defeated Robert 7-5, 6-1 in just over an hour to win
his second career
<< Oudin puts United States in Fed Cup semis
Lievin, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Americans advanced to the Fed Cup
semifinals after teenager Melanie Oudin defeated Julie Coin in Sunday's first
reverse singles match.
Oudin posted a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory over Coin to give t
<< Jimenez outlasts Westwood for Dubai title
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Angel Jimenez didn't
play great golf in Sunday's playoff, but did enough to defeat Lee Westwood and
win the Dubai Desert Classic.
Jimenez netted three pars in the extra session and t
Magic and Celtics renew rivalry in Beantown >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The latest round of what is quickly becoming one of the
best rivalries in the Eastern Conference takes place at TD Garden this
afternoon as the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Celtics host the Southeast's
top squad, the Orla
Ovechkin's red-hot Caps host Crosby and Pens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The hottest team in the NHL will take on the defending
Stanley Cup champions today when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals
welcome Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins for an Eastern Conference showdown
at Verizon Cente
Canadiens invite struggling Bruins to Montreal >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to avoid tying the longest
losing streak in franchise history when they visit the rival Montreal
Canadiens for today's Northeast Division clash at Bell Centre.
The Bruins have gone the last 10 ga
England draws Wales in EURO 2012 qualifying >>
Warsaw, Poland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England will take on Wales in qualifying
after the two nations were placed in the same Euro 2012 group.
Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro were also drawn in Group G alongside
England and Wales ah
Stricker six clear after three rounds at Riviera >>
Pacific Palisades, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker polished off a five-
under 66 Sunday and stretched his lead to six strokes after three rounds of
the Northern Trust Open.
Stricker, who led by five entering the day, carded a p
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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