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Blazers seek fifth straight win with matchup vs. WizardsBasketball Betting Lines03/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers continue their push to the postseason Friday when they welcome the woeful Washington Wizards to the Rose Garden. The Blazers won their fourth straight game last Sunday against Toronto when Nicolas Batum made 5-of-6 from three-point land, en route to 22 points, leading Portland to a 109-98 win over the Raptors. LaMarcus Aldridge also provided 22 points to go with 12 rebounds and Brandon Roy scored 20 for the Trail Blazers, who have won seven of eight overall and are 3-0 on their current four-game homestand. Andre Miller had another solid all-around game with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the victors. "I think we're just finding our rhythm," Aldridge said. "We've had the same guys in the lineup for a few games. Now we're getting used to having guys in the lineup." Portland currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the jumbled Western Conference but is a comfortable 4 1/2 games ahead of ninth-place Houston and just 1 1/2 behind No. 5 Oklahoma City. The Wizards, meanwhile, lost their ninth straight game and fell to 0-2 on a four-game road trip Tuesday in Denver when Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, as the Nuggets battled back to upend Washington, 97-87. Despite spraining his left ankle, Andray Blatche paced Washington with 23 points and eight boards for the Wizards, who are a miserable 9-23 on the road. Al Thornton scored 16 points, but fouled out in defeat, while Alonzo Gee added career highs of 13 points and 10 boards for the struggling Wizards. "We have to stay positive and try to get the next win," Blatche said. Blatche, who is averaging 24.4 points in 16 games since becoming the focus of the team after Antawn Jamison was traded to Cleveland, will be a game-time decision tonight. The Blazers have won four straight over Washington at the Rose Garden, but came up on the short end of a 97-92 score against the Wizards in the nation's capital back in January. However, both Roy and Batum missed that game with injuries.
<< Jazz, Suns jockey for playoff position at Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Western Conference contenders jockey for playoff position in the desert Friday when the Phoenix Suns play host to the Utah Jazz. Utah is currently the fourth seed in the West, two games ahead of the Suns
<< Wofford and Wisconsin square off in first round of NCAA Tournament
<< Spartans square off with Aggies in Midwest Region's first round
<< Buckeyes battle Gauchos in first-round action in Milwaukee
<< Utah State and Texas A&M meet in South Regional action
Lakers aim to continue mastery of Timberwolves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Best meets worst in the Western Conference Friday as the defending NBA champion Los Angles Lakers aim for their 10th straight win over the hapless Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers won their fourth straight game o
Bucks try to get back on track in Sacramento >>
Roberts out at St. John's >>
Wild aim to get back on track versus Blue Jackets >>
Flames resume postseason push against struggling Sharks >>
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later. While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better. For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory. 1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season. 2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped. How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number. Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules. Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically. How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games). Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition. Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. 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