Nash becomes Suns' assist leader in win

Basketball Betting Lines

02/01/2012 - New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Nash was all the Suns needed on Wednesday.

The veteran point guard dropped in a game-high 30 points while shooting 13- of-16 from the floor and dished out 10 assists as the Suns topped the struggling New Orleans Hornets, 120-103 at New Orleans Arena.

Nash also became the Suns' career leader in assists with 6,521, passing Kevin Johnson, who previously held the record with 6,518.

Marcin Gortat contributed his 12th double-double in his last 13 games with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Channing Frye netted 16 and Jared Dudley finished with 15 points for the Suns, who bounced back from a 122-99 thumping against Dallas on Monday.

Greivis Vasquez paced the Hornets with 20 points and 12 assists -- both career-highs -- while Jason Smith and Trevor Ariza had 16 and 15 points, respectively, for New Orleans, which has lost three straight and 12 of its last 13 games.

Cbssporys Basketball Betting News

<< Jennings, Bucks rally past Heat
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee trailed by as many as 18 in the second quarter, but Brandon Jennings scored 20 of his 31 points in the second half as the Bucks rallied to take a 105-97 victory over the Miami Heat at the Bradley

<< Rangers edge Sabres 1-0 in shootout
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Callahan buried a wrister in the fifth round of the shootout as the New York Rangers took a 1-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. The entire 65 minutes of regulation and overtime passe

<< Nets outlast Pistons
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<< No.1 Baylor remains perfect with rout of Missouri
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brittney Griner scored 18 points to go with five rebounds and four blocks as top-ranked Baylor remained perfect with a 71-41 drubbing of Missouri on Wednesday. Kimetria Hayden finished with 15 points

<< No. 13 Creighton hits triple digits in rout of Illinois State
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doug McDermott scored 25 points and No. 13 Creighton extended its winning streak to 11 games Wednesday with an easy 102-74 win over Illinois State. Grant Gibbs added 12 points and four other players

Magic waive Hughes >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic waived guard Larry Hughes following Wednesday's win over the Wizards. Hughes, who did not play in the NBA last season, signed a free agent deal with the Magic in early December and aver

Granger paces Indiana over Timberwolves >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Granger nailed five three-pointers en route to a season-high 36 points as the Indiana Pacers downed the Minnesota Timberwolves, 109-99. Darren Collison filled the stat sheet with 20 points, n

Westbrook lifts Thunder over Mavericks >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russell Westbrook finished with 33 points, including six in the final two minutes, as the Thunder escaped American Airlines Center with a 95-86 victory over the Mavericks in a battle of Western Confere

Spurs rally past Rockets behind Duncan, Parker >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Duncan scored 25 points and Tony Parker had 24, leading the Spurs to a 99-91 comeback win over the Rockets on Wednesday. Gary Neal added 15 points for the Spurs, who overcame a 13-point ha

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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

Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.