Spurs continue road trip versus 76ers
Basketball Betting Lines
02/19/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs aim for a third straight win on a
season-long road trip that continues with tonight's matchup with the
Philadelphia 76ers from the Wachovia Center.
San Antonio has posted a 4-2 record thus far on this eight-game trek and
opened its post All-Star break schedule with Wednesday's 90-87 verdict over
Indiana, in which Tony Parker scored a game-high 28 points in his return to
the Spurs' lineup.
Parker, who had sat out San Antonio's 111-92 triumph at Denver on February 11
with a left hip flexor strain, made 11-of-20 field goal attempts to help
compensate for an overall poor shooting performance by his team. The Spurs
made just 35.4 percent of their tries from the floor, with perennial All-Star
Tim Duncan going 4-of-23 and finishing with just eight points.
Duncan was a force on the boards, however, as the two-time NBA MVP pulled down
26 rebounds to help the Spurs prevail. San Antonio outrebounded the Pacers by
a 56-47 margin on the evening.
"The story of the game was the glass," said Indiana head coach Jim O'Brien.
"They got 20 points on second chance opportunities."
The win kept the Spurs one game behind Dallas for first place in the Southwest
Division, and the club is currently tied with Oklahoma City for the fifth
playoff seed in the Western Conference.
Philadelphia has an uphill battle in regards to reaching the postseason,
sitting 6 1/2 games back of Charlotte for eighth place in the Eastern
Conference at the moment. The Sixers have lost their last two contests and
were routed by visiting Miami in their first outing following the break,
dropping a 105-78 decision to the Heat on Tuesday.
Thaddeus Young scored 16 points to lead the Sixers, who shot a mere 37.9
percent overall and made just 1-of-12 attempts from three-point range. Allen
Iverson returned to the lineup after sitting out five straight games to attend
to his ill daughter, but mustered just four points on 1-of-7 shooting.
"I can not and will not use (my absence as) an excuse," Iverson said. "It was
[the Heat's] first game after the break, too. They took care of their
business; they just killed us in every facet of the game."
Philadelphia made one deal prior to Thursday's trade deadline, sending reserve
guard Royal Ivey and seldom-used center Primoz Brezec to Milwaukee in exchange
for rookie guard Jodie Meeks and center Francisco Elson. Meeks averaged 4.1
points and nearly 12 minutes of playing time in 41 games with the Bucks, who
took the former Kentucky star in the second round of last year's draft.
San Antonio also made a minor move on Thursday, shipping veteran center and
one-time Sixer Theo Ratliff to Charlotte for a second-round draft choice in
2016.
The home team has won the last five meetings in this series, with the Spurs'
most recent win in Philadelphia coming on January 21, 2007. San Antonio did
come through with a 97-89 victory over the 76ers in the Alamo City on November
29, with Duncan amassing 22 points to lead the way.
<< Nuggets try to stay hot against Wizards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets will attempt to build off a very
uplifting victory when the Northwest Division leaders head to Washington's
Verizon Center tonight to take on the revamped Wizards.
Denver comes in off Thursday's 118-116
<< Cavs set to debut Jamison, hope to start new win streak vs. Bobcats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to unveil what the team
hopes will be the final piece towards a championship in tonight's clash with
the Charlotte Bobcats from Time Warner Cable Arena.
Cleveland made one of the biggest mov
<< Raptors take on hapless Nets minus Bosh
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors, minus All-Star Chris Bosh, will hit
the road Friday night for a showdown against the Atlantic Division-foe New
Jersey Nets at the IZOD Center.
Toronto has won the first two meetings of the season with
<< Wade expected to sit as Heat visit Grizzlies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unlike the Grizzlies, the Miami Heat will not be unveiling
any new members of their squad when they pay a visit to Memphis Friday night.
Miami was reportedly interested in either Amare Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer,
but stoo
<< Nationwide Tour adds Chiquita Classic
Maineville, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nationwide Tour announced on Friday that
the Chiquita Classic has been added to the 2010 schedule.
The event is slated for July 15-18 at the TPC River's Bend near Cincinnati.
"In Chiquita Brands, the
Revamped Bucks visit Pistons >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newly-acquired guard John Salmons is expected to join the
Milwaukee Bucks tonight, when they close out their season series with the
Central Division-rival Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Bucks added Salm
Jazz make a stop in Golden State >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking Utah Jazz shoot for their sixth straight road
win Friday in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors.
The Jazz improved to 2-0 on their current four-game road swing Wednesday in
New Orleans when Paul Mi
Celtics, Blazers square off at the Rose Garden >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams that bolstered their rosters at the trade
deadline meet in the Pacific Northwest Friday when the Boston Celtics resume a
five-game road trip in Portland against the Trail Blazers.
The Celtics are coming
Stoudemire, Suns play host to Hawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and Phoenix All-
Star center Amare Stoudemire remains in the desert as the Suns prepare to host
the Atlanta Hawks tonight.
Stoudemire, who has the right to opt out of his contr
Bulls continue playoff push with trip to Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Chicago Bulls pulled off a few trades on Thursday
that will make them contenders in the upcoming free agent market, they are
still very much alive in this season's playoff race.
Fresh off dealing Tyrus Thomas and
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
Football Betting
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
NFL Betting Lines
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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
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