Cavs handle Pacers in Irving's return

Basketball Betting Lines

02/15/2012 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyrie Irving came back from a three-game absence and scored 22 points, and the Cavaliers never trailed while earning a 98-87 victory over the shorthanded Pacers.

Irving, who suffered a concussion during a February 7 game at Miami when he was kneed in the head, also had five assists for Cleveland, which improved to 2-2 on its nine-game homestand.

Semih Erden set a career-high with 18 points to go with eight rebounds, while Ramon Sessions and Antawn Jamison each netted 13 points in the win.

The Pacers, playing without Danny Granger (ankle), George Hill (ankle) and Jeff Foster (back), have lost a season-high five straight games. Darren Collison and Roy Hibbert led the way Wednesday with 18 and 17 points, respectively.

Irving came out in mid-season form, hitting 5-of-6 from the field in the first quarter. Cleveland used the rookie's 12 points and a trio of three-pointers from Omri Casspi to build a 32-20 cushion.

The Pacers made just 5-of-20 from the field in the second quarter, which saw the hosts lead by as many as 21 when Daniel Gibson drained a three-pointer for a 46-25 cushion five minutes in.

Gibson sprained his ankle in the third quarter and did not return, but the Cavs never had their 56-38 halftime lead seriously threatened.

Despite shooting just 32 percent from the field in the third quarter, Cleveland held a 79-61 advantage heading to the fourth and led by double digits until the final minute.

Alonzo Gee's thunderous two-handed dunk with just under three minutes to go put the exclamation point on the lopsided decision.

Game Notes

Cleveland welcomes former first son LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Friday...The Pacers will open a three-game homestand versus the Nets on Thursday...The Pacers had won six straight against the Cavs, including an overtime win in Indianapolis on December 30...Indiana's David West had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 4-for-15 from the field.

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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