Nuggets aim to stay hot vs. Raptors
Basketball Betting Lines
01/27/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking Denver Nuggets aim for a sixth straight win
tonight when they host a Toronto team that expects to be without leading
scorer Andrea Bargnani.
The Nuggets are fresh off a brilliant 5-0 road trip that was capped with a
122-93 blowout win in Sacramento on Wednesday. Danilo Gallinari led seven
players in double figures with 23 points in that one as Denver recorded its
first perfect five-game trek since joining the NBA prior to the 1976-77
season.
Gallinari, who signed a contract extension earlier Wednesday, went 8-of-12
from the field and added five assists. Nene notched 16 points and Andre Miller
had 15 and 10 assists.
"We made a point not to settle for jumpers because that is a team that's
struggling defensively with their identity," said Nuggets forward Al
Harrington. "There were so many open things, so we just tried to pick one of
them and really attack and that was the rim."
Denver's ultra-quick point guard Ty Lawson left in the second quarter against
the Kings after spraining his left ankle and is expected to miss tonight's
game. He hopes to return Sunday against the LA Clippers.
Denver, which is 6-2 at the Pepsi Center this season, will finish a quick two-
game homestand against the Clips.
The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off back-to-back impressive road wins.
Toronto improved to 2-1 on a five-game trek on Wednesday when Bargnani and
Linas Kleiza, an ex-Nugget, scored 25 points apiece as the Raptors snapped a
12-game losing streak against the Utah Jazz with a 111-106 win in double-
overtime.
It was Toronto's first win in the series since December 22, 2004.
Bargnani, who played his second game after missing the previous six with a
strained calf, scored all of his points in regulation. He played 3:55 in the
first overtime before sitting the rest of the game after aggravating the
injury, however.
"This time it's bad," Bargnani, who is averaging 23.5 ppg this season, said.
"I'm pretty sure I'm going to be out for a while."
Jose Calderon knocked down a three-pointer with 13.3 seconds remaining in
regulation for Toronto, tying the game, while Paul Millsap buried a three with
3.0 seconds left in the first overtime to knot the contest for Utah.
The back-breaker in the second overtime was Calderon's three-pointer from 10
feet behind the arc to beat the shot clock, giving Toronto a six-point lead
with 86 seconds left.
It was the second time in two days that the Raptors snapped a long losing
streak to another team. They beat Phoenix, 99-96, in Bargnani's return on
Tuesday for their first win over the Suns since February 10, 2004.
DeMar DeRozan scored 17 for Toronto, Leandro Barbosa added 13 and Calderon had
12.
"Everybody that got on the court tonight contributed and fought to win a
double-overtime game," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey.
Toronto, which has lost eight straight and 13 of 14 vs. Denver, hasn't won
three consecutive on the road since Dec. 11-18, 2007. The Raptors have dropped
seven in a row and nine of 10 contests in the Rockies.
<< Blazers welcome Suns to Rip City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Blazers haven't been much of a threat away from Rip
City this season but things have been far different when they are hitting the
hardwood in the Pacific Northwest.
Portland will shoot for its sixth straight win a
<< Thunder, Warriors collide in Oakland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Western Conference-leading Thunder will kick off a
three-game road trip tonight when they visit Oakland to take on the Golden
State Warriors.
The Thunder (15-3) won their third straight game and for the 11th
<< Improved Pacers try to pass another test in Boston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers try to follow up their biggest win of
the season tonight when they head to Boston to face the Celtics at TD Garden.
Indiana picked up a big win over the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls
on Wednes
<< Magic try to rebound against Hornets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For three quarters last night it appeared the Orlando Magic
had erased all the memories of their worst shooting performance in franchise
history in a rematch with the Boston Celtics.
But a lousy final period sent the Magic
<< Wizards try to pick up road victory in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards have had trouble the past two
seasons playing well on the road and look to avoid an 0-8 start as the guest
tonight against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
The Wizards will play two straight
Mavs hope to rebound with Jazz in town >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celebrations don't seem to be agreeing with the Dallas
Mavericks and the reigning NBA champs are probably glad they can put the
ceremonies in the rearview mirror as they get ready to host the Utah Jazz.
The Mav
Cavs and Nets meet at The Q >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets have yet to win consecutive games this
season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have done it just once.
Both teams will be trying to put together win streaks this evening at Quicken
Loans Arena.
The Nets have
Bogut-less Bucks visit Bulls >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been a season of frustration for Bucks center Andrew
Bogut and his latest setback will keep him out of action indefinitely. That
leaves Milwaukee a big hole in the middle this evening as it visits a Chicago
Bulls club
Wolves welcome Spurs to the Twin Cities >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to snap a 16-game
losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs when the two clubs met in early January
and shoot for a rare win streak in the series tonight at the Target Center.
The Timberwo
Sixers try to bounce back vs. bumbling Bobcats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers try to bounce back from a rare loss
at home this evening when they welcome the hapless Charlotte Bobcats to the
Wells Fargo Center.
Philadelphia lost for only the second time in 10 tries in front of
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
Football Betting
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
NFL Betting Lines
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