Pierce returns to action

Basketball Betting Lines

02/09/2007 -

BOSTON (AP) -Mired in a franchise-record 16-game losing streak, the Boston Celtics finally got some good news Friday night.

Captain Paul Pierce returned to the court for the Celtics' game against the New Jersey Nets after missing 24 games with a stress reaction in his left foot and infected left elbow.

Pierce, who leads Boston with 26.6 points per game, was supposed to return earlier this week, but an elbow infection delayed his return. After spending two nights in the hospital following a minor surgical procedure to relieve the swelling, Pierce was released Thursday.

``I'm feeling pretty good,'' Pierce said. ``My foot is feeling pretty good, which is the main concern. I got the elbow stuff out the way. It's a little sore, but that's the least of my worries.''

Pierce came off the bench with 4:12 remaining in the first quarter and assisted on Al Jefferson's layup a minute later.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he hopes to limit Pierce's playing time to 15-20 minutes per game to ease him back into the rotation. With the Celtics struggling to close out games, Rivers said he'll try to keep Pierce fresh for the fourth quarter.

``How well he'll play and all that, I don't think anybody knows,'' Rivers said. ``He's had one practice. I don't know who's sat out a month, had one practice and done a lot. But the fact that he wants to play is great, I think it's great leadership for all our young guys to see.''

Boston was 10-14 before Pierce's injury, but has gone 2-22 since he last played on Dec. 20. The Celtics' last win came Jan. 5 in Memphis.

``It's been the most frustrating time of my career,'' Pierce said. ``It's like watching your little brother out there in a fight and you're helpless because you can't help him.''

Even with Pierce's return, the Celtics remained short-handed.

Forward Wally Szczerbiak missed the game after spraining his left ankle in Boston's loss to Miami on Wednesday.

Szczerbiak missed five games with a sprain in the same ankle in December, but Rivers said this injury isn't as serious and Szczerbiak could return before next weekend's All-Star game.

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Lottoballls Basketball Betting News

<< Sabres' Connolly skating again; return uncertain
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -Tim Connolly is free of his headaches, but not of some questions.The Buffalo Sabres center still couldn't say Friday when he would be ready to return after sustaining the second serious concussion of his career 10 months ago.``Th

<< Iwamura eager to get started with Devil Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -Akinori Iwamura stepped up to the podium, took a deep breath and smiled.The last time the five-time Japanese League All-Star remembered feeling so nervous, his country was facing the United States on the way to winning the

<< Park and Mets reach deal
NEW YORK (AP) -Chan Ho Park is joining the expanding list of pitchers trying to earn spots in the New York Mets' rotation.Park and the Mets agreed Friday to a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its starting rotation head

<< Park and Mets near deal
NEW YORK (AP) -Chan Ho Park is joining the expanding list of pitchers trying to earn spots in the New York Mets' rotation.Park and the Mets reached a preliminary agreement on a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its star

<< Wizards seek to downplay hype as Arenas aims for 50-point game against Portland
WASHINGTON (AP) -Perhaps the Washington Wizards are showing the effects of a little too much Gilbertology. Two days before what Gilbert Arenas has proclaimed will be his next 50-point game, no one wanted to say much about it.``I'm not going to comme

Old Dominion hires Maine assistant Wilder as coach >>
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -Former University of Maine associate head coach Bobby Wilder was hired as the second football coach ever at Old Dominion, which will field a team in 2009 for the first time since 1940.Wilder will be introduced to the media Monday

Hurricanes recall Bayda from Albany >>
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -The Carolina Hurricanes recalled left wing Ryan Bayda on Friday to replace winger Cory Stillman, who was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.Stillman left during the second period of Carolina's 2-1 win Tuesday over the M

Nash misses second game with sore shoulder >>
PHOENIX (AP) -All-Star Steve Nash sat out the Suns' game against Atlanta because of a sore right shoulder.It was the second game in a row that the league's two-time defending MVP was sidelined. He missed Tuesday's overtime victory at Portland and sa

Lightning-Rangers, Sums >>
Tampa Bay 0 0 0-0N.Y. Rangers 2 2 1-5First Period-1, N.Y. Rangers, Orr 1 (Tyutin, Betts), 4:28. 2, N.Y. Rangers, Hossa 4 (Rozsival, Straka), 11:32. Penalty-Shanahan, NYR (hooking), 13:24.Second Period-3, N.Y. Rangers, Hollweg 1 (Jagr), 8:28

Wizards suspend Thomas for 2 games >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -The Washington Wizards suspended center Etan Thomas for two games Friday because of conduct detrimental to the team.Thomas will games Sunday against Portland and Wednesday at Philadelphia. He will not practice with the team during t

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.