Blazers, Clippers open second half in Rose City
Basketball Betting Lines
02/16/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers hope to have All-Star Brandon
Roy in the lineup when they get back to work against the Los Angeles Clippers
tonight at the Rose Garden.
Roy, the Trail Blazers' leading scorer at 23.1 points per game, has missed the
team's last 12 games as well as the All-Star Game since re-injuring his
hamstring in a 98-90 win at Philadelphia on Jan. 20.
Prior to a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 6, the team announced Roy
would miss the final three games before the break in addition to the All-Star
game but general manager Kevin Pritchard sounded hopeful Roy would return soon
afterwards.
"We're hopeful that this extended rest will put Brandon in the best possible
position to return to the lineup shortly after the All-Star break," Pritchard
said at the time.
The Blazers are just 5-7 since losing Roy but are holding on to the eighth
and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and entered the break on a
positive note when Steve Blake recorded season-highs of 20 points and 12
assists last Wednesday, as Portland held off a late Phoenix rally to hand the
Suns a 108-101 defeat at US Airways Center.
LaMarcus Aldridge had a team-high 22 points and Andre Miller checked in with
20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, helping Portland snap a two-game
skid and run its winning streak against Phoenix to four games.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win since
interim coach Kim Hughes took over the team after Mike Dunleavy stepped down.
Rookie Stephen Curry picked up the slack in the absence of leading scorer
Monta Ellis, notching his first ever triple-double with 36 points, 13 assists
and 10 rebounds last Wednesday, as Golden State routed Los Angeles, 132-102,
to halt a nine-game losing streak.
Al Thornton had 18 points, while Rasual Butler and Eric Gordon each scored 16
for the Clippers, who have dropped four straight and eight of their last nine
games overall.
Clippers All-Star center Chris Kaman, averaging a career-high 20.0 points and
8.9 rebounds, made his All-Star debut on Sunday, scoring four points with
three rebounds as the injury replacement for Roy.
LA snapped a four-game skid to Portland with a 105-95 win at Staples Center on
Jan. 4.
<< Lakers hope to have Kobe back vs. Warriors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers hope to have superstar Kobe Bryant
back in the lineup tonight as they return from the All-Star break by hosting
Pacific Division-rival Golden State at Staples Center.
Bryant missed the final th
<< Grizzlies aim to halt skid against Suns
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies are not far off in the race for a
playoff spot and hope to end a four-game slide tonight, when they kick off the
second half of the NBA season versus the Phoenix Suns at FedEx Forum.
Memphis is three
<< Knicks open home-and-home set with Bulls in Windy City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks guard and first ever three-time Slam Dunk
champion Nate Robinson hopes to lead his team to a road victory tonight
against the Chicago Bulls in the opener of a home-and-home series from the
United Center.
T
<< Thunder put win streak on the line versus revamped Mavs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks get to show off their revamped lineup
when they close out a three-game road trip Tuesday against Kevin Durant and
the surging Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center.
In order to keep pace with the ot
<< Wolves, Pistons square off at The Palace
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to avoid losing a third
straight game this evening when they visit the Pistons and The Palace to face
a Detroit club that will try to reverse some recent struggles at home.
The Timberwol
Celtics take on Kings at ARCO Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Most consider the Boston Celtics a serious contender to
win their second NBA championship in three years but Doc Rivers' veteran-laden
bunch must stay healthy the rest of the way as it kicks off the second-half of
the sea
Jazz hit the road to Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz kick off a four-game road
trip tonight in south Texas against a Houston Rockets team on the outside
looking in at the Western Conference playoff picture.
The Jazz won nine of 10 game
Colt McCoy says brother right to follow him at UT >>
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -Former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy says his younger brother made the ``perfect decision'' to follow in his footsteps with the Longhorns.Case McCoy is one of two standout quarterbacks Texas signed this month in a highly rated
Ross wins arbitration case with Marlins >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Outfielder Cody Ross won his arbitration case
with the Florida Marlins and will earn $4.45 million this coming season.
Florida, which was offering Ross $4.2 million, had not lost an arbitration
hearing
Sunderland's Henderson out six weeks >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has
allayed fears that teenager Jordan Henderson will be sidelined for the rest of
the season.
The highly-rated 19-year-old midfielder damaged ankle ligaments in the
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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