Lee leads sophomores past rookies

Basketball Betting Lines

02/17/2007 - Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York's David Lee garnered MVP honors with 30 points, making all 14 of his shots from the floor, as the sophomores beat the rookies, 155-114, in the All-Star rookie challenge Friday night.

Lee, who tops the league with 61.2 percent in shots made this season, also had 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots and Monta Ellis added 28 points on 13-of-16 shooting for the sophomores, who set a scoring record for the contest.

Chris Paul came up with 16 points, 17 assists and nine steals for the sophomores. Deron Williams tallied 19 points, while Danny Granger and Raymond Felton each had 17 and Luther Head 15.

Rudy Gay and Paul Millsap shared top scoring honors for the rookies with 22 points apiece. Adam Morrison ended with 16 and Randy Foye 14 in a losing cause, as the rookies struggled to a 4-for-21 performance from beyond the arc.

Lee's follow jam extended the sophomores to an early 28-15 lead in the opening half and the rout was on. The sophomores led 77-48 at the intermission and cruised the rest of the way.

Toronto's Andrea Bargnani, last year's top draft pick, had 12 points.

The matchup was a prelude to the NBA All-Star game, scheduled to take place this Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“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.

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