Rockets begin trip at New York
Basketball Betting Lines
03/21/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets hope to get back on track when they open a three-game road trip Sunday against the New York Knicks at historic Madison Square Garden.
Houston will also visit the Bulls and Thunder, and is 15-17 as the guest this season. The Rockets can use a boost right now since they're 5 1/2 games off the eighth and final postseason spot in the Western Conference.
The Rockets had a season-high four-game winning streak halted with Friday's 94-87 setback to the Boston Celtics in the finale of a four-game homestand. Luis Scola tallied 17 points and 10 boards, Kevin Martin scored 17 as well and both Trevor Ariza and Jordan Hill had 11 points for Houston, which went 3-1 on the residency.
"It's a tough loss. It was a good team we played," Rockets head coach Rick Adelman said. "They play a certain way and they are very physical and get after you. After the first half, we played better in the second but we just couldn't get over the hump."
New York is playing out the string and will continue a three-game homestand Sunday. It opened the residency with a 92-88 triumph over Philadelphia on Friday, as Toney Douglas netted 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and Danilo Gallinari led all scorers with 25 points and seven rebounds.
"When you play these type of games and then you win in the fourth quarter, it's always great," said Gallinari, who helped the Knicks outscore Philly by a 25-12 margin over the final 8:26. "It's always a great feeling."
Bill Walker added 15 points off the bench and Al Harrington contributed 11 and 13 rebounds for New York, which won despite leading scorer and top rebounder David Lee (knee tendinitis) missing his first game of the season. Lee is probable versus Houston.
Wilson Chandler has missed back-to-back games for New York because of a groin problem, and is expected to miss at least one week. Jonathan Bender is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a finger injury.
The Knicks will also host Denver and are 15-21 in the Big Apple.
Houston defeated New York, 105-96, back on January 9 at the Toyota Center and has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams. This is the first meeting between the teams since the February three-team trade in which New York acquired Tracy McGrady from the Rockets.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - MVP candidate Kevin Durant will lead the Oklahoma City Thunder into Indiana this afternoon for a showdown against the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse in the finale of a three-game road trip. Durant is second in th
<< Blazers make a stop in Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers are heating up at the right
moment and will try for their sixth straight win tonight, when they take a
trip to the desert to face the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center.
Portland is cur
<< Top-seeded Syracuse and Gonzaga clash in West Region
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-ever meeting between powers from
opposite coasts takes place this afternoon at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York
as the Gonzaga Bulldogs clash with the Syracuse Orange in the second round of
the 72nd annua
<< West Regional action pits Panthers against Musketeers
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of only two active teams capable of
making it to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year, the Xavier
Musketeers must first get by the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second round of
the 72nd annual NCAA Tourn
<< Mountaineers attempt to tame Tigers in East Regional matchup
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers
and the 10th-seeded Missouri Tigers will collide in the second round of the
NCAA Tournament this afternoon.
The winner of this East Regional matchup will advance to
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff-bound Los Angeles Lakers shoot for their sixth straight victory tonight, when they close out a short homestand versus the Washington Wizards at Staples Center. The Pacific Division-leading Lakers opened th
Spurs, Hawks tangle in Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of playoff-caliber teams get together this evening
at Philips Arena in Atlanta, where the Hawks will try to snap a seven-game
losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs have also won 10 of the last 11
Cavs return home to host Pistons >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division champion and NBA-best Cleveland
Cavaliers will return to the cozy confines of Quicken Loans Arena tonight,
when they play host to the rival Detroit Pistons.
The top-seeded Cavs have won si
Kings visit Clippers without rookie Evans >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sacramento Kings will be without leading scorer and
Rookie of the Year candidate Tyreke Evans for this afternoon's game against
the Pacific Division-rival Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
Evans injured
Rangers, Bruins fight for playoff spot in Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A key battle in the Eastern Conference playoff race is on
tap today as the Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers at TD Garden.
The Bruins are holding onto the eighth and final playoff seed with 74 points,
but they hardly
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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