Allen's late heroics leads Boston over Washington

Basketball Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 17.1 seconds left in regulation to lift Boston to an 86-83 comeback victory over Washington at TD Garden.

Allen ended with a game-high 25 points, while Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo chipped in 17 and 15 points, respectively, for the Celtics, who have won four straight on the heels of a 1-3 stretch.

Al Thornton led the Wizards with 24 points and 11 rebounds but missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer. Andray Blatche posted 23 points and nine boards for the Wizards, losers of three straight.

Boston rallied from a 79-66 deficit with 6:11 remaining by scoring 10 straight points, as Pierce's jumper made it a three-point game with 2:57 to play.

McGee's alley-oop slam did little to curb the Celtics' momentum, as a Kevin Garnett free throw and Rondo layup preceded Allen's three-pointer from the left that suddenly gave the hosts a 82-81 lead.

Randy Foye gave Washington the lead again with 1:17 to play, and after unsuccessful trips from both teams, Allen found himself open on the right side and drained a go-ahead three with 17.1 seconds on the clock.

Blatche was short on a shot inside the lane, and Washington knocked the carom out of bounds. Garnett's 1-for-2 trip to the foul line with 5.8 ticks left kept the Wizards' hope alive, but Thornton's open three from the left wing hit all iron to end the game.

The Celtics shot a meager 35.0 percent from the field in the first half and trailed 25-19 at the end of the opening quarter and 44-38 at halftime.

Washington led by as many as 11 in the third and took a 66-62 cushion into the final frame, which the Wizards began on a 9-2 run to push their lead to double digits again.

Game Notes

Boston has won six against the Wizards, who received 13 points from JaVale McGee...Kendrick Perkins totaled 12 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who ended up shooting 41.1 percent from the floor...Garnett missed all seven of his field goal attempts and ended with eight points and 10 rebounds...Washington made 1-of-11 from three-point range.

Wwwjustformen Basketball Betting News

<< Deslauriers, Oilers blank Devils
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers made 22 saves for his third shutout of the season to help the Edmonton Oilers take a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils at Rexall Place. Gilbert Brule and Marc Pouliot each had a

<< Chappell out as coach at Central Arkansas
Conway, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Central Arkansas fired head men's basketball coach Rand Chappell and his staff on Sunday. The move came a day after the Bears completed their season with a mark of 9-21 overall, including 3

<< Lady Vols down Kentucky for SEC title
Duluth, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shekinna Stricklen poured in 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, as fourth-ranked Tennessee defeated Kentucky in the SEC title game. Kelly Cain added 11 points for the Lady Vols (30-2), who completed thei

<< Wizards-Celtics, Box
WASHINGTON (83)Thornton 10-17 3-5 24, Blatche 10-20 3-3 23, McGee 2-3 9-10 13, Foye 3-14 3-3 9, Miller 3-7 2-3 8, Singleton 2-3 0-0 4, Ross 0-1 0-0 0, Boykins 1-2 0-0 2, Young 0-1 0-0 0, Oberto 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-68 20-24 83.BOSTON (86)Pierce 6-

<< Canadiens-Ducks Sum
Montreal 0 1 2 0-4Anaheim 3 0 0 0-3Montreal won shootout 2-1First Period-1, Anaheim, Perry 23 (Getzlaf, Ward), 8:54. 2, Anaheim, Visnovsky 11, 12:54 (pp). 3, Anaheim, Niedermayer 8 (Getzlaf, Wisniewski), 19:07.Second Period-4, Montreal, Pleka

Gray, Gonzaga advance to WCC tourney final >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Gray scored a game-high 18 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds, as No. 18 Gonzaga posted a 77-62 victory over Loyola Marymount in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference tournam

Montreal rallies late, downs Ducks in SO >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Plekanec fired the game-winning wrister in the shootout, and the Montreal Canadiens used a late surge in regulation and a controversial goal in the shootout to edge the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3, at Honda C

BC Lions extend QB Printers >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The BC Lions announced Sunday that the team has signed quarterback Casey Printers to a contract extension. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Casey has demonstrated that he's not only a gifted and ex

Twins closer Nathan to undergo tests on elbow >>
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan traveled back to Minnesota on Sunday to undergo an MRI and CT scan on his surgically repaired right elbow. Nathan felt tightness in the elbow on Saturday against Boston

Patriot League Tournament Recaps >>
Easton, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jared Mintz hit the go-ahead jumper with 35 seconds left and finished with 14 points, as Lafayette held on for a 66-63 win over Holy Cross in the Patriot League semifinal. Jim Mower had a team-high 17 poi

Anybody who knows about online sports betting knows MySportsbook.com! They are probably the most famous offshore sports gambling website located on the web! After nearly 10 years of online sportsbook service, MySportsbook.com is still impressing their visitors with great customer service, live odds, fast payouts, and an easy-to-use website. MySportsbook.com has everything that die-hard sports fans want. For those looking to bet on all major sporting events, look no further. Make MySportsbook.com your one-stop shop for NFL football, college football, baseball, baseketball, boxing, and horseracing.

MySportsbook.com has one distinct advantage over all other online sportsbooks: They have been in the football gambling industry the longest and have served the most satisfied customers. So if you're in the market for a new online sportsbook for the next upcoming season, be sure to check out MySportsbook.com today! We are absolutely positive that you will not be disappointed with this company.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting lines needs.

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

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