12/03/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns open a short two-game road swing Wednesday when they arrive in the Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Hornets.
The Suns lost their second straight game Sunday when New Jersey's Devin Harris poured in a career-high 47 points to lead the Nets to a 117-109 victory over Phoenix at US Airways Center.
Harris was a perfect 17-of-17 from the foul line and hit on 14-of-25 field goal attempts to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds. His 21 fourth-quarter points was just three shy of Phoenix's total output in the final frame.
It was New Jersey's first win in Phoenix in 15 years, having come up empty since it last posted a victory on March 19, 1993 -- just two short months after Bill Clinton was elected as the 42nd president of the U.S. and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
Amare Stoudemire had 25 points and 12 rebounds before being ejected with 3:24 left in the game after having words with officials following a brief tangle with Yi Jianlian. He had earlier received a technical, and the ejection was automatic with his second.
The Suns had a three-game winning streak halted on Friday in a setback to the Heat and have now dropped consecutive games for the second time this season. Phoenix played without two-time MVP Steve Nash in the Miami loss due to a bruised right thigh, but had its superstar guard back in the lineup on Sunday, receiving 26 points and nine assists that went for naught.
Matt Barnes netted 18 points and grabbed eight caroms in the loss.
The Hornets, meanwhile, lost for the first time in five games last Friday when Portland's Brandon Roy logged a terrific all-around effort with 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to carry the Blazers to a 101-86 victory over New Orleans at the Rose Garden.
Chris Paul registered 16 points, six assists and six rebounds as the Hornets while Peja Stojakovic posted team-high 21 points in defeat.
New Orleans, which is 4-3 at home this year, has dominated the Suns recently, winning five straight versus Phoenix. The Suns, however, have been very good as the visitor early this season, compiling a 7-2 mark away from home.
<< Heat close out trek in Utah
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat finish a five-game road swing Wednesday when
they visit Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.
The Heat improved to 2-2 on the trip with an exciting 130-129 overtime win
against t
<< Tar Heels and Spartans mix it up in Motor City
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the premier matchups of the early season
takes place in Detroit this evening, as the top-ranked North Carolina Tar
Heels meet up with the 13th-ranked Michigan State Spartans as part of the
ACC/Big Ten Chall
<< Hoosiers visit undefeated Demon Deacons
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons
will play host to the Indiana Hoosiers as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
the evening from Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
The Demon Deacons return home to Winston-Sale
<< Dukes challenge Panthers in clash of Steel City rivals
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers seek
their eighth straight win to begin the 2008-09 season, when they welcome local
rival Duquesne to the Petersen Events Center this evening for non-conference
action.
Pacers face another tough test in Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers aim to complete am impressive back-to-
back sweep of the NBA's two best teams Wednesday when the club arrives in
Beantown to take on the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth
Garden.
Hawks host Grizzlies at Philips Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks kick off a quick two-game homestand
Wednesday by welcoming the struggling Memphis Grizzlies to Philips Arena.
Al Horford scored 19 points, including the go-ahead three-point-play with 12.4
seconds l
Bobcats host Thunder in Charlotte >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to string together
consecutive wins for the first time this season when they resume a four-game
road trip tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats.
The expansion Thunder won for just the sec
Hurricanes fire Laviolette >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have decided to make a
coaching change and will reportedly replace Peter Laviolette with his
predecessor, Paul Maurice.
The Hurricanes have scheduled a Wednesday news confe
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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