Orlando defeats Sixers

Basketball Betting Lines

11/06/2008 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu each scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Orlando Magic downed the Philadelphia 76ers, 98-88.

Jameer Nelson scored 16 points and doled out nine assists for the Magic, who have won three straight after starting the season 0-2. Dwight Howard had a quiet night by his standards, with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Mickael Pietrus added 12 points for Orlando.

Thaddeus Young scored 19 points to lead the struggling Sixers, who lost for the second time in two nights in Florida. Andre Iguodala had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, but shot 4-of-12 from the field, and Andre Miller scored 15 points but shot only 7-of-24 for Philadelphia, which was ripped in Miami on Wednesday, and has dropped four of six to start the season.

Samuel Dalembert had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Sixers, who shot a horrific 37.9 percent from the field. Elton Brand had a tough night, scoring only six points on 3-of-8 shooting, but had 12 boards.

The Magic opened the second half with a 14-2 run, and took a commanding 23- point lead. Holding an 11-point edge as the third quarter began, Orlando took advantage of the ice-cold offensive performance by the Sixers, who started the quarter 1-for-6 along with two Brand missed free throws to fall behind 68-45.

Philadelphia cut to within nine points by the end of the quarter, and a Lou Williams layup brought the Sixers within 80-74 with 8:38 left in regulation. Howard and Nelson answered with baskets, though, and Turkoglu canned a three down the stretch as the Magic pulled away.

Lewis drilled an early three on a 10-2 Magic run to start the game, and Philly found itself in an early hole. The Orlando lead hovered around 10 points for most of the frame, until Lewis and Keith Bogans both made threes in the final 1:29, the latter sending the Magic into the second quarter holding a 30-16 lead.

An 8-0 Sixers run midway through the second quarter sliced the Orlando lead to 41-35, but Lewis answered a Brand layup with a basket of his own, and Turkoglu followed with a three. Nelson was fouled by Willie Green while attempting a three late in the first half, and drained all three free throws to give the Magic a 54-43 lead at the half.

Game Notes

The Magic have won eight of 10 over the Sixers in Orlando, and nine of 12 overall in the series...Philadelphia made 11-of-13 free throws, while Orlando shot 15-of-26 from the charity stripe...The Sixers outrebounded the Magic 54-46.

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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.