11/20/2008 - Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. Miles scored 25 points to lead Utah to a 105-94 comeback win over the Milwaukee Bucks, as the Jazz won their 14th straight home game going back to last season.
Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 11 rebounds, but left the game in the fourth quarter with a strained left quad tendon. Ronnie Price and Andrei Kirilenko each had 16 points for the Jazz, who beat Milwaukee for the eighth straight time. Kirilenko also had seven rebounds, five steals and four blocks.
Ronnie Brewer ended with 12 points for the Jazz, winners of back-to-back games overall since a three-game skid.
Richard Jefferson scored 25 points, and Andrew Bogut contributed 16 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for the Bucks, who lost their third straight contest.
Ramon Sessions sank a layup for a 76-70 Milwaukee lead in the final minute of the third, but the Jazz had the final two buckets of the quarter - on a Brewer jam and a Boozer layup.
The Jazz then used a 13-3 run during the fourth quarter to take control. Austin Croshere hit a three-pointer for an 83-82 Milwaukee edge with nearly eight minutes left, but then came the game-changing flurry, started by a pair of Boozer layups and finished by a Miles three-ball with 2:34 remaining for 95-86 difference.
Boozer was hurt during the final quarter while going up for a rebound. His knee buckled and Boozer was then lifted for Mehmet Okur. Boozer will have an MRI on Thursday.
Utah is already shorthanded with injuries to guards Deron Williams (ankle) and Brevin Knight (groin), and center Jarron Collins (elbow).
Utah led 26-16 after one quarter and pushed that margin to 45-30 midway through the second, but the Bucks finished the half on a 23-6 spurt to grab a two-point edge.
Milwaukee continued to pull away early in the third, surging to a double-digit advantage at 66-56 on a pair of Bogut free throws with nearly eight minutes left in the period.
Game Notes
Charlie Bell and Sessions each scored 15 points for Milwaukee...The Jazz forced 17 turnovers, leading to 22 points...Utah shot 51.4 percent from the field, compared to 44.4 percent for the Bucks.
<< Kobasew and Chara lead fierce Bruins rally to down Sabres
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chuck Kobasew and Zdeno Chara both scored twice,
as the red-hot Boston Bruins scored the last five goals and defeated the
Buffalo Sabres, 7-4, at TD Banknorth Garden.
Marc Savard registered a goal and thre
<< Terry leads Mavs past hobbled Rockets
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Terry scored 31 points, and Dirk Nowitzki
added 24 points and 12 rebounds to pace Dallas to a 96-86 victory over the
injury-riddled Houston Rockets.
Jason Kidd contributed eight points, nine rebound
<< T'Wolves fend off Sixers to snap eight-game skid
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Jefferson led all scorers with 25
points, as the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped an eight-game losing streak with
a 102-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Craig Smith added 21 points off the benc
<< Hawks' Horford misses game against the Wizards
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Hawks center/forward Al Horford didn't
play in Wednesday's 91-87 win over the Washington Wizards due to a sprained
right ankle.
Horford hurt the ankle against the Pacers on Tuesday and is listed as day-
Portland G Blake leaves game >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake left
Wednesday's 116-74 win over the Chicago Bulls after cutting his head on a
camera in the third quarter.
Blake dove for a loose ball out of bounds but
Ovechkin leads Caps past Ducks >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin registered a goal and three
assists, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 6-4, at Honda
Center.
David Steckel had a goal and an assist, while Michael Nylander collected
Billups, Denver top Spurs for fourth straight win >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chauncey Billups scored 22 points, doled
out six assists and hauled in five rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets in a
91-81 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
"We've just come in every night focused
Boozer injured in win over Bucks >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer suffered
a strained left quad tendon during Wednesday's 105-94 win over the Milwaukee
Bucks.
Boozer, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds, left the game in the four
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting