Sixers try to bounce back vs. bumbling Bobcats
Basketball Betting Lines
01/27/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers try to bounce back from a rare loss
at home this evening when they welcome the hapless Charlotte Bobcats to the
Wells Fargo Center.
Philadelphia lost for only the second time in 10 tries in front of its fans on
Wednesday, falling in overtime, 97-90, to the New Jersey Nets.
Lou Williams ended with 17 points and six assists for Philadelphia, which fell
to 8-2 at home this season. Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday had 16 and 14 points,
respectively.
Trailing by four, 88-84, with 2 1/2 minutes left in overtime, Philly ripped
off six straight points to take the lead. Holiday capped the surge with an
easy steal off an inbounds pass and slam, making it 90-88 with 1:18 to go.
But Deron Williams made a jumper and three-pointer around Jodie Meeks' missed
three-pointer to give New Jersey a 93-90 edge with 26.8 seconds left. The Nets
then sealed the win with four free throws.
"We had five fast break points tonight. That was the difference," said Sixers
coach Doug Collins. "We never could get out and run."
After winning nine of 10 games, the Sixers have now lost three of five and
have surrendered 95.4 points-per-game in doing so. Not helping any is the fact
that the team is without its two centers Spencer Hawes (Achilles) and Nik
Vucevic (quadriceps).
"We definitely need our bigs," Brand said. "We're looking forward to getting
them back, but we just couldn't get stops."
The Sixers added some depth earlier Friday by signing veteran free agent
center Francisco Elson.
"We are happy to pick up Francisco Elson, a veteran big man who can help
bolster our front court, Sixers president of basketball operations Rod Thorn
said when announcing the signing.
Charlotte, meanwhile, continues to be one of the league's worst teams at 3-16.
The Bobcats dropped their sixth straight game on Wednesday to the equally
anemic Washington Wizards, losing 92-75.
Matt Carroll scored 17 points in his first start of the year for the Bobcats,
who were without starters D.J. Augustin (toe) and Gerald Henderson (back).
The Bobcats got help from rookie Kemba Walker, who scored eight points to go
with four assists and six boards in place of Augustin; and Tyrus Thomas, who
added 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high nine blocks for Charlotte,
which has dropped seven in a row on the road.
"As I said last night, take three or four of your best players off any team,
and you're not gonna play well," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said about his
team's recent injuries. "Our scorers, our two leading scorers are not playing,
how are we gonna score?"
The loss was the 12th in 13 tries for the Bobcats, who will be without
Augustin again tonight. Henderson will likely be a game-time decision.
Philadelphia could have an even bigger edge tonight, as the home team in this
series has won the last four and seven of the last eight contests. Charlotte
has also dropped 10 of its last 13 in the City of Brotherly Love.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to snap a 16-game
losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs when the two clubs met in early January
and shoot for a rare win streak in the series tonight at the Target Center.
The Timberwo
<< Bogut-less Bucks visit Bulls
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been a season of frustration for Bucks center Andrew
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Bulls club
<< Cavs and Nets meet at The Q
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets have yet to win consecutive games this
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Both teams will be trying to put together win streaks this evening at Quicken
Loans Arena.
The Nets have
<< Mavs hope to rebound with Jazz in town
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celebrations don't seem to be agreeing with the Dallas
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ceremonies in the rearview mirror as they get ready to host the Utah Jazz.
The Mav
<< Nuggets aim to stay hot vs. Raptors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking Denver Nuggets aim for a sixth straight win
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scorer Andrea Bargnani.
The Nuggets are fresh off a brilliant 5-0 road trip tha
Wagner will play FBS school for first time >>
Staten Island, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wagner College football program will
open its 2012 season at Florida Atlantic - the Seahawks' first game against a
Football Bowl Subdivision school.
Wagner announced an 11-game schedule on Friday, beg
Phillies sign OF Pierre >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies on Friday inked
outfielder Juan Pierre to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring
training.
The 34-year-old veteran finished 2011 with a .279 average, two home run
Inter aims to bounce back against Lecce >>
Lecce, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan will attempt to get back to
winning ways on Sunday at Lecce after the club saw its eight-match winning
streak halted in the Coppa Italia by Napoli in midweek.
The 2-0 setback prevent
Raptors' Bargnani out with calf issue >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani will be
out for an undefined period of time after aggravating a previous calf injury.
The 26-year-old suffered a strained left calf back on January 11 and missed
six
'Melo to sit two games >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is expected
to miss the next two games in an effort to heal a variety of injuries.
Anthony will sit out Friday's contest at Miami and will also miss Saturday's
contest at
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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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