11/20/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Allen Iverson and the Detroit Pistons will try to knock off another NBA giant when they visit the defending champion Boston Celtics tonight in a battle of Eastern Conference powerhouses.
The Pistons have won four of their last five games, including victories over the Lakers, Suns and Cavaliers. In Wednesday's 96-89 win versus Cleveland at The Palace, Iverson finished with 23 points, four steals and four assists to help end the Cavs' eight-game winning streak.
Rasheed Wallace scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Pistons, who will put their 5-2 road record on the line Thursday. Richard Hamilton chipped in 15 points and five assists in last night's win.
Boston, which eliminated the Pistons from the playoffs last year, has won two straight and eight of nine games. It improved to 10-2 this season with Tuesday's 110-101 triumph against the New York Knicks at TD Banknorth Garden, where Paul Pierce ended with 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the way.
Kendrick Perkins had 16 points while Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen both scored 15 points for the Celtics, who played without All-Star Kevin Garnett. Garnett sat out after being suspended one game for hitting Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut during a 102-97 overtime win on Saturday. Garnett is expected to return tonight.
The Celtics are 6-1 as the host this season and handed Detroit an 88-76 setback on November 9 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Boston has won three straight in this series, but the Pistons are 14-4 in the previous 18 matchups.
Detroit has won seven of nine trips to Beantown.
<< Oden successful in home debut; Blazers blitz Bulls
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy scored 20 points and Greg Oden had
a successful regular season home debut, as the Portland Trail Blazers
dominated the Chicago Bulls to the tune of 116-74 at the Rose Garden.
The game mar
<< Boozer injured in win over Bucks
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer suffered
a strained left quad tendon during Wednesday's 105-94 win over the Milwaukee
Bucks.
Boozer, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds, left the game in the four
<< Billups, Denver top Spurs for fourth straight win
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chauncey Billups scored 22 points, doled
out six assists and hauled in five rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets in a
91-81 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
"We've just come in every night focused
<< Ovechkin leads Caps past Ducks
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin registered a goal and three
assists, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 6-4, at Honda
Center.
David Steckel had a goal and an assist, while Michael Nylander collected
Blue Devils take on Salukis in Madison Square Garden >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils and Southern
Illinois Salukis have made the trek to the Big Apple, for semifinal action in
the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer from famed Madison Square
Garden. Th
Tigers tangle with Mocs in Puerto Rico Tip-Off >>
San Juan, PR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Memphis Tigers and the
Chattanooga Mocs have traveled to San Juan for the opening round of the Puerto
Rico Tip-Off.
Chattanooga, which competes in the Southern Conference, has certainly
challe
Bruins battle Wolverines in the Big Apple >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins are set to take
on the Michigan Wolverines in semifinal action of the 2K Sports Classic
Benefiting Coaches vs. Classic from Madison Square Garden this evening. The
winner of this gam
Gators and Thunderbirds get together in Gainesville >>
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Florida Gators seek their
seventh straight 3-0 start to a season, as they welcome the Southern Utah
Thunderbirds to Gainesville for a non-conference matchup at the Stephen C.
O'Connell Center.
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.
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
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