Blazers turn back Grizzlies

Basketball Betting Lines

02/19/2009 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy had a game-high 24 points and nine assists, as the Portland Trail Blazers hung on to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-90, at the Rose Garden.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 15 points and six rebounds for the Blazers, who started a three-game homestand. Nicolas Batum ended with 11 points. Joel Przybilla pulled down a game-high 15 boards.

The Blazers were without emerging center Greg Oden, who sat out because of a bone chip in his left knee. He suffered the injury against the Warriors on February 12. Oden was unable to play in the All-Star weekend's rookie challenge because of the injury and is currently listed as day-to-day.

"This was a tough game. It's not surprising though. Often, when there are a number of days off it's sometimes as disadvantage," said Portland coach Nate McMillan. "We were fortunate to play really well in parts of the first half. But in the second half, a second wind never came for us."

Memphis was paced by Rudy Gay, who ended with 20 points and five rebounds. O.J. Mayo chipped in 19 points for the Grizzlies, who finished a three-game road trip with a 0-3 record. Mike Conley finished with 15 points and 10 helpers.

Rudy Fernandez drilled a three-pointer with 8:15 remaining to extend Portland's lead to 82-76. But Memphis responded with a 10-2 run to take its first lead since early in the first quarter. Gay made 1-of-2 from the stripe to cap the flurry with 4:50 to go.

With the score knotted at 86, Darius Miles was charged with a technical foul. Roy converted on the technical free throw to put the home team up by one. Travis Outlaw connected on a three-pointer from the corner to make it a 90-86 game with 2:31 left.

Trailing 92-88, Memphis brought the ball down the court with 15.2 seconds to go. Mayo made a one-handed driving layup with 5.4 ticks left to cut the gap to 92-90, but it was too late. Roy made 2-of-2 from the stripe on the ensuing Blazers possession to put the home team ahead by four with 3.9 seconds remaining. On the final possession, Mayo missed a jumper as time ran out.

"We turned the ball over -- we didn't pass it to our team and we didn't stop at the free throw line and we ran over people and made charges and just didn't execute," said Memphis coach Lionel Hollins. "They just got out and ran. It looked like a track meet in the first quarter. I told our guys that it was a lesson in how hard you have to play and how the good teams play. That's the intensity that you have to bring every night, every day. I was proud of the fact that they caught on to the lesson because we started playing harder and we caught up to them and it was a game."

The majority of the first quarter was a back-and-forth battle. The Blazers opened a six-point lead, the largest of the frame, on a Batum slam with 3:38 left. Portland held onto a slim margin for the rest of the stanza and took a 30-27 advantage into the second quarter.

After Hakim Warrick made a layup to start the second period, the Blazers scored 10 unanswered points to extend their lead to 40-29. Sergio Rodriguez drilled a shot from beyond the arc to culminate the spurt with 8:12 remaining.

Aldridge made a pair of foul shots to give Portland a 54-40 cushion with just over three minutes until half. But Memphis responded with a 13-3 spurt to close out the half. Mayo hit a three-pointer with a few ticks remaining to culminate the run and cut the gap to 57-53 heading into the locker room.

Mayo and Roy tallied 13 points apiece at the break to lead their respective teams.

Down 60-55 early in the third period, The Grizzlies scored five straight points to tie the game. After Marc Gasol made a short jumper, Conley capped off the spurt with a shot from beyond the arc.

The Blazers didn't let this small run bother them, as they responded with six unanswered points. Batum culminated the spurt with a jumper with about 8 1/2 minutes left. The Blazers maintained a small advantage for the rest of the frame and took a 75-72 edge into the final quarter.

This game also marked the return of Darius Miles to the Rose Garden. Miles was waived by the Blazers at the end of last season, and then a doctor determined that Miles' knee injury was career-ending. However, Miles came back and played for Boston in the preseason before joining Memphis, and after playing a total of 10 games, the Blazers were hit with a salary-cap hit of $18 million. He finished with six points and five rebounds in Wednesday's game.

Earlier in the day, Portland was involved in a three-team trade with Sacramento and Chicago. The Kings traded center Brad Miller and swingman John Salmons to the Bulls in exchange for forwards Andres Nocioni, Cedric Simmons and Michael Ruffin, and center Drew Gooden.

The Kings then turned around and sent Ruffin to Portland in exchange for forward Ike Diogu. The Blazers also gained a $3 million trade exception, which they can use for one calendar year.

Game Notes

The Blazers shot 15-of-18 from the foul line, while the Grizzlies went 12-of-20 from the stripe...This was the first meeting between the teams this season...Portland won all three meetings last season...Memphis dropped to 3-21 on the road this season...Blazers' starting point guard Steve Blake, who had missed 13 of the last 14 games with a separated right shoulder, returned to the lineup. He finished with seven points.

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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.

Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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