Gallinari and Knicks squeak past Atlanta

Basketball Betting Lines

03/08/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danilo Gallinari made four three-pointers and finished with a game-high 27 points, as the New York Knicks escaped with a 99-98 win over the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden.

David Lee contributed a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Al Harrington went for 14 points off the bench for the Knicks, who were able to recover from a 113-93 loss to New Jersey on Saturday.

New York, which had lost four of its last five coming into the contest, made 10-of-15 three-pointers after setting an NBA record by going 0-for-18 from three-point range in the setback to the Nets.

Josh Smith had a team-best 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists, while Joe Johnson ended with 22 points for Atlanta, which dropped its second straight after a four-game winning streak. Al Horford, who was unable to get off the would-be game-winning shot as time expired, turned in a solid performance with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

New York led by six after three quarters and its advantage ballooned to double-digits, 87-76, with 8:44 remaining thanks in part to back-to-back makes by Eddie House.

With the Knicks ahead by 10 a short time later, the Hawks went on an 11-2 run to make it a 97-96 game with 2:53 left. Johnson made 1-of-2 from the free- throw line to end the rally and get Atlanta within one.

Each team went cold over the next two minutes before Harrington's jumper with 50.5 seconds to play put New York up by three, 99-96. Smith's layup drew Atlanta within a point with 27.5 ticks on the clock before Toney Douglas' turnover with 7.9 seconds remaining gave the Hawks a last chance.

Smith's layup was blocked by Wilson Chandler from in close with 1.7 seconds to go, but Horford's short follow-up as the buzzer sounded was initially ruled as good. However, the basket was waved off after replays clearly showed the ball had not left Horford's hands before time expired, and the Knicks held on.

After a 27-27 opening quarter, things stayed close in the second with neither team able to pull away. Horford's short turnaround jumper in the last minute of the half gave the Hawks a 46-44 edge heading into the break.

In the third, Sergio Rodriguez hit three straight Knicks shots to power an 8-2 run to start the period and give New York a 52-48 lead. Harrington's trey in the final minute put the hosts up 76-70 after three.

Game Notes

The Knicks went 3-1 against Atlanta this season and have won 16 of the last 20 meetings between the teams at the Garden...New York shot 50.6 percent, while the Hawks made 42.5 percent of their shots, but only 3-of-17 from three-point range...Jamal Crawford ended with 16 points and six rebounds for Atlanta.

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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.