Warriors return from All-Star break to host Grizzlies

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02/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors play their first game back from the All-Star break, as they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies tonight to ORACLE Arena.

Golden State went into the break on a winning note. On February 14th, Stephen Jackson tied a season-high with 36 points and dished out eight assists as the Warriors pounded the New York Knicks, 120-101, at ORACLE Arena.

Monta Ellis had 23 points and seven assists in the win over the Knicks for Golden State, while Al Harrington added 17 points, nine boards and six assists for the Warriors, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Kelenna Azubuike netted 15 and grabbed seven boards in the victory.

Guard Baron Davis (arthroscopic left knee surgery) is expected to be sidelined at least until mid-March. He leads the Warriors in scoring (20.7 ppg) and assists (8.7 apg).

Andris Biedrins, who is averaging 10.2 points per contest, has grabbed a team- best 9.6 rebounds per game for Golden State.

The Warriors are a solid 19-9 at home this season. They are scheduled to visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday at the Staples Center.

Memphis has lost two in a row and plays the third of a four-game road trip. On Tuesday, Rashard Lewis scored 34 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Seattle SuperSonicsover the Grizzlies, 121-105, at KeyArena.

Pau Gasol scored 17 points and grabbed 12 boards in the loss to Seattle for the Grizzlies, who have lost five in a row on the road. Mike Miller scored 20 points, while rookie Rudy Gay finished with 19 points for Memphis.

The Grizzlies are a dismal 3-24 on the road this season. They will visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday at the Rose Garden.

This is the second of four meetings this season between the squads. On January 3rd, Miller poured in 33 points, including a career-high nine three-pointers as the Grizzlies picked up a 144-135 win over the Warriors at the FedExForum.

The Grizzlies have won four of their last five at Golden State. Memphis has won five in a row in the series.

Golden State will host the Grizzlies on April 1st at ORACLE Arena, while Memphis will welcome the Warriors on April 6th to FedExForum.

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Betting Football

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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.