Lakers stay perfect with win in New Orleans

Basketball Betting Lines

11/12/2008 - New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and hit the big shot from beyond the arc with 1:08 remaining, to stop a big New Orleans run and keep the Lakers unbeaten with a 93-86 victory.

Derek Fisher also scored 20 for the Lakers, who at 7-0 are tied for their third-best start in franchise history. They won their first seven in 2001-02, captured the first eight in 1987-88 and set a top mark with an 11-0 beginning in 1997-98. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum each scored 14 for Los Angeles.

The Lakers are the last unbeaten team in the league this season. Atlanta, which was without a loss going into Wednesday, was defeated, 103-102, at Boston.

New Orleans guard Chris Paul extended his amazing record of at least 20 points and 10 assists in all seven games this season, finishing with 30 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists, going 13-of-19 from the field. Oscar Robertson set the previous mark of five in a row to start the 1968 campaign with the Cincinnati Royals.

David West added 21 points and 12 rebounds, but accounted for six of New Orleans' 17 turnovers. Peja Stojakovic tallied 10 points, but was 3-of-13 from the floor, for the Hornets, who have dropped three of their last four games.

Trevor Ariza's jam expanded LA's lead to 75-56 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining, but New Orleans came back with a 24-8 spurt. Paul's bank shot capped the flurry for a three-point difference with 1 1/2 minutes to go.

Bryant then held the ball near the top of the arc, and with the shot clock about to expire, rose up and drained a three over James Posey.

A Lamar Odom steal led to one free throw by Gasol with 54.8 seconds left, and Fisher came up with another theft and a pair of free throws. Bryant made all four of his foul shots in the final half-minute.

The Lakers scored seven of the first eight points and carried a 28-17 lead to the second quarter. It got worse for the Hornets, as the Lakers increased their advantage to 51-30 at the half. It was 71-52 going to the fourth.

Game Notes

Ariza scored 10 points...Morris Peterson missed all five of his shots and had no points for the Hornets...The Lakers will play seven of their next eight at home, starting Friday versus Detroit...The Hornets host Portland on Friday.

Wwwsendmoreinfo Basketball Betting News

<< Fernandez, Blazers beat Heat in Oden's return
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Fernandez logged 14 of his team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, as the Portland Trail Blazers welcomed back Greg Oden with a resounding 104-96 victory at Miami. Oden made his return after miss

<< The Butler did it! Wizards silence Jazz
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caron Butler had a game-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Washington Wizards won for the first time this season with a 95-87 triumph over the Utah Jazz. Antawn Jamison tallied 21 points

<< Howard's big night helps Magic down Thunder
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard posted his first career triple-double, scoring 30 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and blocking a career- high 10 shots to lead the Orlando Magic to a 109-92 thumping of the Kevin Durant-

<< Howard' big night helps Magic down Thunder
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard posted his first career triple-double, scoring 30 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and blocking a career- high 10 shots to lead the Orlando Magic to a 109-92 thumping of the Kevin Durant-

<< Jefferson, Bucks edge depleted Spurs
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Jefferson scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the ailing San Antonio Spurs 82-78. Tim Duncan scored 24 points for the depleted Spurs, who played witho

Axelsson gives Bruins shootout win in Chicago >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - P.J. Axelsson netted the game-winner in the shootout as Boston clipped Chicago, 2-1, at the United Center. Axelsson made several stick moves towards the net on his chance, switching to the backhand just

Barnes, Alston ejected in Suns-Rockets scuffle >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix's Matt Barnes and Houston's Rafer Alston were ejected in the third quarter of Wednesday's matchup after the two were involved in a melee that involved multiple players. Houston's Tracy McGrady came down

UCLA routs Prairie View >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Collison began his senior season on a solid note, plugging in a team-high 19 points to go with four assists in fourth-ranked UCLA's 82-58 drubbing of the Prairie View Panthers in opening round a

Seahawks QB Hasselbeck back at practice >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck practiced Wednesday and was awaiting clearance to start Sunday's home game against Arizona. Hasselbeck has been out the last five games due to a continued wea

Shoving match overshadows Houston's rout of Suns >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tracy McGrady scored 27 points -- including 15 in the third quarter -- leading the Houston Rockets to a 94-82 win over the Phoenix Suns in a game marred by a fracas toward the end of the third quarter. With

MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.