Heat breeze past Hawks

Basketball Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade scored all 21 of his points in a lopsided first half, and the Miami Heat cruised past the Atlanta Hawks, 107-87, in a Southeast Division showdown at Philips Arena.

LeBron James chipped in 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, while Chris Bosh added 14 points and 16 boards for Miami, which was able to rest Wade and James for the entire fourth quarter and Bosh for all but 5:17.

The division-leading Heat led by as many as 32 against the second-place Hawks. They outscored them at the foul line, 26-6 and won the battle on the glass, 52-38.

Willie Green scored 17 points off the bench to pace Atlanta, while Joe Johnson netted 12 in defeat. Marvin Williams and Josh Smith combined for 14 points on 6-of-21 (29 percent) shooting.

The Hawks were coming off wins over Eastern Conference contenders Indiana and Orlando and were looking to cut into their two-game deficit in the standings.

Their quest was denied early and emphatically, as the Heat went an 11-0 run in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the first quarter. Their 30-18 lead ballooned to as many as 25 in the second following a Wade-fueled 22-4 spurt.

Wade scored 13 points during the late surge, including a three-point play for a 58-33 cushion with 74 seconds left before halftime.

It was 63-41 at the break, and Mario Chalmers went off for 10 of his 15 in the third quarter to maintain the healthy cushion. James' three-pointer with 4:02 remaining extended the margin to 81-49, and the visitors cruised from there.

While Bosh played a little over five minutes in the fourth quarter, Wade and James sat to rest up for road tests at Milwaukee and Indiana on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

Game Notes

The Heat have won five of six overall and improved to 2-1 on a six-game road trip...Miami leads the season series, 2-1...Before the game, the Heat signed center Mickell Gladness to a 10-day contract...Smith had a game-high seven assists.

Wwwwinneronline Basketball Betting News

<< Malkin scored twice as Pens double up Lightning
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin lit the lamp twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins scored four unanswered goals Sunday night to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2. The Penguins bounced back from the two quickest goals b

<< Blues shut out Sharks, extend home points streak
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaroslav Halak made 25 saves to record his sixth shutout of the season and 22nd of his career as the St. Louis Blues kept rolling at home with a 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks at Scottrade Center. Alex

<< Prahalis helps Ohio State outlast Purdue
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samantha Prahalis scored 26 points, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minute to help No. 10 Ohio State fend off No. 16 Purdue, 80-71, in a Big 10 clash. Amber Stokes and Ashley Adams chipped in

<< Perry's hat trick lifts Ducks over Blue Jackets
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Corey Perry recorded his second hat trick of the season and fifth of his career, leading the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Bobby Ryan scored and added a

<< Wizards use big second half run to top Pistons
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Wall dished out a career-high 15 assists and scored all nine of his points during a game-changing run in the second half as the Wizards earned their second road win of the season with a 98-77 t

20! Red Wings tie home winning streak mark >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings tied the NHL record with their 20th straight home win, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Sunday. The Red Wings tied the record set by Boston during the 1929-30 season and matched by P

Malkin scores twice, Pens double up Lightning >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin lit the lamp twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins scored four unanswered goals Sunday night to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2. The Penguins bounced back from the two quickest goals b

San Pail named Harness Horse of the Year >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seven-year-old trotter San Pail has been named harness racing's 2011 Horse of the Year. The announcement came Sunday night by the U.S. Harness Writers Association at the annual Dan Patch Awards dinner. Trained

Jazz top Grizzlies to snap 3-game slide >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gordon Hayward scored 23 points and handed out five assists, and the Utah Jazz snapped a three-game slide with a 98-88 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Al Jefferson chipped in 21 points a

Warriors edge Rockets behind Ellis' 33 >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Monta Ellis poured in 33 points and the Golden State Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak to the Houston Rockets with a 106-97 win on Sunday. The Warriors got 15 points and 13 rebounds from David Lee a

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.