Blazers cruise past Hawks

Basketball Betting Lines

02/19/2012 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicolas Batum led all scorers with 22 points as Portland cruised to a 97-77 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Rose Garden on Saturday.

LeMarcus Aldridge recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in his first game back after missing two straight with a sprained left ankle. Raymond Felton added 14 points and eight assists as Portland has now won two of its last three.

Joe Johnson scored 19 points and Willie Green netted 17 off the bench for the Hawks, who have lost three of their last four.

Portland trailed 13-11 early on but the Trail Blazers used a 12-2 run in the first quarter to jump out to a 33-25 lead after 12 minutes.

Portland would never trail again in the contest.

Atlanta would get as close as five on a Willie Green trey to start the second but Portland scored seven of the next eight points to take a 40-29 lead.

The Trail Blazers would lead by double-digits for the remainder of the game as they took a 52-37 advantage into the locker room.

A Felton three pressed the lead to 19 as Portland led by double-digits throughout the third to take a 72-56 lead into the final stanza.

In the fourth, Aldridge knocked down a turnaround jumper to give Portland a 22-point lead, its largest, with just over four minutes remaining.

The Blazers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Hawks 50-27, including 15 offensive boards, which led to 18 second chance points for the Trail Blazers.

"I thought we got in a good rhythm, we made our shots, and we stopped those guys," said Portland head coach Nate McMillan. "We mixed in some zone tonight and we continued to make shots. We continued to defend. In the fourth quarter we did the same thing. Whenever they made a big shot, we responded."

Game Notes

Portland will start a tough back-to-back when it visits the Lakers on Monday and host the Spurs on Tuesday...Atlanta will travel to Chicago on Monday before wrapping up a five-game road trip in New York on Wednesday...Portland shot 40.9 percent from long range while Atlanta shot just 25.9 percent.

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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.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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