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Cavs, Raptors square off at Air Canada Centre

Basketball Betting Lines

02/18/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers will kick off the second half of the NBA season tonight up north, as they pay a visit to the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.

The Central Division-leading Cavaliers entered the All-Star break with a 40-11 record and ended a two-game losing streak with a 109-92 victory versus Phoenix last Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena. All-Star Mo Williams tallied a career- high 44 points and fellow All-Star LeBron James added 26 points, six rebounds and six assists in a winning cause.

Williams went 18-of-26 from the field, including 7-of-9 from three-point range, and had seven assists for Cleveland, which has won five of its last seven games. Williams had 12 points and five assists in the West's 146-119 victory over the East on Sunday night. James ended with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists in the mid-season contest.

Cleveland will also visit Milwaukee on the short trip and is 16-10 away from home this season. Cavs forward Ben Wallace (arm) is questionable for tonight and guard Delonte West (wrist) is listed as doubtful.

Toronto went 21-34 before All-Star festivities and entered the break riding a two-game winning streak. In a 91-89 victory versus San Antonio in the opener of a quick two-game homestand on Wednesday, rookie Roko Ukic set a career-high with 22 points and Andrea Bargnani added 23 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors, who have won two in a row after a six-game slide.

Jason Kapono added 21 points for the Raptors, who were without guard Jose Calderon due to a right hamstring injury. Toronto also saw forward Joey Graham go down with a left shin contusion. Toronto is still without All-Star forward Chris Bosh, who missed his fourth straight game with a sprained right knee. Bosh was replaced by Cleveland's Mo Williams on the Eastern Conference All- Star roster because of the injury and is questionable for Wednesday.

Calderon and Graham are also questionable versus the Cavs. Jermaine O'Neal had seven points and 10 boards in the win over San Antonio, then was traded to the Miami Heat along with forward Jamario Moon in exchange for forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks. The Raptors, who are 10-15 as the host in 2008-09, also gained cash in the deal and sent the Heat a conditional draft pick. Marion and Banks are expected to make their Toronto debut tonight.

The Cavs are 2-0 against the Raptors this season and have won four straight and eight of the last nine meetings. Toronto is 12-7 over the previous 19 matchups with Cleveland at Air Canada Centre.

The NBA trade deadline is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (et) Thursday.

<< Memphis continues quest for third straight perfect C-USA campaign
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On a quest for a third straight undefeated Conference USA campaign, the fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers welcome the SMU Tigers to town for a league affair from FedExForum. John Calipari's Tigers have won a remarka

<< Big East foes collide, as Providence visits Louisville
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Louisville Cardinals battle the Providence Friars in a Big East clash at Freedom Hall tonight. The Cardinals rebounded nicely from their worst loss in eight years, as they trounced hapless

<< Penn State seeks upset of 18th-ranked Illinois
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Penn State Nittany Lions have made their way to Champaign to take on the 18th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini in a Big Ten Conference battle. Penn State carried a three-game losing streak into Saturday's

<< Wolfpack and Tar Heels meet for 215th time
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels continue their quest for an ACC title, as they welcome NC State to Chapel Hill this evening for a conference clash from the Smith Center. Roy Williams' Tar Heels si

<< Cyclones hope to blow past Jayhawks in Big 12 tussle
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still, very much in the hunt for the Big 12 title, the 15th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks welcome the Iowa State Cyclones to Lawrence for a conference matchup from the Allen Fieldhouse. Bill Self's Jayhawks are an im

Nuggets resume road trip in Philly vs. Sixers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets will continue their rough stretch of road games tonight, when they pay a visit to the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center. The Nuggets were in the midst of their road swi

Pacers hope to snap road skid in Charlotte >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers have been getting the job done at home this season, beating the likes of Cleveland, Boston and the LA Lakers. But it's on the road where the Pacers have been experiencing problems, as they open a short two-

Heat host Wolves in South Beach >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat will kick off their second half of the NBA season Wednesday night, as they open a brief two-game homestand versus the Minnesota Timberwolves at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami entered the All-Star break with a

Bucks host Bulls in Central Division clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls resume their second half of the NBA season tonight, when they pay a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. Chicago entered the All-Star break with a 23-30 record and has alternated wins and

Howard leads Magic into New Orleans >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard and David West both delivered huge performances to lead their respective teams to narrow wins on Tuesday. The two All-Stars will go head-to-head when the Orlando Magic head to New Orleans Arena f

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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