Reeling Raptors finish road trip in Portland

Basketball Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reeling Toronto Raptors haven't been playing like a team headed toward the postseason and will try and salvage the finale of a four-game road trip Sunday night against the surging Portland Trail Blazers.

The Raptors fell to 0-3 on their trek last night in Oakland when rookie Stephen Curry finished with 35 points and Monta Ellis had 31, as the guards helped the Golden State Warriors end a six-game slide with a 124-112 win over Toronto.

Chris Bosh had 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Jose Calderon ended with 24 points and 12 assists for the Raptors, who have lost four in a row and eight of nine.

Toronto still hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, however, but is just 1 1/2 games in front of Chicago.

The Blazers, meanwhile, won their third straight against Sacramento on Friday. Brandon Roy poured in 28 points and finished 10-of-13 from the field in that one, leading Portland to a 110-94 rout of the Kings.

"I feel like I'm in a really good rhythm, especially in my in-between game," Roy said. "My pull-up jumper feels good. I feel I'm getting more explosive off the bounce where it's tougher for guys to stay in front of me."

LaMarcus Aldridge tacked on 18 points as the Trail Blazers remained in the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race, one game behind both San Antonio and Phoenix and a comfortable 4 1/2 games in front of Memphis.

Andre Miller recorded 15 points in the win, Portland's sixth in seven games. Nicolas Batum had 11 points, while Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless each scored 10.

Portland, which has won six of seven at the Rose Garden against the Raptors, will be trying to sweep the home-and-home season series against Toronto for a second straight season tonight.

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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.

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

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