Raptors host reeling Kings
Basketball Betting Lines
02/07/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Home cooking figures to be key this afternoon as the
Toronto Raptors shoot for their seventh consecutive win at Air Canada Centre
against a Sacramento Kings team aiming to avoid an 11th straight road loss.
The Raptors opened a four-game homestand in winning fashion on Wednesday when
Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani each provided 20 points, as Toronto defeated
the lowly New Jersey Nets, 108-99.
Antoine Wright added a season-high 18 points and seven rebounds for the
Raptors, who have won six of seven overall. Sonny Weems set career-highs with
14 points and 11 rebounds, while Jarrett Jack had 17 points and nine assists
in the victory.
"We were able to step up. We had a seven-man rotation," Weems said. "Antoine
stepped up big for us, Jack played really well. It feels good for a chance to
showcase your stuff in front of your coach and other coaches in the NBA. To
help my team win is all I wanted to do."
Weems is helping fill the void left by injuries to rookie standout DeMar
DeRozan (ankle) and Turkish star Hedo Turkoglu (fractured orbital bone).Both
players could return this afternoon but Turkoglu is still trying to get
comfortable with the protective mask he will have to wear for the next four to
six weeks.
The Kings, who are kicking off a three-game road trip today, have been falling
apart recently and fell for the 12th time in 13 contests on Friday when Steve
Nash finished just shy of a triple- double, recording 23 points, 10 assists
and eight rebounds, as the Suns used a big third quarter run to down a reeling
Sacramento team, 114-102, at ARCO Arena.
Donte Greene had a career-high 31 points to go with seven rebounds for the
Kings, who fell to 16-33 this season. Omri Casspi added 17 points and eight
rebounds, while Tyreke Evans had 13 in the setback.
Sacramento second-year forward Jason Thompson is expected to return for
today's game after missing the past two contests in order to attend a family
funeral.
The red-hot Raptors were once 11-17 this season but have rebounded to go 16-6
since and move all the way to fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff
hunt. Meanwhile, the Kings were once 13-14 on the year but have gone a
miserable 3-19 since.
Toronto, which is 18-6 at the ACC this season, has won five straight over
Sacramento north of the border.
<< Buckeyes host Hawkeyes in Big Ten action
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will
attempt to complete the regular-season sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes when the two
meet in Columbus today for a Big Ten Conference clash.
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ranked Syracuse Orange take their show on the road today to tangle with the
Cincinnati Bearcats in a Big East clash at Fifth Third Arena.
On Tuesday, the Orange squas
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his second career
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Magic and Celtics renew rivalry in Beantown >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The latest round of what is quickly becoming one of the
best rivalries in the Eastern Conference takes place at TD Garden this
afternoon as the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Celtics host the Southeast's
top squad, the Orla
Ovechkin's red-hot Caps host Crosby and Pens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The hottest team in the NHL will take on the defending
Stanley Cup champions today when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals
welcome Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins for an Eastern Conference showdown
at Verizon Cente
Canadiens invite struggling Bruins to Montreal >>
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losing streak in franchise history when they visit the rival Montreal
Canadiens for today's Northeast Division clash at Bell Centre.
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England draws Wales in EURO 2012 qualifying >>
Warsaw, Poland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England will take on Wales in qualifying
after the two nations were placed in the same Euro 2012 group.
Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro were also drawn in Group G alongside
England and Wales ah
Stricker six clear after three rounds at Riviera >>
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
New York Giants betting lines
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Dallas Cowboys betting lines
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
Oakland Raiders betting lines
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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