Smith leads Nuggets' fourth-quarter charge in win over Memphis

Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.R. Smith scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, as the Denver Nuggets used a huge final period to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies, 125-108.

Smith made 11-of-16 field goals, including a 7-for-10 performance from beyond the arc, to give the Nuggets their sixth straight victory. Denver sits atop the Northwest Division standings, 2 1/2 games ahead of idle Utah.

Carmelo Anthony donated 24 points and six rebounds, while Chauncey Billups ended with 22 points. Nene donated 13 for the Nuggets, who outscored Memphis, 40-23, in the fourth.

O.J. Mayo finished with 25 points for the Grizzlies, who saw a three-game win streak come to an end. Memphis is 4 1/2 games behind idle Portland for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Zach Randolph tallied 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Marc Gasol added 17 points, seven boards, and six assists in defeat.

Trailing 72-65 with 8 1/2 minutes to play in the third, Denver ripped off seven straight points. Billups' three-point play deadlocked the score at 72- all with under six minutes left. The score was 85-85 after three periods.

The Nuggets took control in the fourth, scoring the first 12 points of the stanza. Smith made a pair of three-pointers during the run, including a trey to make it 97-85 with 9 1/2 minutes to go.

Ahead 107-95 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining, the Nuggets put together a 14-2 burst to build a 121-97 margin.

The Grizzlies held a 33-24 lead after 12 minutes of action, but the Nuggets were able to trim the deficit to six, 63-57, at the half.

Game Notes

The Nuggets played their third consecutive game without head coach George Karl, who is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy to combat throat and neck cancer...The Grizzlies snapped an eight-game series skid to Denver with a 102-96 win in Memphis back in December...The Nuggets shot 58.8 percent from the field, while the Grizzlies made 50 percent of their shots...Billups also had four assists to become the seventh active NBA player to record 5,000 assists.

Vagescasinoonline Basketball Betting News

<< Knicks pound Dallas to snap Mavs' 13-game win streak
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bill Walker scored a career-high 23 points and the New York Knicks were an efficient 16-of-30 from beyond the arc, helping them snap Dallas' 13-game winning streak with a resounding 128-94 victory at America

<< Arkansas-Pine Bluff wins SWAC title for first NCAA bid
Bossier City, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tavaris Washington had 14 points and five rebounds as the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions took home the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 50-38 win over Texas Southern, giving

<< Kessel helps Leafs edge Edmonton
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel scored two goals and dished out an assist, as the Toronto Maple Leafs outlasted the Edmonton Oilers, 6-4, in a matchup between two teams in the basement in the NHL standings. Tyler Bozak had a

<< Hawks use proficient shooting to beat Pistons
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Johnson finished with 26 points, as the Atlanta Hawks used an efficient offensive performance to take a 112-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Josh Smith added 18 points and a career-high 11 assis

<< Habs edge Bruins, win fifth straight
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergei Kostitsyn scored a pair of goals and Jaroslav Halak stopped 21 shots, as Montreal edged Boston, 3-2, at Bell Centre. Andrei Markov netted the other goal for the Canadiens, who won their fi

Scola sizzles as Rockets cut down Nets >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Scola poured in a career-high 44 points on 20-of-25 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds, as the Houston Rockets got past the New Jersey Nets, 116-108, at the Toyota Center. Scola topped his previous career

Spurs crush Clippers...again >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Bonner had a team-high 21 points, as the San Antonio Spurs cruised to a 118-88 win, their 16th consecutive victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Spurs also completed the series sweep for the

Butler's layup helps West Virginia take first Big East title >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Da'Sean Butler provided the final theatrics of the Big East Tournament, pouring home a layup with 4.2 seconds remaining to give seventh-ranked West Virginia a thrilling 60-58 win over 22nd-ranked Georget

New Mexico State wins WAC >>
Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jahmar Young scored a team-high 19 points, and third-seeded New Mexico State captured the WAC Tournament championship with a 69-63 victory over top-seeded and defending champion Utah State. Troy Gillenwater

Houston Baptist takes inaugural Great West title >>
Orem, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jake Thomas scored 24 points and South Dakota earned a postseason trip with a 91-86 victory over Houston Baptist in the championship game of the inaugural Great West Conference Tournament. Kendall Cutle

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.