Bucks visit Heat in key Eastern Conference matchup

Basketball Betting Lines

02/27/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams jockeying for Eastern Conference playoff positioning meet in South Beach Saturday as the Miami Heat host the Milwaukee Bucks.

After losing to lowly Minnesota on Tuesday the Heat hold down the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, one-half game behind Milwaukee and just one- half game ahead of Charlotte.

Jonny Flynn scored 16 points and made the eventual game-winning layup with 38 seconds left on Tuesday, as the Timberwolves picked up a rare road victory by taking a 91-88 decision over Miami.

Dorell Wright made six three-pointers on his way to a career-best 26 points while pulling down seven boards for the Heat, who have dropped two in a row following a five-game win streak.

Jermaine O'Neal scored 18 points to surpass 12,000 points for his career, while Michael Beasley ended with 14 points and nine rebounds in defeat.

"Those boys just wanted it more than we did. We are not that team at all," Beasley said. "We just got off lackadaisical. Collectively, as a team, there was no energy. No passion. We just didn't play. We didn't come today."

Miami was without star guard Dwyane Wade (left calf strain) for a third straight game on Tuesday and fellow guard Rafer Alston (bruised right hand). Wade is expected to remain on the sidelines this afternoon, while Alston should be back.

The Bucks, meanwhile, are red-hot, winning their season-best fifth straight game in Indianapolis on Thursday. John Salmons had 20 points and provided a spark yet again for Milwaukee in that one.

Brandon Jennings added 18 points -- nine in the fourth quarter -- and seven assists for Milwaukee, which is 5-0 since acquiring Salmons from Chicago. Andrew Bogut chipped in with 15 points and 10 boards, while Ersan Ilyasova had 17 points in the Bucks' fifth straight road win.

Luke Ridnour had 12 points and eight assists in the win for Milwaukee, which has won all three games against the Pacers this season. This is the first five-game win streak for the Bucks since November 14-24, 2007.

Milwaukee hasn't won six consecutive games since Dec. 16-27, 2006.

"We have to learn to finish games better," Bogut said. "Also, we let them shoot way too many free throws. They shot 44 to our 25. We definitely have to do a better job with that. It doesn't matter if you win by two or by 40 -- a win is a win."

Milwaukee has taken both games against the Heat this season, including a 97-81 win in Miami on Feb. 1.

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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