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posted April 8, 2008 at 15:42 in NBA Articles

WHO: Minnesota Timberwolves (19-57 SU, 34-41-1 ATS) at Charlotte Bobcats (29-49 SU, 32-42-3 ATS)

WHERE: Charlotte Bobcats Arena

WHEN: Tuesday, April 8 at 7 PM ET

BetUS Sportsbook NBA betting odds: Charlotte -4.5, Total 199.5

In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA betting trends:

* CHAR has covered five of the last seven meetings

* CHAR has won three of the last four meetings SU

* The road team has covered the last three meetings

* Four of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total

* MINN has had the shooting edge in four of the last six meetings

* CHAR has made more three-pointers in each of the last six meetings

Minnesota is 28th in the NBA in scoring, with 94.8 points per game. The T-Wolves have averaged 41.4 rebounds per game, with 11.6 of those on the offensive end. Also:

* MINN has lost six of its last seven games SU

* MINN has covered one of its last seven games

* MINN has played four of its last five games OVER the total

* MINN has lost its last six road games SU & ATS

* MIN has played six of its last nine road games OVER the total

Charlotte has an assist/turnover ratio of 1.5-to-1. The Bobcats are 18th in the league in scoring at home, averaging 98.9 points a game. And they are still last in the NBA at the free throw line, shooting 71%. Also:

* CHAR has covered three of its last 11 games

* CHAR has played 10 of its last 13 games UNDER the total

* CHAR has covered one of its last five home games

* CHAR has played six of its last nine home games OVER the total

Charlotte's last outing was a major disappointment, bordering on humiliation. The Bobcats, who had played Boston pretty tough previously, scored 28 points in the second half en route to dropping a 101-78 decision to a Celtic team that sat out Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen AND Paul Pierce. Boston stole the ball 13 times and had a 38-24 advantage on the boards. Instead of throwing his team under the bus, which he had been doing earlier in the season, Bobcats' coach Sam Vincent instead blamed it on fatigue from beating Toronto the night before.

So after a couple of days off, expect a refreshed Charlotte squad to come back stronger, whether they have Gerald Wallace in the lineup or not (groin pull). Jason Richardson was held to nine points on Saturday, and he will improve on that, you can be sure of. And this team had actually been going through an "up" period in a very up-and-down year, following three straight wins with close losses to the Raptors and Cavs, then a win in the rematch with Toronto.

Minnesota, which recovered well after a 5-34 start, has been in a lull. The Wolves have covered just one of their last seven on the road, and have not been much on defense, allowing an average of 116 points over the last three. Despite shooting 52% on Sunday, they still lost by double digits to Memphis because they could not stop the Grizzlies' Rudy Gay or Mike Miller. Minnesota usually does not generate a lot of points when traveling; its 93 ppg average ranks 28th in the NBA.

Under the circumstances, we'll lay the points with the Bobcats, the4.5-point favorites 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)