Clippera Basketball Betting News

<< Garza strong as Rays blank Tribe
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Garza pitched six shutout innings, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-0 win over the Cleveland Indians in the third of four games at Tropicana Field. Garza (10-5) yielded just one hit and one w

<< Braun and Fielder team up to down Pirates, again
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder hit back-to- back home runs to support 6 1/3 strong innings from Dave Bush, as the Brewers held on to defeat Pittsburgh, 4-3, in the middle test of a three-game series from Mi

<< New England makes a statement, tops L.A. 2-0
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heading into Saturday night's Major League Soccer fixture, the New England Revolution had lost three straight without even scoring a goal, while winning just one fixture in their last 10. The latest se

<< United, Red Bulls battle to scoreless draw
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York and D.C. United battled to a scoreless draw in Major League Soccer action at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night. The draw, New York's second straight, extends the club's unbeaten run to fi

Posey stays hot, keys late rally for Giants >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buster Posey singled in the go-ahead run during a rally in the seventh inning and added a two-run homer in the ninth, as the Giants upended the Washington Nationals, 10-5, to win for the fifth time in

Tillman shines as Orioles top Lee in Rangers' debut >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Tillman overshadowed the much- anticipated Rangers debut of Cliff Lee with 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball, and the Baltimore Orioles recorded their first road series win of 2010 with a 6-1 victory

Rockies surge to sixth straight win >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Gonzalez and Melvin Mora belted home runs in support of Jason Hammel's 6 1/3 sturdy innings in Colorado's 4-2 win over San Diego in the middle test of a three-game series. Brad Eldred added a hom

Braun leads Chivas USA to road win against K.C. >>
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Braun scored two goals in the second half as Chivas USA defeated the Kansas City Wizards, 2-0, on Saturday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark for its first MLS victory in more than two months. Braun

Betting Football

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.