Bobcats continue push towards postseason, host Clippers
Basketball Betting Lines
03/12/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats aim to maintain their recent winning
ways and further solidify their postseason hopes in tonight's clash with a Los Angeles Clippers team that'll be seeking to end a five-game slide when it pays
a visit to Time Warner Cable Arena.
Charlotte has never reached the playoffs or had a winning season since
entering the NBA in 2004-05, but a current stretch of four straight victories
has put the club at 32-31 and into a tie with Toronto and Miami for sixth
place in the Eastern Conference. Three of those wins have come at home, where
the Bobcats have amassed an excellent 23-8 record this season.
The team's latest win occurred on the road, however, a 102-87 triumph over
sagging Philadelphia on Wednesday. Charlotte built a comfortable 62-44 lead at
intermission and was up by as much as 29 points in the second half.
"I didn't love our finish, but [the 76ers] had a lot to do with it," head
coach Larry Brown told the Bobcats' official site afterward. "But all-in-all,
on a back-to-back [set of games] and how we've struggled on the road, this was
a big win for us."
Gerald Wallace led six Charlotte scorers in double figures with 28 points on
9-of-10 shooting, with Stephen Jackson amassing 24 points and 10 rebounds on
the evening.
The Bobcats will be trying to win five in a row for the first time since a
six-game tear from January 9-20. They've taken four of their last five
meetings with the Clippers, although Los Angeles' only victory during that
span was a 98-94 decision at the Staples Center on February 22.
The Clippers have gone just 2-7 since that game, however, and had their
present skid extended with Wednesday's 108-97 defeat at Miami. The loss kept
Los Angeles winless on a five-game road trip that concludes Saturday in San
Antonio.
Rasual Butler poured in 31 points for the Clippers and knocked down back-to-
back three-pointers that brought his team within 75-70 midway through the
third quarter. However, the Heat countered with a 15-2 run to extend the
margin back to double digits, and Los Angeles never got closer than nine
points down the rest of the way.
"[The Heat] came out and shot the ball really well," Clippers head coach Kim
Hughes said. "We missed a ton of layups and struggled with easy looks."
Los Angeles, now 7-26 on the road this season and losers of eight straight as
the visitor, received 16 points from Chris Kaman and 12 out of Steve Blake in
Wednesday's setback. The Clippers haven't prevailed in an enemy arena since a
90-82 win over Chicago on February 2.
<< Celtics try to stop skid in home tilt with Pacers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will be attempting to avoid a third
straight loss when the Atlantic Division leaders host the road-challenged
Indiana Pacers tonight at TD Garden.
Boston followed up a two-point setback at red
<< Rangers and Thrashers both try to end slides in Atlanta
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of four-game losing streaks have made a possible
road to the postseason a bit harder for the Rangers and Thrashers. Only one
team will be able to reverse its misfortunes tonight.
Atlanta will try to sweep the season
<< Playoff-bound Cavs make a stop in south Philly
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A large lead atop the Central Division and playoff berth
already sewed up has allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to give LeBron James some
rest for the stretch run. The reigning NBA MVP is expected to return from his
two-gam
<< Spurs, Wolves square off in Twin Cities
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to continue their mastery of
the Minnesota Timberwolves when the two Western Conference inhabitants get
together tonight at the Target Center.
San Antonio has won 10 straight and 15 of the pa
<< Sabres try to run win streak to four games versus Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will aim for a fourth consecutive
victory when they welcome the Minnesota Wild for an interconference clash at
HSBC Arena.
The Sabres' three-game winning streak is the club's longest since a season-
bes
Sliding Ducks host Predators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks aim for their first win in nearly a month
tonight when they host a Nashville Predators club that is struggling to hold
onto one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference.
The Ducks have dropped
Bucks, Jazz to square off in battle of surging clubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the NBA's hottest teams clash in Brew City tonight
as the Utah Jazz pay a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Jazz won their fourth straight contest and improved to 2-0 on a four-game
road trip Wednesday in Auburn Hil
Stars return home to face Williams and Kings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Stars haven't done much to further their playoff
chances since the Olympic break, but an upcoming six-game homestand for a team
that has been strong this year as the host could do the trick.
Dallas begins that residenc
Lakers visit Phoenix for key Pacific showdown >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The two top teams in the Pacific Division meet for the last
time in the regular season tonight, when the second-place Phoenix Suns welcome
the front-running Los Angeles Lakers to the U.S. Airways Center.
The defending NBA
Pistons resume homestand with visit from Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Eastern Conference also-rans continue playing out
the string tonight in Auburn Hills, where the Detroit Pistons play host to the
Washington Wizards.
The Pistons fell to 1-1 on a three-game homestand Wednesday, wh
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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