11/28/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers aim to continue their early season dominance of the Western Conference when they welcome the streaking Dallas Mavericks to Staples Center.
The Lakers won their fifth straight game Tuesday and improved to 3-0 on a five-game homestand when Pau Gasol scored 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds and Los Angeles overcame a rough offensive night for Kobe Bryant to beat New Jersey, 120-93, at the Staples Center.
The reigning MVP was limited to 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting, but Bryant also had six rebounds in less than 28 minutes of court time.
Jordan Farmar had 18 points off the bench for the Lakers, who used superior bench play to move their record to 12-1, their best start since winning 16 of their first 17 to begin the 2001-02 campaign.
LA's bench outscored the New Jersey reserves, 56-19. Lamar Odom had 13 points and Sasha Vujacic added 10 in roles off the bench for the Lakers, who are 7-1 in Los Angeles.
The Lakers will finish their residency against Toronto on Sunday.
The Mavs won their fifth straight game to reach .500 on the season Tuesday when Jason Terry scored 16 of his game-high 29 points in a pivotal fourth- quarter as Dallas helped head coach Rick Carlisle earn a 109-106 victory over Indiana.
Carlisle was facing his old team for the first time since being fired by the Pacers at the end of the 2006-07 campaign.
Dirk Nowitzki and Antoine Wright each logged 24 points while Nowitzki also grabbed 12 rebounds for the Mavs, who won their second consecutive home game after starting the season 0-4 as the host.
Jason Kidd had 11 points and 13 assists and drained two of his four triples down the stretch to help clinch the win for Carlisle, who led the Pacers to a franchise-record 61 victories during the 2003-04 season before losing in the conference finals to eventual NBA champion Detroit.
The Mavs, who are 5-3 as the visitor this season, lost to the Lakers in Dallas on November 11 and have dropped four straight in the series. That pales in comparison to the team's ineptitude in Hollywood, however. The Lakers have won 31 of the last 34 games in Los Angeles against Dallas and are a gaudy 59-10 all-time at home against the Mavericks.
<< Streaking Celtics shoot for seventh straight win vs. Sixers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Boston Celtics will take on the visiting
Atlantic Division-rival Philadelphia 76ers tonight at TD Banknorth Garden.
Boston has won six in a row to boost its record to 14-2 on the season. In
Wednesday's 119-111
<< Iverson benched as Pistons welcome Bucks to Palace
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It didn't take long for Allen Iverson to spark up
controversy in his new digs and he may not play at all tonight when the host
Detroit Pistons take on the Milwaukee Bucks at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Iverson was fined fo
<< O'Neal, Suns host Heat
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaquille O'Neal will face another former employer this
evening when the Phoenix Suns welcome the Miami Heat to US Airways Center.
O'Neal won an NBA title with the Heat in 2006 and was traded to Phoenix last
season in a de
<< Thunder aim to snap 13-game skid against T-Wolves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the worst teams in the NBA square off tonight at the
Ford Center, where the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Minnesota
Timberwolves.
The Thunder have just one win this season and it was against Minnesota back on
Bruins aim to rebound in matinee with Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to rebound from their first
regulation loss of the month when they host the New York Islanders this
afternoon in a Black Friday matinee at TD Banknorth Garden.
The Bruins are 9-1-1 in November af
Spurs host Grizzlies at AT&T Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs shoot for their fourth consecutive
victory Friday when they welcome the scuffling Memphis Grizzlies to the AT&T
Center.
Tim Duncan scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds on Wednesday,
Pacers face Bobcats at Conseco Fieldhouse >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers aim for their second consecutive win
Friday when they welcome the Charlotte Bobcats to Conseco Fieldhouse.
The Pacers snapped a three-game skid on Wednesday when Danny Granger's tip-in
with 13.7 s
Surging Flyers wrap home-and-home set with 'Canes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Philadelphia Flyers will aim for a seventh
straight victory when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in the finale of a
home-and-home series this afternoon at the Wachovia Center.
The Flyers are in the midst of t
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The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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