Memphis downs struggling Knicks

Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Randolph had 24 points and 11 rebounds, as the Memphis Grizzlies held on to take a 119-112 victory over the New York Knicks.

O.J. Mayo had 22 points and Rudy Gay provided 20 for Memphis, which led by as many as 29 before the Knicks got within single digits in the final minutes. But the Grizzlies held on to get their second straight win at home following an eight-game losing streak at FedExForum.

Mike Conley added 18 points, six assists and five boards for Memphis, which has won three in a row overall.

Bill Walker had 21 points off the bench to pace the Knicks, who have lost four of their last five. Fellow reserves Toney Douglas and Al Harrington had 19 and 15 points, respectively, while David Lee ended with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

The Knicks trailed 110-87 with a little over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, but went on a 15-2 run to cut into their deficit. Douglas provided eight points, including a three that got New York within 112-102 with 2:25 left.

Each team was unsuccessful on its next possession, and after Conley went 1- of-2 from the line, Walker got hot from beyond the arc. He made one before Randolph sank a layup, then came back and buried a second trey to make it a 115-108 game with 56.2 seconds remaining.

An offensive foul by Marc Gasol gave the Knicks an opportunity to get closer, and Wilson Chandler delivered, getting a short jumper in the lane to fall with 34.7 left. But the Knicks never got their deficit under five, as Conley and Randolph each sank two free throws in the remaining time.

Memphis used a 10-0 run to move in front 19-10 just past the midway point of the first, and led 32-24 at the quarter's conclusion.

The Grizzlies continued to play in front in the second and used a 13-0 run to take control. Mayo closed the stretch with a jumper to make it 55-37, and Memphis led 63-42 at the break.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 29 in the third, and were ahead 94-73 moving to the fourth.

Game Notes

Memphis went 30-of-33 at the line, while New York sank 25-of-29 free throws...Gasol had 12 points for the Grizzlies, while Sam Young added 13 off the bench...Chandler ended with 14 points for the Knicks, who shot 7-for-24 from three-point range.

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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.