 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Magic seem poised to make Hawks disappear from playoffsBasketball Betting Lines05/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Executions tend to have a little more suspense than the Eastern Conference semifinals series between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks. The red-hot Magic will attempt to sweep the reeling Hawks out of the postseason tonight when the two teams meet in Game 4 of their set at Philips Arena. Orlando took a commanding 3-0 series lead on Saturday when Rashard Lewis hit four three-pointers and ended with a team-high 22 points, as the Magic once again dominated Atlanta en route to an easy 105-75 win. "We were looking forward to a hard-fought game, but we came out and played hard defense and built a big lead," Lewis said. "We don't want to jump ahead of ourselves. We want to take it one game at a time. We're going to keep playing with a lot of intensity." A return to Dixie, where the Hawks went 34-7 during the regular season, figured to give Mike Woodson's club a boost after it lost the first two games of the series by a combined 57 points in Orlando. Instead, a lifeless crowd and the Magic's 50.7-percent shooting effort resulted in the 14th straight loss in conference semifinal games for the Hawks. Meanwhile, Orlando has won the first three games in the series by an average of 29 points. "I don't see the effort," Hawks center Al Horford said. "We won 53 games for a reason but we get to the postseason, where the stakes are high, and we're not coming out there and giving the effort we need." No team in NBA history has ever recovered from a 3-0 series deficit. "It's very disappointing," Woodson said. "I figured we would come home and play at a high level and make a series out of it, but we were so flat coming out. I don't think anyone saw this coming." Dwight Howard recorded 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Jameer Nelson and Mickael Pietrus chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively, in Game 3 for the Magic, who have won 13 straight games dating back to the regular season. "I think our guys were ready to play," Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "What impressed me even more, we came out in the second half with the lead and didn't play as if we had a cushion. We continued to fight and defend very hard." Jamal Crawford had 22 points, while Josh Smith added 15 and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who shot just 34.9 percent from the field. Horford and Joe Johnson totaled 11 and eight points, respectively, in the setback. Johnson, who is scheduled to become a free agent in the offseason, was particularly ineffective, making a mere 3-of-15 from the field for Atlanta, which is a dismal 0-13 all-time in conference semifinal series since the round was renamed as such in 1971. Like Johnson, Woodson, who has built the Hawks from a 13-win team in 2004-05 to a 53-win club this year, also has an expiring deal and seemed almost resigned to his team's fate on Sunday. "This team is still headed in the right direction," Woodson said Sunday. "If we can bring Joe back and I'm able to stay, we can complete the process we started six years ago. I sure hope they don't go back the other way and bust it up." Orlando also took three of four games from the Hawks in the regular season and won the Southeast Division by six games over Atlanta. The two teams have met just one time previously in the postseason, a 4-1 Magic win in the 1995-96 Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 5 in the series, if necessary, is set for Wednesday in Orlando.
<< Super Saver works at Churchill for Preakness
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, with Calvin Borel in the saddle, put in a three-furlong workout Monday morning at Churchill Downs. The three-year-old colt covered the distance in :36 3\5 in one
<< Football player in Oregon dies of head injury
<< No place like home in this one - for visiting team
<< Lester, Red Sox avoid being swept by Yankees
<< Stitched up Nash leads Suns to sweep of Spurs
Lakers aim to finish off Jazz for third straight season >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers always seem to have the answer for the Utah Jazz. If Phil Jackson's club solves the Jazz once more tonight, it will lock up its third straight trip to the Western Conference finals and send Utah pa
Bengals make it official with Pacman Jones >>
Pens try to end Habs' run in Game 6 >>
Bruins get shot to close out Flyers in Boston >>
Marlins take on Cubs at historic Wrigley Field >>
MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet. Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots. Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times. "Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders." Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com . Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportbook. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your baseball sportsbook needs. |
|
