Cavs and Bucks clash at the 'Q'

Basketball Betting Lines

02/10/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving probably won't play again tonight after suffering a concussion earlier this week, but Ramon Sessions will be there to pick up the slack.

Sessions filled in nicely for Irving the previous time out and looks for an encore performance versus the Milwaukee Bucks tonight from Quicken Loans Arena. Irving, the first overall pick in last summer's NBA Draft, did not play in Wednesday's 99-92 win over the Los Angeles Clippers and Sessions recorded season highs in points and assists with 24 and 13, respectively. Sessions is averaging 11.8 points, 8.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds in his last five games.

Irving, who is day-to-day, suffered a concussion after being kneed in the head during the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 107-91 loss to the Miami Heat. He experienced headaches after the game that worsened over the course of the night and during pregame activities prior to Wednesday's contest.

"Obviously you could feel sorry for yourself and say one of our best players is out and go in the tank, or you could respond like we did," said Cleveland head coach Byron Scott.

Antawn Jamison finished with 27 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland, which won for the fourth time in the past 12 games and opened a franchise-record nine-game homestand on a winning note. The Cavs' homestand is tied for the third longest in NBA history and they are 5-5 at the Q this season. Cleveland will also host the 76ers, Pacers, Heat, Kings, Pistons, Hornets and Celtics.

Over his last three games, Jamison is averaging 23.7 points and 8.7 boards.

Milwaukee will wrap up a quick two-game road trip Friday in the Forest City and was able to halt a three-game losing streak with a 105-99 victory at Toronto on Wednesday.

Carlos Delfino scored a season-high 25 points to lead six players in double figures, while Drew Gooden had his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks. Mike Dunleavy added 18 points, Stephen Jackson had 17, Brandon Jennings scored 11 and Luc Mbah a Moute netted 10 in a winning cause. Jennings is posting just 7.3 ppg in his last three contests.

"We got out to a good start in the first half. Got a little behind defensively in the second half," said Gooden. "Carlos did a job picking up for us where Mike left off in the first half."

Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova did not play with back spasms and is listed as questionable for tonight's game. After visiting the Cavs at Quicken Loans Arena, Milwaukee will head to Brew City for a three-game homestand versus Orlando, Miami and New Orleans.

Gooden has scored 20-plus points in three straight games, averaging 23 points per game over that stretch. Milwaukee is only 4-10 as the guest this season.

Milwaukee and Cleveland are meeting for the first time since the Bucks took three of four meetings a year ago. The Cavs have still won 16 of the last 23 matchups with the Bucks, who are just 2-14 in the last 16 trips to the Q.

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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.