Clippers edge Rockets; Yao suffers knee injury

Basketball Betting Lines

12/24/2006 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Thomas scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the LA Clippers past Houston, 98-93, but the Rockets suffered a potentially season-killing blow early on when Yao Ming left with a knee injury in the first quarter.

Yao collapsed with just over six minutes left in the first quarter after leaping for a blocked shot. Yao's knee was caught under Chuck Hayes and Thomas, and the Rockets center grabbed his right knee in pain. He was helped off of the floor and taken to a local hospital for an MRI test, where it was revealed that Yao had suffered a non-displaced fracture in a bone under his right knee, and will miss at least six weeks, although Houston officials indicated that the injury should not require surgery.

Houston is already without Tracy McGrady, who is battling back spasms.

Thomas was joined by five other Clippers with double figures. Cuttino Mobley scored 18 points for LA, which snapped a six-game losing skid with the win. Elton Brand scored 16 points and grabbed seven boards. Chris Kaman scored 15 points and pulled down 11 boards, and Corey Maggette and Shaun Livingston contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Shane Battier led the Rockets with 28 points, and Luther Head scored 22 points in the loss, their second in three games. Rafer Alston scored 21 points.

A Bonzi Wells layup brought the Rockets to within 76-74 with 8:21 left in the game, but the Clippers answered with a 17-5 run that sealed the win. Thomas drilled a three to kick off the run, which put the Clippers up 93-79 with just under three minutes left in the game.

The Clippers trailed 50-39 after Battier opened the second half with a hook shot, but LA went on a 14-3 run to tie the game. Thomas and Mobley hit back- to-back threes, and a jumper by Mobley tied the game at 53-53 with 6:43 left. The Clippers took a 69-67 lead into the fourth quarter.

LA trailed 23-22 after the first quarter, and 48-39 at halftime.

Game Notes

The Clippers hit 54 percent (7-of-13) from behind the arc...The Rockets will play their first game without Yao on Tuesday, Dec. 26 at Indiana.

Wsbgglobal Basketball Betting News

<< Shocked again: USC hands Wichita State second-straight loss
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Young scored 24 points, as the USC Trojans downed the eighth-ranked Wichita State Shockers, 60-56, in the third- place game of the Las Vegas Classic. Young drilled a jump shot with 1:03 remaining

<< Vikings, tackle Williams agree to contract extension
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Williams has a brand new contract sitting under the Christmas tree, as the Minnesota Vikings and the Pro Bowl defensive tackle agreed to a contract extension. According to the St. Paul Pio

<< Sakoda kicks Utes to bowl win over Tulsa
Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louie Sakoda connected on all four of his field goals as Utah downed Tulsa, 25-13, to win the Armed Forces Bowl. Brett Ratliff threw for 240 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Utes (8-5),

<< Tellqvist, Coyotes blank Ducks
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikael Tellqvist stopped 29 shots for his first shutout of the year, as the Phoenix Coyotes registered a 2-0 win over the Western Conference-leading Anaheim Ducks. Shane Doan and Fredrik Sjostrom tall

<< Wolski's pair send Avs over Blackhawks
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Wojtek Wolski tallied two goals to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Pepsi Center. Joe Sakic added a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who returned

Williams leads Bucks over Nets >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mo Williams posted 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, as the streaking Milwaukee Bucks downed the New Jersey Nets, 115-104, at the Bradley Center. "I feel much better," Williams said. "

Yao fractures bone in knee, will miss 6 weeks >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Rockets center Yao Ming suffered a non- displaced fracture in a bone under his right knee in Saturday's 98-93 loss to the LA Clippers, an injury that Houston officials say should not require surgery

Allen, Sonics outlast Raptors >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen returned from a nine-game absence and scored 28 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to lead Seattle past Toronto, 110-97, at KeyArena. The All-Star guard missed time with a

Nabakov, Sharks stop Flames >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Nabokov made 21 saves as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Calgary Flames, 4-1, at HP Pavilion. Marcel Goc, Milan Michalek, Mark Smith and Scott Hannan all scored for the Sharks, who won their seco

Cowboys and Crimson Tide roll into Shreveport >>
Shreveport, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Alabama Crimson Tide are set to collide in the PetroSun Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. Oklahoma State owns a mediocre 6-6 record, but the team ha

Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

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