Rockets aim to thrust past Clippers
Basketball Betting Lines
03/25/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With 12 games remaining on the schedule, time is running
out on the Houston Rockets and their quest for a playoff berth. Tonight
they'll try and get back in the win column for a last-minute push towards the
postseason versus the Los Angeles Clippers at the Toyota Center.
The Rockets are 5 1/2 games behind Portland for the eighth and final playoff
spot in the Western Conference, and have lost two in a row since ripping off
five wins in six tries. They just went 1-2 on a three-game road trip and will
begin a three-game homestand Thursday versus the Clippers, Lakers and Wizards.
Houston, which is 20-15 as the host this season, is coming off a 122-104 loss
at Oklahoma City on Wednesday, as Luis Scola led the way with 25 points and
six rebounds. Trevor Ariza scored 20 points and Kyle Lowry added 15 off the
bench for the Rockets, who got just 11 points from Aaron Brooks.
"They were just quicker to the basket and nobody was challenging their shots,"
Rockets head coach Rick Adelman said of the Thunder. "We were getting beat off
the dribble. We knew that they would be very aggressive tonight because
they've lost some of their roll and they needed to get a win and there was
some resistance only in the first quarter."
Meanwhile, the Clippers are riding an 11-game road losing streak and have
dropped 15 of their last 16 games as the visitor. They have lost two in a row
overall and 10 of the last 11 games, including Tuesday's 106-96 setback at
Dallas in the opener of a quick road swing.
Drew Gooden tied a season-high with 26 points and grabbed a season-best 20
rebounds, while Chris Kaman notched 22 points and nine boards for Los Angeles.
Rasual Butler and Eric Gordon added 16 points apiece for the Clippers, who
fell to 7-29 as the guest in 2009-10.
"It was tough. We clawed our way back into that game and they jumped the game
up; went small and went to a zone," Gooden said. "And we were stagnant
offensively. That totally took us out of our rhythm."
Houston has won the first two meetings with LA this season, three in a row
overall and 22 of the past 26 matchups in the series. The Clippers are winless
in their last five games at the Rockets.
<< Ambitious Blazers welcome Mavs to Rose City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers are on the brink of their second
straight playoff appearance and hope to stay in contention tonight, when they
host the Dallas Mavericks at the Rose Garden.
Portland sits in the eighth and fina
<< Cornell battles Kentucky in Sweet 16
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The "Cinderella" Cornell Big Red, the 12th
seed in the East Region, will attempt to upset the top-seeded Kentucky
Wildcats in the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA Tournament tonight.
The winner of this contest will m
<< Wildcats and Musketeers collide in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Into the Sweet 16 for the third straight
year, the Xavier Musketeers try to extend their 2009-10 campaign a bit longer
as they challenge the Kansas State Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament West
Regional Semifi
<< Huskies and Mountaineers duke it out in Sweet 16
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers
have reached the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 as expected, and they will
attempt to avoid an upset tonight against the red-hot Washington Huskies, the
East Region's 1
<< Butler and Syracuse clash in West Regional semifinals
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Owners of a 22-game win streak, the
Butler Bulldogs take their act to EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City,
Utah tonight where they will clash with the Syracuse Orange in the round of 16
in the 2010 NCAA
Heat, Bulls set for Windy City skirmish >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat are closing in on their second straight
postseason berth, but will face a tough challenge tonight versus the hungry
Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
Miami is tied with Charlotte for the sixth sp
Thrashers resume playoff push against visiting Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers missed out on a golden opportunity to
gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race in their most recent trip
to the ice. The postseason hopefuls may have another chance to boost their
prospects ton
Bruins hope to continue surge against Lightning >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins have come up with important wins in their
last two trips to the ice and the playoff hopefuls will aim for a third
straight victory when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at TD Garden.
Boston enter
Devils host Rangers with first place in reach >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will try to take over sole
possession of first place in the Atlantic Division tonight when they host the
rival New York Rangers at Prudential Center.
New Jersey enters tonight one point behind the Pen
Flames try to extend success over Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames have been very successful against the
New York Islanders in recent years and they hope that trend continues when
they visit Nassau Coliseum on Long Island tonight.
The Flames are four points behind Detro
MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.
(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977. Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.
Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer. In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season.
MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season. Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite. After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.
Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions. They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown.
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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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