Miller leads Sixers in OT win over Bulls
Basketball Betting Lines
12/02/2008 -
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Miller missed the game-winning three-
pointer in regulation but rebounded to score nine of his season-high 28 points
in overtime, as the Philadelphia 76ers erased a four-game slide with a
103-95 victory over the Bulls in Chicago.
Tuesday's game was the back end of a home-and-home series, as Chicago defeated
the Sixers, 103-92, in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Andre Iguodala scored a season-high 25 points to go with nine rebounds and
five assists, and Elton Brand, the No. 1 overall pick by the Bulls in 1999,
added 22 points and 14 rebounds for Philadelphia, which still sits in last
place of the Atlantic Division with an 8-10 overall record.
Derrick Rose finished with 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting with six boards but
dished out just two assists, while Ben Gordon logged 18 points for the Bulls,
who were coming off a 3-4 road trip.
The Bulls trailed 90-83 with three minutes to play in regulation thanks to a
Marreese Speights putback and an Iguodala two-hand slam from the baseline.
But the Sixers failed to score the rest of the way, and Tyrus Thomas' monster
dunk off an Iguodala block made it 90-all with 17.6 seconds left on the clock.
The Sixers drew up a play for Miller in the corner, but his attempt from
behind the arc fell short.
Brand started the visitors off in the extra session with a jumper, and, after
trading free throws, Miller drove the lane and finished off a three-point play
to extend the lead to 97-92 with 2:41 to play.
Chicago's Andres Nocioni nailed a three-pointer to make it a four-point game
with 90 seconds left, but an Iguodala jumper and Gordon's missed layup down
the stretch sealed the win for Philadelphia.
Much like Sunday's tilt between the clubs, the Sixers jumped out to an early
lead only to hit a cold streak and watch the Bulls creep back.
Philly's 23-13 edge after a period of play was nullified by a 9-1 run from
Chicago late in the second. Iguodala's jumper at the buzzer kept the Sixers
ahead, 40-37, at the break, but the Bulls pushed ahead 50-47 midway through
the third on Gordon's three-pointer.
The Sixers scored 12 of the last 14 points in the frame to regain the lead
67-61 heading to the fourth.
Game Notes
The visitor has won six straight games in the series...The Sixers won three of
four meetings between the two clubs last season...Speights scored 11 points in
just over 26 minutes of play...Thomas logged 14 points and 13 rebounds for the
Bulls.
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Jon Scheyer
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.
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