Hornets hope to get back on track vs. Blazers

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02/02/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers shoot for their fifth consecutive win Monday when they kick off a three-game road trip in the Big Easy against the New Orleans Hornets.

The Blazers won their fourth straight and finished a two-game homestand in perfect fashion Saturday when Brandon Roy scored 30 points to lead the Portland in a 122-108 rout of the struggling Utah Jazz at the Rose Garden.

Nicolas Batum added 16 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting for the Blazers, who improved to 18-5 at the Rose Garden. Joel Przybilla chipped in 14 points and 17 rebounds, and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 14 points in the win.

Portland, which is 11-12 on the road this season, will also visit Dallas and Oklahoma City on its trip.

The Hornets, who are opening up a four-game homestand, dropped their second straight game in San Antonio on Saturday when Tony Parker scored 25 points and dished out seven assists in a balanced attack, and the Spurs continued their home dominance over New Orleans with a 106-93 victory.

Manu Ginobili added 22 points, while Michael Finley scored 20 for the Spurs, who have won eight of nine home games against the Hornets.

San Antonio now holds a three-game edge over New Orleans in the Southwest Division.

Chris Paul recorded a season-high 38 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Hornets, who had won five of seven coming in. David West had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Devin Brown was the only other New Orleans player in double-figures with 10.

The Hornets hope to avoid losing three straight for the first time this season tonight in their final regular-season meeting with the Blazers. New Orleans has taken two of three from Portland on the year, including an 87-82 win at New Orleans Arena on November 14.

The Hornets, wh0 are a solid 16-6 as the host on the year, will also face Chicago, Toronto and Minnesota on their residency.

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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.