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Hawks complete season sweep of CelticsBasketball Betting Lines01/29/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford finished with 28 points and six assists, as the Atlanta Hawks completed a season sweep of Boston with a 100-91 win over the Celtics at Philips Arena. Boston won all four games against Atlanta last season, and all three in 2007-08, but the Hawks reversed course this season. Friday's game put the finishing touches on the feat, which the Hawks haven't done since the 1998-99 campaign, when they won all three games against the Celtics. Atlanta hadn't swept a four-game season series with Boston since 1995-96. "We can stand up a little bit," Crawford said. "We won't stick our chests out yet. But we can stand straight up and look them eye-to-eye, that's for sure. I think we're continuing to get better." Joe Johnson had 27 points for Atlanta, which has won four of five overall. Josh Smith had 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the victory, while Al Horford added 11 points and eight boards. Paul Pierce shot 11-of-15 and finished with a season-high 35 points for Boston, which shot just 34 percent aside from Pierce. Kevin Garnett added 15 points and seven rebounds as the Celtics lost their second in a row. "I give them all the credit," Pierce said. "They played hard for four games. They took care of business like we did to them last year. We've still got the playoffs." Boston led early and was up 16-7 late in the first quarter. But Atlanta scored the next eight, and Crawford's three at the buzzer gave the Hawks a 23-22 edge. Atlanta used an eight-point burst early in the second quarter to take control. Zaza Pachulia's layup with 7:13 to play ended the stretch for a 37-26 advantage, and the Hawks played in front the rest of the half, taking a 53-41 lead into the break. But Boston scored seven straight points early in the third to stay close, as Pierce's two foul shots got the Celtics within 57-50. Boston continued to trail but never let its deficit get out of hand, then made it a one-possession game late in the period. A Pierce technical free throw, followed by two foul shots by Garnett, brought the Celtics within 72-69 with 2:50 to play. They were within 74-73 moving to the fourth. It was still a one-point game early in the final quarter, but Johnson responded with a personal seven-point run. That was part of a larger 11-2 Hawks flurry that he ended with a jumper for an 89-79 advantage with five minutes to play. Boston rallied to get within 93-88 on a Rasheed Wallace free throw with 1:34 left, but Johnson answered with a jumper. After Wallace missed a three, Crawford sealed the win with a dunk with just over a minute remaining. Game Notes Johnson scored 16 points in the fourth quarter...The Hawks had 29 fast break points, compared to eight for the Celtics...Kendrick Perkins had 12 rebounds for Boston.
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Betting the NFL preseasonRule 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. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship (September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season. MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs. |
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