Granger, Pacers build big lead then hold on to down Sixers

Basketball Betting Lines

02/17/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All-Star swingman Danny Granger posted team-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 100-91 victory over the streaking Philadelphia 76ers in the first post-break game for both clubs.

Troy Murphy recorded 17 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, while Roy Hibbert and T.J. Ford tallied 14 points apiece for the Pacers, who had lost five of their seven games prior to the All-Star break.

Ford also doled out seven assists, while Jarrett Jack and Marquis Daniels added 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the win.

Philadelphia had recorded an NBA-best 14-4 record since January 6 but made just 38.5 percent from the floor and a woeful 2-for-15 from three-point land in the setback. Andre Iguodala finished with 20 points and nine assists, Thaddeus Young donated 16 points and nine rebounds, and Lou Williams added 17 points off the bench in the Sixers' first loss in five games.

Indiana led throughout the game but watched the Sixers go on a 10-0 run during a two-minute stretch of the final quarter to make things interesting.

Murphy ended the Pacers' scoreless run with a three-ball, and Iguodala answered with a three-point play to cut into the lead, 89-83, with just over four minutes remaining.

Murphy again came through, hitting a mid-range jumper, while Granger followed a Willie Green missed three-pointer with a layup in transition for a 93-83 edge.

Young's three-point play aided by a goaltending call with 2:25 to play made it a seven-point affair, but Ford drove the lane for an easy layup and Murphy sealed things with a trey on the next possession.

The Pacers started out hot, hitting five of their first seven shots while using a 10-0 run early on to help take a 28-18 lead heading into the second, where back-to-back jumpers from Murphy expanded the lead to 18 midway through.

Ford's layup off a Sixers turnover a little later gave Indiana a 49-29 advantage. Philly woke up from its slumber after taking a timeout following the bucket and whittled its deficit down to 55-44 at the break.

The Sixers had the lead down to six at the halfway point of the third, though Indiana countered with a 14-3 run -- seven points coming from Granger -- to end the frame ahead 80-63.

Game Notes

Both Granger and Iguodala were whistled for technical fouls during the game...The Pacers have won 10 of their last 12 tilts at Conseco Fieldhouse... Green finished with 15 points for Philly, while Andre Miller shot just 2- for-10 from the field en route to six points in defeat...Indiana committed 18 turnovers to Philly's 10.

Wwclassifieds2000 Basketball Betting News

<< Purdue downs No. 6 Spartans
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - JaJuan Johnson scored 17 points and E'Twaun Moored added 13 points and six rebounds, as No. 19 Purdue manhandled sixth-ranked Michigan State, 72-54, in Big Ten conference action from Mackey Arena.

<< Robredo wins; Almagro, Moya fall in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last week's Costa do Sauipe champion Tommy Robredo posted a first-round win, while second-seeded Nicolas Almagro and fourth-seeded Carlos Moya came up losers Tuesday at the $600,000 Copa Te

<< Broncos release Bly
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos released veteran cornerback Dre' Bly on Tuesday, just one day after the team sent six players packing in salary-cap moves. Bly joined the Broncos with a sixth-round draft pick i

<< Eskimos add RB Lumsden, LB Lloyd, FB Bell; trade for DB Nugent
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Eskimos made a splash in the free agent market Tuesday by signing running back Jess Lumsden, linebacker Maurice Lloyd and fullback Graeme Bell. The Eskimos also acquired defensive back J

<< Chiefs round out coaching staff
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs announced Tuesday that the club retained six coaches, including offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, and hired seven others. Also being retained by the Chiefs are offe

Stafford's two goals carry Sabres over Leafs >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Stafford scored twice on the power play to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Daniel Paille and Matt Ellis also scored for the Sabres, who have

Wizards take down Timberwolves >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antawn Jamison finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds, as the Washington Wizards survived a furious comeback from Minnesota to down the Timberwolves, 111-103, at the Verizon Center. Mike James ad

Oglesby leads balanced Clemson to blowout of Terps >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrence Oglesby scored 16 points to lead a balanced attack as 13th-ranked Clemson blew out Maryland, 93-64, at Littlejohn Coliseum. Demontez Stitt added 15 points and K.C. Rivers scored 14 for the Tigers (

Diamondbacks re-sign Conor Jackson >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks re-signed Conor Jackson to a one-year contract Tuesday, thus avoiding arbitration with the infielder/outfielder. The Arizona Republic reports the deal is for $3.05 milli

Jefferson keys Milwaukee's win over Pistons >>
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Jefferson scored from all over the court en route to 29 points, as Milwaukee built a large lead then held on to down Detroit, 92-86, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Ramon Sessions had a solid al

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

What Is the Point Spread?

What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?

In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.

Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).

If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).

Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.

How to Read Point Spreads

New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)

In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.