Clippers crush Thunder
Basketball Betting Lines
11/20/2008 -
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kaman led a balanced attack with 25
points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-88, in a battle of the league's two worst teams.
With a combined record of 2-19 coming into the contest, the Clippers and
Thunder had the two worst winning percentages in the NBA.
Cuttino Mobley added 23 points and seven steals for Los Angeles, which snapped
a three-game losing streak. Al Thornton added 20 points and seven rebounds in
the win. Marcus Camby and Baron Davis each had 14 points for the Clippers.
Kevin Durant had a team-high 18 points for the Thunder, who have now dropped
nine straight games since a win over Minnesota. Damien Wilkins scored 17
points, while Russell Westbrook came off the bench to score 10 points and dish
out four assists.
"We did a poor job getting in some sets," Thunder head coach P.J. Carlesimo
said. "Our transition defense was non-existant in the second half. We have to
do a heck of a lot better job."
Down three at halftime, Los Angeles started the third on a 16-8 spurt to seize
a 65-60 edge. Joe Smith's jumper pulled the Thunder to within three, but
the Clippers scored the next 12 points to take a 77-62 lead. LA outscored
Oklahoma City, 32-16, in the third quarter to take a commanding 81-68 lead to
the fourth.
The Clippers were able to maintain that lead until late in the final quarter,
when the visitors increased their advantage to 20, at 99-79, with about three
minutes to go. LA was able to cruise to the victory from there.
"We play well for spurts, (but) it's very frustrating," Smith said. "We gotta
come together. It's not about one individual. I mean, we gotta come together
and find a way to do it as a whole. We have good enough talent on this team
that if we do it the right way we can win games."
Durant and Green each scored seven in the first quarter, and Oklahoma City
led, 26-20, after the opening period.
Durant's monstrous dunk with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half finished off a 7-0
spurt that gave the Thunder their largest lead at 13. But the Clippers closed
on a 16-6 run, as Thornton's nine second quarter points helped close to within
three at halftime.
Game Notes
The Thunder shot 50 percent (5-of-10) from long range and 100 percent (23-
of-23) from the free throw line. They only shot 40 percent (30-of-75) from the
field overall...LA shot 47.4 percent (46-of-97) from the field...Oklahoma City
committed 20 turnovers, as compared to just 10 for the Clippers...Camby had
nine rebounds, and Davis had eight assists...Kaman had six assists...Oklahoma
City F Chris Wilcox returned after missing five games with a knee injury. In
13 1/2 minutes of action, he posted four points and four rebounds.
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“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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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