Nowitzki dominant as Mavs top Bulls in OT

Basketball Betting Lines

02/08/2009 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki had 14 points in overtime and finished with 44, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 115-114 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Despite the win, the Mavericks received some bad news, as they lost guard Jason Terry to a broken finger. He fractured the fourth metacarpal on his left hand and didn't return, finishing with eight points in 16 minutes in the contest. He is Dallas' second-leading scorer this season, entering Saturday's game averaging 20.2 points and 3.7 assists.

"He almost had tears in his eyes, that is how much he cares," Nowitzki said of Terry. "And we told him we got this one for him, and we would hold the fort down. I mean, he is the best sixth man in the league and he means a lot to this team, and we are going to miss him dearly. But he will be back soon and we know he is a tough guy."

Jose Barea had 20 points while Josh Howard added 13 points for Dallas, which has won five of six.

Ben Gordon led six Chicago players in double figures with 28 points, as Tyrus Thomas chipped in 23 points and 12 rebounds. Derrick Rose contributed 22 points and nine assists, but the Bulls couldn't keep pace with Nowitzki in overtime as they tumbled to their second loss in three games.

After Thomas began the extra session with a layup, Nowitzki sank three consecutive buckets to give Dallas a 103-99 lead nearly halfway through. Gordon followed with a jumper, but Jason Kidd countered with one of his own, and a Howard jumper put the Mavs ahead by six with 1:20 left.

The Bulls continued to put up points, but Nowitzki always had an answer. After two free throws from Thomas, Nowitzki made a short jumper. He added another after two from the line from Gordon.

Nowitzki then made 4-of-4 free throws in the final 15 seconds, the final two of which gave Dallas a 115-111 lead. They were crucial shots, as Gordon made a three at the buzzer to made it a one-point affair at the game's end.

"That's why he is a superstar," Chicago head coach Vinny Del Negro said of Nowitzki. "He's seven-feet (tall), he's fading away. We trapped him, we doubled him, we switched it and he's still fading away on us and couldn't get to it. He was getting hot, and that's why hes a superstar."

In a game that featured 22 ties and 24 lead changes, the Bulls held a 24-20 lead after one quarter and a 50-48 edge at halftime. The Mavs scored seven of the final nine points of the third quarter to lead 77-72 going into the fourth, but the Bulls had a 9-2 run to begin the final stanza.

Andres Nocioni's three-pointer capped the surge to give Chicago an 81-79 edge, and the game was close down the stretch.

Rose sank a jumper to put the Bulls ahead 97-94 with less than 30 seconds remaining, but Kidd drilled a three with 13.1 ticks left to force a tie. Rose got the ball following an inbounds with 5.7 seconds on the clock, but his floater in the lane bounced off the rim and the contest went to overtime.

Game Notes

Chicago had 18 turnovers, compared to 11 for Dallas...Nowitzki finished 16- for-34 from the field, but only attempted two three-pointers, making one. He sank 11-of-11 free throw attempts...The teams have split two games this season, with the Bulls winning 98-91 on November 13.

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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

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