Buck-ing the trend

Basketball Betting Lines

02/28/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks finally put the brakes on a season-long losing streak and have a healthy dose of home games on the horizon.

The Bucks were mired in a seven-game skid and the return of star guard Michael Redd wasn't enough. Redd missed 20 games with a left patellar tendon strain and the team suffered without him, compiling a lowly 3-17 mark.

Redd returned in a loss to the division-rival Detroit Pistons on February 20 and recorded 17 points in 29:39 of action. Milwaukee's captain didn't have an immediate impact on the squad with three straight losses, but the Bucks have won two straight since. Redd has averaged 24.8 points in those five games.

Despite a 5-22 record since the turn of the new year, Milwaukee is in the midst of playing 10 of 12 games at the Bradley Center where it owns a 13-12 record this season. It would be a crazy pipe dream to think the Bucks have a chance to reach the playoffs this season, but playing at home is the best cure for Milwaukee to start righting the ship out of the Central Division basement.

After a home win versus Philadelphia on Saturday and Tuesday's victory over Golden State at the Bradley Center, the Bucks will now visit Toronto, head back home to host Chicago, then take a trip to Orlando before starting a seven-game homestand versus the Lakers, Cavaliers, Raptors, Spurs, Bobcats, Clippers and Pistons.

Friday's game against the Raptors in Canada is huge for Milwaukee, which has lost 11 in a row as the visitor. That's the worst streak since the Bucks dropped 14 straight as the guest during the 2004-05 season.

Besides needing Redd to play at a high level, Bucks guard Mo Williams has been ripping up the court lately. Williams entered Tuesday's game averaging 26.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals over the previous three contests. Williams then notched 16 points and a season-high 13 assists in the recent win over the Warriors.

Fellow guard Charlie Bell has scored in double-digits in 19 straight games after registering 20 points in Tuesday's win over Golden State. Bell has reached the 20-point mark eight times over that span.

On the injury front, guard Earl Boykins missed his third straight game with a right thumb sprain. Surgery could be in the plans for Boykins, who is expected to get another medical opinion on the thumb.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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