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Lakers welcome Wizards to Staples CenterBasketball Betting Lines03/21/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff-bound Los Angeles Lakers shoot for their sixth straight victory tonight, when they close out a short homestand versus the Washington Wizards at Staples Center. The Pacific Division-leading Lakers opened the homestand with a 104-96 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves, as Kobe Bryant scored 22 points, dished out 13 assists and had four steals to lead the way. Pau Gasol registered 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won five in a row and lost center Andrew Bynum to a strained left Achilles' tendon in the third quarter. An MRI revealed no tear and just a strain, though the Lakers big man will miss at least one week's worth of action. "We're concerned about Andrew. He could miss a little while," Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said. Lamar Odom had 18 points for Los Angeles, the first team in the Western Conference to clinch a postseason spot. The Lakers, who own a 31-5 home record in 2009-10 and have won five straight in Hollywood, are 4 1/2 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the No. 1 seed. Washington is playing out the string and hopes to put the brakes on a 10-game slide when it closes out a four-game road trip Sunday evening. It has lost the first three tests of the trek and six straight away from DC, including Friday's 76-74 decision against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden. Mike Miller scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Andray Blatche had 12 points and Randy Foye chipped in 11 for the Wizards, who fell to 9-24 as the visitor this season. Blatche had scored 20 or more points in five consecutive games. "Everyone was making plays, hustle plays; to get us back into the game," said Foye. "We let them get offensive rebounds at the end of the game, that's what killed us. Offensive rebounds, and second-chances, and if we were able to rebound at the end of the game we could've put it away." The Lakers defeated the Wizards, 115-103, back on January 26 this season at the Verizon Center behind Bryant's 26 points and eight assists. Los Angeles has won six straight against Washington, which has dropped two straight and 14 of 16 games at the Lakers.
<< Rockets begin trip at New York
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets hope to get back on track when they open a three-game road trip Sunday against the New York Knicks at historic Madison Square Garden. Houston will also visit the Bulls and Thunder, and is 15-17
<< Durant, Thunder visit Pacers in Indy
<< Blazers make a stop in Phoenix
<< Top-seeded Syracuse and Gonzaga clash in West Region
<< West Regional action pits Panthers against Musketeers
Spurs, Hawks tangle in Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of playoff-caliber teams get together this evening at Philips Arena in Atlanta, where the Hawks will try to snap a seven-game losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have also won 10 of the last 11
Cavs return home to host Pistons >>
Kings visit Clippers without rookie Evans >>
Rangers, Bruins fight for playoff spot in Boston >>
Flames try to boost playoff chances in St. Paul >>
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. *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." About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs. |
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