Jazz seeking to extend Timberwolves' season-long misery

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03/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a potential mismatch on the NBA docket, the Western Conference power Utah Jazz welcome the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves to Salt Lake City tonight.

The Jazz, who are currently the fourth seed in the West, snapped a rare two- game skid on Monday with a win over another also-ran, the Washington Wizards. Carlos Boozer led the way in that one with 23 points and nine rebounds as the Jazz sent the reeling Wizards to their eighth consecutive defeat, a 112-89 setback, at EnergySolutions Arena.

Deron Williams added 17 points and 11 assists, but sat out the fourth quarter for the Jazz after landing awkwardly in the waning moments of the third. Sundiata Gaines totaled a career-high 15 points as the Jazz had seven players score in double figures.

Mehmet Okur returned from a one-game absence due to a strained back and had 14 points for the Jazz, who won for the fifth time in seven contests. They were coming off a 2-2 road trip.

"I was proud of us," Boozer said. "We lost two tough ones on the road. We just played [Sunday] and we came back [Monday] and acted like we didn't play last night. Hungry. We beat a team that had been playing pretty good."

Williams is expected to play tonight while forward Andrei Kirilenko, who missed his second straight game on Monday with a strained left calf, remains questionable.

The Wolves, meanwhile, continue to mail it in down the stretch, dropping their 10th consecutive game last night. Jason Richardson led eight Phoenix players in double figures in that one with 27 points as the Suns lit up the scoreboard with a 152-114 win.

Amare Stoudemire netted 25 points and Steve Nash added 13 along with 14 assists as the Suns set an NBA-high for points in a game this season.

"That's what happens when you don't play any defense," Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said.

Corey Brewer racked up 21 points and Ryan Gomes added 18 for the lowly T-Wolves, who have lost 16 of their last 17 overall and have the worst record in the Western Conference.

Despite their monumental struggles this season, the Wolves have actually taken two of three meeting from Utah this season, including their last trip to Salt Lake -- a 110-108 triumph in December.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.