Suns go off for 152, blow out Timberwolves

Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Richardson led eight Phoenix players in double figures with 27 points as the Suns lit up the scoreboard with a 152-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at US Airways Center.

Amare Stoudemire netted 25 and Steve Nash added 13 and 14 assists, as the Suns set an NBA-high for points in a game this season.

Louis Amundson scored a season-high 20 on 10-of-13 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench for Phoenix, which won for a third time in four games. Channing Frye also chipped in with 14 points.

"I thought we played very well and did a great job of taking care of business," said Suns coach Alvin Gentry. "They are a very capable team, especially if you let them hang around."

Corey Brewer racked up 21 points and Ryan Gomes added 18 for the T'Wolves, who dropped their 10th straight.

The Suns broke their season-high scoring mark of 127 on a Channing Frye three- pointer with 7:40 to go in the game, giving the Suns 130 points to Minnesota's 96. Phoenix widened its lead to as many as 41 before the final buzzer.

Neither team led by more than three in the first quarter until the Suns took a 24-20 edge on a Stoudemire dunk with under five minutes remaining. Phoenix finished the frame up five at 38-33.

Phoenix lifted the margin to 11 at 47-36 after a Jared Dudley three over two minutes into the second quarter. The T'Wolves lowered the deficit to six, 49-43, on a Brewer reverse layup, but the Suns shot the lights out and finished the half up 79-61, after shooting a blistering 77.3 percent in the frame.

The third period saw more of the same from the high-scoring Suns, as they extended their lead to 87-61, capping off an 8-0 stretch. Phoenix led by as many as 29 before finishing the quarter up 114-88.

Game Notes

The Suns finished with 55 field goals and 15 three-pointers and scored at least 35 points in every quarter...Minnesota made 7-of-14 three- pointers...Goran Dragic scored 11 points with five rebounds and five assists for the Suns and Robin Lopez added 12 and nine boards...All 12 participating Minnesota players scored...Minnesota next plays on Wednesday at Utah...Phoenix next plays on Friday at home against Utah.

Gamblersville Basketball Betting News

<< Anthony, Nuggets hand Wizards ninth straight defeat
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, as the Denver Nuggets battled back to upend the Washington Wizards, 97-87, at the Pepsi Center. J.R. Smith added 17 points off the bench and Nene

<< Stars crush Sharks in Dallas
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow each scored a pair of goals, as the Dallas Stars demolished the Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks, 8-2, at American Airlines Center. Brad Richards had a goal and tw

<< Wozniacki, Dementieva, Jankovic reach Indian Wells QFs
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, fourth-seeded Russian star Elena Dementieva and No. 6 seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia were each victorious in fourth-round play Tuesday at the $4.5 million BNP Par

<< Arkansas-Pine Bluff routs Winthrop in NCAA opener
Dayton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Allen Smith scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, leading Arkansas-Pine Bluff to a convincing 61-44 win over Winthrop in the opening-round contest of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The win ea

<< Wild score twice in third to down Oilers
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew Ebbett and Martin Havlat each had a goal and an assist, as the Minnesota Wild defeated the road-weary Edmonton Oilers, 4-2, at Xcel Energy Center. Chuck Kobasew and Antti Miettinen also lit t

Bryant, Gasol help Lakers down Kings for 50th win of season >>
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant posted a near triple-double and Pau Gasol ended with 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting, as the duo led the Lakers past the Kings, 106-99, at ARCO Arena. The win was LA's fourth straight and 50th of

Tavares scores twice as Islanders handle Canucks >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie John Tavares posted two goals and three assists to lead the New York Islanders to a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place. Matt Moulson added a goal and an assist for the Islanders, wh

Murray, Roddick advance; Federer bows out at Indian Wells >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Roger Federer was upset by 27th-seeded Marcos Baghdatis in third-round action, while fourth-seeded Andy Murray and seventh-seeded Andy Roddick moved into the fourth round Tuesday at the $4.

Bell signs offer sheet with Eagles >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles signed restricted free agent running back Mike Bell to an offer sheet on Thursday. The New Orleans Saints now have seven days to match the deal, which the Philadelphia Inqui

Ark-Pine Bluff beats Winthrop in NCAA opener >>
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -When it mattered most, Arkansas-Pine Bluff turned into kings of the road.Losers of their first 11 games - all on the road - the Golden Lions turned their first trip to the NCAA tournament into one worth the extra packing. Allen Sm

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.