Kobe, Lakers get back to work against Portland

Basketball Betting Lines

02/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All-Star Game MVP Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers return to the court tonight, as they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to the Staples Center.

Bryant scored 31 points, dished out six assists and had six steals to lead the West to an easy 153-132 win over the East in the 56th annual All-Star Game on Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The All-Star break came at the right time for the Lakers, who lost five in a row heading into the mid-season classic. The Lakers are in second place in the Pacific Division, 10 1/2 games behind the division-leading Phoenix Suns.

A nine-time All-Star, Bryant leads the Lakers in scoring (28.8 ppg) and assists (5.5 apg). Forward Lamar Odom, who is second on the team in scoring (16.6 ppg), has grabbed a team-best 9.4 rebounds per game.

The Lakers are 19-8 as the host this season. They are scheduled to host the Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics on Friday in the finale of a four-game homestand.

Portland plays its second game since the All-Star break. On Tuesday, rookie Brandon Roy poured in 27 points and dished out seven assists as the Trail Blazers edged the Utah Jazz, 103-100, in the first game for both teams coming out of the All-Star break.

Zach Randolph scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the win over the Jazz for Portland, which snapped a two-game skid, but began the second half of the schedule with one more win than they had all of last season. Ime Udoka ended with 15 points, while Dan Dickau netted 11 and Jarrett Jack finished with 10 points and six assists for the Blazers.

The Trail Blazers, who have dropped two in a row as the visitor, are 10-18 on the road this season. They return home to host the Seattle SuperSonics on Monday at the Rose Garden.

This is the second of three meetings between the clubs this season. On November 8th, Randolph posted 36 points and 10 rebounds as the Trail Blazers started picked up a 101-90 victory over the Lakers at the Rose Garden.

Portland has lost three straight and nine of its last 10 at the Lakers. The Trail Blazers have won two of the last three contests in the series.

The Lakers are scheduled to host the Trail Blazers on March 16th at the Staples Center.

Wwwone-and-only Basketball Betting News

<< Celtics continue swing in Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Division-leading Phoenix Suns welcome the NBA-worst Boston Celtics tonight to US Airways Center. This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the squads. On December 8th, Shawn Marion poured i

<< Timberwolves open homestand vs. Bobcats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves hope home is where the heart is when the struggling club opens up a five-game homestand this evening against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Target Center. The Timberwolves have lost six of their l

<< Magic, Pistons play front end of home-and-home set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic open a home-and- home set tonight when the two teams square off at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit comes into the game on a winning note after holding on for an 84-83 win over t

<< Nets open homestand against Hornets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets open up a five-game homestand this evening when they welcome the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets to the Continental Airlines Arena. However, the big question for the Nets is how many of those games s

<< Cavs, Raptors meet in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers conclude a three-game road trip tonight when they travel to Toronto to battle the Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Cleveland has split the first two games of its trek so far. The Cavaliers were downe

Miami's Pat Riley returns to bench in Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat welcome head coach Pat Riley back to the bench tonight when they travel to Houston to battle the Rockets at the Toyota Center. Riley announced before the Heat's 104-85 win over Portland last Tuesday he wo

Warriors return from All-Star break to host Grizzlies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors play their first game back from the All-Star break, as they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies tonight to ORACLE Arena. Golden State went into the break on a winning note. On February 14th, Stephen J

Spurs need to put together some big winning streaks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs own a solid 36-18 record, but that is not good enough in the Southwest Division. Dallas, which is the defending Western Conference champion, is at the top of the division, 8 1/2 games a

Saskachewan Roughriders (CFL) >>
Signed running back Hakim Hill to a one-year plus an option contract.

Brandon Roy has a bright future in Portland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy is having a very solid rookie campaign for the Portland Trail Blazers, who are 23-32 and sit in fourth place in the Northwest Division. Roy, who is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, is

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.