Losing Streak Beats Season In Losing

Basketball Betting Lines

"Our mental approach to the game was much, much better to start the game, especially on the defensive end," said Afflalo, who also blocked two shots.

 

(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - You have to figure the loss of All-Star big man Al Horford will eventually catch up to the Atlanta Hawks. So far, however, Atlanta has kept its head above water and will try to finish a four-game homestand in perfect fashion when they host Jamal Crawford and the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at Philips Arena.

 

Crawford, traditionally one of the NBA's top sixth men, averaged 16.1 points for the Hawks over the previous two seasons before signing with the Blazers as a free agent. The guard, who is making his first trip back to the ATL, is scoring at a lesser clip this season (12.0 ppg) and has been struggling recently, netting just 21 points in his last three games.

 

Nicolas Batum added 19 points and six boards for Portland, which will finish its long trek with visits to Toronto and Detroit after tonight. Gerald Wallace tallied 14 points and seven rebounds.

 

Veteran Portland center Marcus Camby is likely to miss a third straight game tonight with a sprained left ankle.

 

Joe Johnson finished with 27 points and six assists for the Hawks, who have won three in a row and six of seven overall.

 

Their last three victories, against admittedly inferior competition in Charlotte, Minnesota and the Raptors, have come despite the fact they've played without Horford, who will be out for the next three to four months because of torn pec suffered last week.

 

"I think from an effort, energy, intensity and focus standpoint, I thought we were where we need to be," said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank. "If we can get that effort for 36 of 48 (minutes) and we focus on cleaning up our execution, we will get better."

 

Prince posted two steals for 400 in his career and needs one block for 400. Greg Monroe had only four points and grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds. The Pistons, who are last in the Central Division, have lost eight of their last nine games and fell to 1-6 as the visitor this season. They are averaging a league-low 85.0 points per game and have one of the worst records in the NBA at 3-11.

 

Wolves guard Jose Barea (ankle) has missed the past three contests and is listed as questionable for tonight's game. Forward Michael Beasley (foot sprain) hasn't played in the last six games and is out indefinitely, while Ridnour (personal) is questionable versus Detroit.

 

"Once we get everybody healthy ... we're very good," said Love, who is just one 30-point effort short of tying Kevin Garnett's franchise record of four in a row set from March 22-28, 2000. "We can surprise a lot of people. We just want to continue to get better."

 

(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Who would have thought the Boston Celtics would be looking up at a few teams in the Atlantic Division 12 games into the season? That's exactly the scenario for a struggling Celtics team mired in a five-game losing streak and set to host the Toronto Raptors tonight at TD Garden. Boston has dropped five straight since winning four in a row from Dec. 30 - Jan. 4 and is currently behind both Philadelphia and New York in the division standings. It opened a three-game homestand with Monday's 97-88 loss versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Paul Pierce scored 24 points and Kevin Garnett added 12 and 12 rebounds.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“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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