James, Cavs welcome Celtics to the "Q"

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03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Eastern Conference heavyweights clash Sunday afternoon as LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Boston Celtics.

James returned to the Cavaliers lineup Friday in Philadelphia after missing a pair of games with a balky right ankle and scored 23 points as Cleveland pulled out a tough 100-95 decision over the 76ers.

"The King" also handed out 10 assists and grabbed six rebounds for the Cavaliers, who went 1-1 in his absence.

Mo Williams chipped in 21 and Delonte West scored 17 points, while fellow reserve Anderson Varejao had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who have won eight of their last nine games.

"We executed defensively the right way," said Cleveland coach Mike Brown. "LeBron did a nice job trying to attack to get to the free throw line down the stretch. More importantly, defensively, we got stops at the right time."

Forward Antawn Jamison missed the game against the Sixers due to a cyst behind his left knee but hopes to return to the lineup this afternoon.

The Celtics, meanwhile, are coming off a blowout win over Indiana. Paul Pierce scored 20 to lead a balanced attack in that one, as Boston got back to its winning ways with a 122-103 rout of the lowly Pacers in Beantown.

Rajon Rondo added 16 points and 11 assists for the Celtics, who had lost two straight overall, in addition to eight of their last 15 games at home. Boston, which went 35-6 at TD Garden in each of the past two seasons, improved to just 19-12 as the host in 2009-10.

"(We) were stung the other night (in a 20-point loss to Memphis), but also I warned them going into tonight: just because you want to fix it if things don't start out right, you can't hang your head or panic about it," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "The difference (Friday) was we hung in there and we got some stops. And then we got on a run."

Nate Robinson and Glen Davis each came off the bench to score 15, and Ray Allen poured in 13 points in the win. Kendrick Perkins provided 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Cavs had won 11 straight at home against Boston - including the playoffs -- before dropping a 95-89 decision on Oct. 27. Cleveland then responded to even the season series with a 108-88 blowout win in Beantown on Feb. 25.

Overall, the Cavs are tops in the Eastern Conference while Boston has fallen to fourth and has been playing .500 ball (18-18) since Christmas.

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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.