Posted on 4/4/2008 3:20:32 PM

NBA Basketball Betting - Charlotte at Toronto

By Charles Jay

WHO: Charlotte Bobcats (28-47 SU, 31-41-3 ATS) at Toronto Raptors (38-37 SU & ATS)

WHERE: Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ONT

WHEN: Friday, April 4 at 7 PM ET

BetUS NBA betting odds: Toronto -10.5, Total 204

In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA betting trends:

* TOR has won and covered five of the last six meetings

* Six of the last nine meetings have gone UNDER the total

* TOR is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings as the home team

* TOR has won five of the last six meetings SU as the home team

* Five of the last six meetings in Toronto have gone UNDER the total

* TOR has had the shooting edge in each of the last six meetings

* TOR has had the rebounding edge in five of the last six meetings

Charlotte is 29th in the NBA at free throw shooting (71%). The Bobcats have a -5.5 negative rebounding margin when playing on the road, and have permitted 46.7% shooting by opponents. Also:

* CHAR has lost eight of its last 12 games SU

* CHAR is 2-3-1 ATS in its last six road games

* CHAR has lost 15 of its last 20 road games SU

* CHAR has played seven of its last eight road games UNDER the total

Toronto is averaging 23.6 assists per contest. The Raptors are allowing 7.7 three-pointers per game, which is second worst in the NBA. Also:

* TOR has lost nine of its last 13 games SU

* TOR has covered two of its last eight home games

* TOR has won four of its last six home games SU

* TOR has played 11 of its last 16 home games OVER the total

Charlotte has been more competitive over the last ten days or so, winning straight-up visiting the Lakers, Seattle and Portland, and keeping things very close with the Cavs and these same Raptors, who managed to get 32 points out of Chris Bosh in a 104-100 victory at the Bobcats Arena this past Monday. Charlotte has made at least half its shots in three of the last five games, and although Gerald Wallace may not be playing at full throttle, Jason Richardson has been on fire, averaging 27 points a game over the last seven.

Toronto has been shooting pretty well, too, and the Raptors are engaged in a battle for playoff position in the East. But even though Bosh is back in action, they've had a problem covering at home, winning just two of the last eight against the number. As long as Emeka Okafor continues to take a leadership role in terms of scoring (21 ppg in last four), he gives Bosh something else to worry about.

Toronto is a solid 18-11 ATS as a home favorite this season, and may have covered five of the last six meetings, but we're still not all that confident laying this many points with them while they're in a pointspread lull. Charlotte isn't a playoff contender, but they're a few baskets away from a 13-5 spread run, and we think they've got enough offensive firepower to keep this interesting.

We'll take the points with the Bobcats, the 10-point underdog in the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: CHARLOTTE

You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)