Nets and Raptors clash at The Rock

Basketball Betting Lines

01/29/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlantic Division rivals meet in North Jersey Sunday when the Nets welcome Toronto to The Rock.

New Jersey has been on an uptick recently, winning three of their past four games. Deron Williams recorded a double-double with 27 points and 10 assists on Friday in Cleveland as the Nets held off the Cavaliers 99-96 at Quicken Loans Arena for their latest victory.

Kris Humphries, who left Friday's shootaround with an illness, fought through it, scoring 18 points and pulling down 11 boards. Anthony Morrow added 22 points and six rebounds.

"The guys played hard and came out with a lot of focus early in the game. I think we set the tone for this game in the first quarter," said New Jersey head coach Avery Johnson.

Rookie MarShon Brooks (Achilles) missed his third straight game for the Nets, while teammate Mehmet Okur (back) also missed the contest. Both players have been listed as questionable for tonight's affair although it's a long shot either plays.

Williams has been the barometer for any New Jersey success. When the two-time All-Star, who is averaging 22.3 points and 9.5 assists over his last six games, scores 24-plus the Nets are 5-0 and when he scores under that number the team is a dismal 2-12.

The Raptors, who are finishing a five-game road trip tonight, had a small two- game run halted in Denver on Friday when the Nuggets ran away for a 96-81 triumph.

Leandro Barbosa paced the Raptors in the Rockies with 19 points, while Jerryd Bayless had 18 and James Johnson donated 16 points. Aaron Gray had a big night on the glass, grabbing 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost nine of their last 11 overall and are 2-2 on their trek.

Toronto played Denver without star power forward Andrea Bargnani, who will be out indefinitely after aggravating a calf strain in a double-overtime win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

"You have to believe you can win right from the jump ball," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. "That's the challenge I issued our guys after the game tonight. I didn't see the belief in their eyes."

New Jersey has taken three of its last four against the Raptors, including a 97-85 win north of the border on Jan. 6.

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

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