Heat continue life without Wade against Cavs

Basketball Betting Lines

02/25/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What was once a can't miss game on the NBA schedule has lost some of its luster as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Miami to take on the Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat have won three of their last five meetings with the Cavaliers and eight in a row at home.

Miami and Cleveland will battle for the third time this season with each team posting a victory thus far. The Cavaliers recorded a 103-79 win on February 9 to avenge a 92-89 setback eight days earlier.

James had 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists in that win, while Wade poured in 27 points with seven helpers in defeat.

But now Wade is sidelined indefinitely after dislocating his left shoulder in Wednesday's loss to Houston after getting tangled with Shane Battier of the Rockets early in the fourth quarter.

A course of action has not been determined as Wade is weighing his options, but it's reported he could be out for the rest of the season if he has surgery on the shoulder.

Miami is 16-24 in games played without Wade since his rookie season, including 1-6 this year.

The Heat lost their second game in a row on Thursday when the red-hot Dallas Mavericks downed shorthanded Miami, 112-100. Shaquille O'Neal and James Posey both scored 17 points for the Heat, who lost for only the third time in 10 games. Jason Williams and Dorell Wright both scored 13 points.

Miami has won six games in a row at home and is 15-10 as the host this season. The club is currently 5 1/2 games behind Washington for the lead in the Southeast Division and will play in New York on Monday in the first of two straight road games.

The Heat also hold just a slim one-game lead for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East over New Jersey.

The Cavaliers were last in action on Thursday and were bested by the division rival Chicago Bulls, 84-78.

James scored 29 points and pulled down seven boards for the Cavs, who had won two in a row and five of six entering the game. Larry Hughes finished with 20 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers also come into the game with a shrunken roster as guards Damon Jones (strep throat) and Sasha Pavlovic (flu-like symptoms) are both questionable for the game.

Also, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has missed Cleveland's last four games due to personal reasons. However, he is expected to play today.

Cleveland is 12-15 as the visitor this season and is 3 1/2 games behind Detroit for the top spot in the Central Division.

Jazzsorts Basketball Betting News

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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 for online football betting .

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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