Bynum's 20 assists keys Detroit's win over Wizards

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03/12/2010 - Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Bynum provided a spark with a career- best 20 assists, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Washington Wizards for a sixth straight time, 101-87, at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Tayshaun Prince, Jonas Jerebko and Richard Hamilton all scored 18 to pace the Pistons. The three combined to shoot 24-of-45 for the game.

Ben Gordon chipped in 17 off the bench and Jason Maxiell tallied 12 points and 10 boards for the Pistons, who recorded just their second win in nine games.

Andray Blatche led all scorers with 23 points to go with 10 rebounds to lead the Wizards, who have dropped six straight. Al Thornton racked up 16 points and six boards and Randy Foye added 11 points with eight assists.

Detroit started the evening on a 7-2 stretch with Jerebko hitting a layup a little over two minutes in. The Pistons led by as many as 12 in the quarter at 26-14, but the Wizards pulled off a 9-1 run to end the frame down four at 27-23.

The Pistons pulled ahead by as many 17 in the second quarter on a Hamilton jumper with 2:24 left making the score 53-36. Detroit finished the frame up 56-40.

In the third, the Wizards pulled from 18 down at 58-40 to within seven at 66-59 after a James Singleton layup with 3:06 remaining. But the Pistons scored 11 of the final 15 points in the quarter to possess a 77-63 edge at the end of the frame.

Washington rallied back in the fourth to within twelve at 83-71 after a Blatche turnaround jumper, but the Pistons didn't let up and finished strong. They led by as many as 19 in the frame on a Charlie Villanueva triple with 4:20 left.

Game Notes

Detroit swept the season series 4-0...Blatche appeared in his 300th career game...Washington falls to 9-21 on the road this season...Detroit outscored the Wizards on the fast break 28-11...Pistons forward Kwame Brown was ejected after a double technical foul in the second quarter. Detroit played without Ben Wallace (knee) and Rodney Stuckey (dizzy spells).

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Betting Football

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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.