Bucks and Raptors meet at ACC

Basketball Betting Lines

02/08/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks try to avoid a fourth straight loss this evening when they open a brief two-game road trip against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.

The Bucks played hard on Tuesday to no avail, as they overcame a 21- point deficit, but eventually fell to the Phoenix Suns, 107-105.

Drew Gooden had 25 points for the Bucks, while Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Dunleavy each tallied 17 points, with the former adding 12 rebounds.

Milwaukee put itself in such a large hole, as it allowed a season worst-tying 67 points in the first half. The Bucks actually held a four-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Phoenix fought back and grabbed the lead for good on a Steve Nash jumper with five seconds remaining.

The Bucks were unable to get a shot off as time expired.

"We just need to come out with a better sense of urgency from the start," said Dunleavy. "Most of our games the last week or so, we've been real bad to get going, to get off the jump. Hopefully we can get off to a good start and play a good four quarters (Wednesday)."

The Raptors, meanwhile, suffered their second straight loss on Monday in Washington, as the Wizards beat them in overtime, 111-108.

It was a miraculous feat that the Raptors even got that game to overtime, as they trailed by 10 after the opening period, by 15 at the half and found themselves down by 18 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.

"That was a bad exhibition of basketball. We had an unprofessional start," coach Dwane Casey said. "You have to go off on them at halftime to get them to play. It shouldn't have to ever get to that, and that's why I was disappointed, even with the second-half comeback."

Jerryd Bayless and Linas Kleiza led the way for the Raptors, netting 30 points apiece. DeMar DeRozan added 15 but it wasn't enough for Toronto, which has now lost four of its last five.

"We were not able to make plays at the end, but it's the effort thing," said Kleiza about his team falling behind early. "We just have to come out harder."

Toronto is still without Andrea Bargnani, who is nursing a strained left calf.

Milwaukee swept the four-game season series with the Raptors last season and has won six of seven and eight of the last 10 overall matchups. However, the Bucks have dropped six of their last 10 north of the border.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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