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03/14/2010 -
MIAMI (AP) -Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley is sitting out his second game in a row because of a bruised left thigh.
The Heat's second-leading scorer, Beasley tested his thigh in drills before their game Sunday against Philadelphia, but he was still hampered by the injury. Joel Anthony started in Beasley's place.
The Heat hope Beasley can play Tuesday against San Antonio. He was injured Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Caps lose Ovechkin but beat Blackhawks with furious four-goal rally
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicklas Backstrom scored twice, including the
winning goal at 3:10 of overtime, as the Washington Capitals rallied to beat
the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-3, at United Center.
Backstrom, Brooks Laich and Eric Feh
<< Bucks edge Pacers to complete season sweep
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jerry Stackhouse finished with a team-high 20
points off the bench, as the Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a 98-94 win over the
Indiana Pacers at the Bradley Center.
Andrew Bogut donated a double-double with
<< Temple tops Richmond to win A-10 crown, gets NCAA bid
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Fernandez led all scorers with 18
points, as 17th-ranked Temple held on to claim its third straight Atlantic 10
Conference title with a 56-52 win over Richmond at Boardwalk Hall and earn an
automat
<< Kentucky survives Mississippi State in OT for 26th SEC crown
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - DeMarcus Cousins beat the buzzer to force
overtime and John Wall nailed a critical three-pointer late in the extra
session, as second-ranked Kentucky edged Mississippi State, 75-74, to claim
its rec
Avery, Rangers notch crucial win over Flyers >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sean Avery scored a pair of goals, as the New
York Rangers topped Philadelphia, 3-1, at Madison Square Garden.
Michal Rozsival notched the other goal, while Erik Christensen and Chris Drury
picked up two assi
Report: Browns send QB Quinn to Broncos >>
McLean, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Brady Quinn is on the verge of a new
beginning that has been rumored since the Browns apparently inked Jake
Delhomme on Saturday, as Cleveland reportedly traded the former first-round
pick to
Stastny scores twice as Avalanche down Stars >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Stastny scored twice and Craig Anderson
made 48 saves, as the Colorado Avalanche earned a 5-3 win over the Dallas
Stars at American Airlines Center.
Milan Hejduk and Darcy Tucker each had a go
Nashville escapes Los Angeles with one-goal victory >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Patric Hornqvist scored the game-winner
late in the third period, as the Nashville Predators edged the Los Angeles
Kings, 3-2, at Staples Center.
Steve Sullivan and Colin Wilson also scored for
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.
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