Crawford, Curry propel Knicks over Magic

Basketball Betting Lines

02/21/2007 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry each scored 20 points to lead the New York Knicks over the Orlando Magic, 100-94, at Madison Square Garden.

Quentin Richardson added 15 points and David Lee had 14 points and 16 boards for the Knicks, who returned from a 1-2 three-game road trip to win for the fourth straight time at MSG. Stephon Marbury also had 14 points for New York, which used a 12-2 run to start the fourth quarter to distance itself from the Magic.

Dwight Howard was a force, recording 27 points and 14 boards, for the Magic, who made it interesting in the final minutes only to lose for the 13th time in 18 outings. Jameer Nelson added 16 points for Orlando, which has lost five straight on the road.

Ahead 79-78 to start the fourth quarter, the Knicks began the stanza with a 12-3 run to open up a 10-point advantage. Channing Frye scored six of his eight points during the surge, which was capped by a Marbury three-pointer for a 91-81 advantage with 5 1/2 minutes left.

Orlando responded by drawing within 94-91 after Nelson hit a three-pointer with under 1 1/2 minutes to play, but New York held off the Magic by scoring six of the final nine points of the contest.

Hedo Turkoglu had 14 points for the Magic, who trailed for much of the contest. Orlando went into the second down 23-22 and trailed 49-45 going into halftime.

Game Notes

Howard has 37 double-doubles this season...Orlando's Bo Outlaw played in his 900th career game...Lee has 29 double-doubles this season...New York has won the two meetings against Orlando so far this season...NY hit 30-of-37 free throws compared to 17-of-25 for the Magic.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

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