Arenas leads Wizards over T'Wolves

Basketball Betting Lines

02/21/2007 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gilbert Arenas poured in 38 points, and Washington never trailed in a 112-100 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Arenas was a miserable 1-of-8 from three-point range, but made up for the shortcoming by hitting on 11-of-16 inside the arc to go along with a 13-for-15 performance from the foul line.

DeShawn Stevenson came up with a season-best 23 points for the Southeast Division-leading Wizards, who have won back-to-back contests following a two- game skid. Washington beat Minnesota for just the third time in the last 11 meetings.

Caron Butler contributed 15 points and Andray Blatche tied a career-high with 12 rebounds for Washington.

Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which has dropped six of its last nine contests. Ricky Davis ended with 24 points and Mike James scored 20 for the Timberwolves.

It was a solid win for the Wizards in the first game after the All-Star break, even though the T'Wolves made a big run in the third to get close and were within six points late in the fourth.

Minnesota trailed 64-48 early in the third, but rallied and closed the gap to 72-68 following a Garnett turnaround jumper with 2:42 remaining in the quarter.

However, Washington widened its margin to 83-74 going into the fourth after Darius Songaila drilled a jumper at the buzzer. Arenas then hit a three and a jumper to start the fourth, but Minnesota managed to rally.

A pair of free throws by James capped a 6-1 spurt, drawing Minnesota within 104-98 with 1:47 remaining.

Antonio Daniels responded with a pair of free throws, and after a turnover and a missed shot by Davis, Blatche put the finishing touches on the victory with a layup inside of a minute left.

Mark Blount and Randy Foye each had 10 points for Minnesota.

Arenas' fadeaway shot capped six consecutive Washington points early for a 10-4 margin and Brendan Haywood's jump hook extended the lead to 19-10. It was 31-19 after 12 minutes and 57-44 a the half.

Game Notes

Minnesota has lost eight of its last 11 at Washington...The home team has won six straight meetings...This was the first of two meeting this season with another contest set for Minneapolis Sunday afternoon...Washington center Etan Thomas returned from a two-game suspension and had eight points and six boards...The Wizards went 3-of-16 from three-point range...Arenas is 8-for-51 on three-point tries this month.

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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.