Granger Warns Houston From Pacers

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Portland, which is 1-2 as the visitor on the year, will also face Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, Toronto and Detroit before returning to Rip City.

 

Tony Parker added a season-high 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds for San Antonio, which continues to play without star swingman Manu Ginobili (broken hand) and snapped a two-game skid.

 

"I'm happy with that one. It was a tough one," Parker said. "Houston is a very physical team and they played great tonight. Everybody had to play great and it was a great win for us. We needed it."

 

Duncan will have an opportunity to climb another spot tonight, as the former MVP sits just 15 points behind Gary Payton's total of 21,813.

 

San Antonio will finish a three-game homestand against Phoenix on Sunday.

 

Jordan Farmar scored a season-high 26 points off the bench, and Anthony Morrow had 23 points for the Nets, who have lost three straight and fell to 2-9 on the season.

 

Deron Williams went for a double-double with 16 points and 13 assists and Kris Humphries donated 12 points and nine rebounds for New Jersey, which continues to play without star center Brook Lopez (stress fracture, right foot), the twin brother of Phoenix backup pivot Robin Lopez.

 

The Suns haven't been playing all that well either and dropped the opener of a brief two-game homestand to Cleveland on Thursday. Rookie star Kyrie Irving outdueled Steve Nash in that one, scoring a game-high 26 points.

 

Former All-Star Michael Redd scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including a 3-of-7 effort from beyond the arc, in his Suns debut. Redd, an 11-year veteran with a history of knee problems, signed with the Suns on Dec. 29. He had spent his entire career in Milwaukee.

 

"For me this is the preseason," Redd said. "This is all fresh for me. I just have to continue working hard to get better."

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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.