Allen, Sonics outlast Raptors

Basketball Betting Lines

12/24/2006 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen returned from a nine-game absence and scored 28 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to lead Seattle past Toronto, 110-97, at KeyArena.

The All-Star guard missed time with a bone bruise in his right ankle and his team suffered, going just 3-6 without him in the lineup.

Luke Ridnour posted 18 points with six helpers while Nick Collison had 15 points and eight boards for the SuperSonics, who snapped a six-game losing streak.

Earl Watson and Chris Wilcox each poured in 12 points and Johan Petro netted 10 in the victory.

Seattle finished 51 percent shooting in the game.

T.J. Ford led the Raptors with 24 points and nine assists. Fred Jones contributed 19 points off the bench and Jorge Garbajosa added 18 points with seven rebounds in defeat.

Toronto, which shot 47 percent from the field, have lost eight of 11 at Seattle and fell to 5-13 on the road this year.

Seattle opened the contest with an 18-8 burst capped by Watson's driving layup. Wilkins ended the frame with five straight points to put the SuperSonics up, 36-22.

Despite being outscored in the second, 33-28, Seattle maintained its lead and went into the locker room with a 64-55 cushion.

Toronto, down by 11 with 5:04 left in the third, scored 12 of the final 16 points in the quarter to cut within three, 84-81 going into the fourth.

The SuperSonics gained control in the final period when Allen's trey made it a 95-88 game with just over seven minutes to play. Then, a Ridnour jumper put Seattle up by 10 with 2 1/2 minutes left.

Game Notes

Allen finished 9-of-15 shooting and Ford was 9-of-16...Radoslav Nesterovic had 12 points for the Raptors...The Sonics shot 7-of-12 (58 percent) from three- point range while Toronto finished 4-of-15 (27 percent) from beyond the arc...Seattle welcomes New Orleans/Oklahoma City on Tuesday while Toronto hosts Minnesota on Wednesday.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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