Call of the wild: Wolves, Grizzlies clash in Memphis

Basketball Betting Lines

02/08/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The much-improved Timberwolves will aim to win for the second time in as many nights without All-Star Kevin Love when they take on the Grizzlies in Memphis tonight.

Love, who leads the Wolves in both scoring (25.0 ppg) and rebounding (13.7), missed Tuesday's 86-84 win over Sacramento after being suspended two games for stomping on Houston's Luis Scola during the third quarter of Saturday's 100-91 win.

Nikola Pekovic stepped up in Love's absence, recording a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Minnesota as it defeated Sacramento, 86-84, at Target Center.

"Every time out there he brings out new moves," said Minnesota's Derrick Williams about Pekovic's game. "I think he's the strongest player in the NBA. He's quick off his feet, too. He's really agile and just quick. He's one of a kind with his strength."

Michael Beasley added his own double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Wolves, who have now won three straight overall. Williams, starting in place of Love, added 14 points and pulled down eight boards.

Minnesota hasn't won four consecutive contests since Jan. 29-Feb. 6, 2010.

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, have dropped three straight, including the opener of a five-game homestand to San Antonio on Monday.

Marc Gasol had 22 points and nine rebounds while Mike Conley finished with 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the 89-84 setback for Memphis, which is now 7-4 at FedEx Forum and will finish its residency with games against Indiana, Utah and Houston.

"We made some shots and got some stops. Then in the fourth quarter, we just couldn't make a shot anymore. They (Spurs) were hurting us in the pick-and- roll and just kept getting what they needed. It was a close game. We just couldn't get the stop and when we got the ball, we just couldn't finish on the offensive end," Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins said.

The Grizzlies have won four straight on Beale Street over Minnesota and eight of nine overall, including a 90-86 win in the Twin Cities back on Jan. 4. Memphis is unbeaten in its last five contests in this series.

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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."

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