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Lakers aim to continue dominance over Jazz at Staples CenterBasketball Betting Lines05/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz will try to avoid falling in a 2-0 series hole when they face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers tonight in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at Staples Center. Los Angeles survived in Game 1 when Kobe Bryant took over in the fourth quarter. The Lakers superstar scored 31 points, including 13 in the final six minutes, as LA captured a 104-99 victory. Bryant went 12-of-19 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line for the Lakers, who have beaten Utah 15 straight times at Staples Center, including the postseason. "We put ourselves in a little bit of a hole," Bryant said. "Our second unit has to play better. It got really tough sitting on the bench, so I had to check myself back into the game. We had to buckle down in the fourth quarter." Winning a series' opening game is also crucial for Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, whose teams are a perfect 45-0 when coming out victorious in Game 1. Jackson also eclipsed legendary Los Angeles coach Pat Riley for most postseason wins in franchise history with his 103rd as the Lakers' head man. "(Utah is) a good offensive team," Jackson said. "They're playing undermanned right now, but they're playing as a team. We found a way to get the momentum back in the last six minutes. We anticipate that this will be a physical series." Pau Gasol added 25 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Lakers, who are 57-7 all time in series when winning Game 1. Derek Fisher added 10 points in the win while Andrew Bynum, who was questionable with a a small tear in his right meniscus, recorded eight points and 10 boards in 25 minutes. Los Angeles also improved to 4-0 at home this postseason and is a gaudy 67-13 all-time at Staples Center in the playoffs. Deron Williams, despite playing with a bruised left elbow, had 24 points and eight assists to pace the Jazz, who made only one field goal in the final four minutes, as they were outscored by a 15-6 margin in that stretch. Carlos Boozer contributed 18 points and 12 boards, while Paul Millsap and C.J. Miles each had 16 points in defeat. "A good effort by us, except for the slow start," Williams said. "I'm happy with the way we played. We had a chance to win the game, but we couldn't get stops. We're going to have to play better defense and make life a little harder for them." Wesley Matthews scored 14 points for Utah, which is toiling without two starters, center Mehmet Okur and forward Andrei Kirilenko, and last won on the road over the Lakers on Jan. 1, 2006 "We had a terrible start and got ourselves in a hole," said Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan. "We finally got back into the game when we started to do the things we're supposed to do. (The Lakers are) a very smart team and get what they want most of the time. We have to toughen up; we have to be more forceful." Okur is done for the season with a ruptured left Achilles' but Kirilenko, who missed 15 of the Jazz's final 17 regular season games, the entire opening round against Denver and Game 1 of this set with a host of calf injuries, has been rehabbing and is getting closer to playing. "I'm feeling better and better," Kirilenko told the Salt Lake City News over the weekend. "[My] endurance is getting better. I can survive way more time on the floor without getting my calf tired, so I feel like it's going in the right direction, better and better." The Lakers beat the Jazz in three of the four meetings during this regular season and this is the third straight year the teams are meeting in the playoffs. The Lakers beat Utah in five games in the first round last year and in 2008, LA prevailed in six games in the conference semifinals. The Jazz are trying to avoid becoming the 14th team in NBA history to be eliminated by the same team in three consecutive playoffs. Game 3 in the series shifts to Salt Lake City on Saturday.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The well-rested Orlando Magic finally will get back to work on defending their Eastern Conference championship when they kick off the second round of the postseason against their division rival, the Atlanta Hawks. The sec
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While fans of the Washington Nationals wait for their expected franchise player to arrive, they'll be able to get their first look at the Atlanta Braves' new phenom when the two National League East members start up a three
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Super Bowl 2009 BettingSuper Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog 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. Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard
Super Bowl XLIV OddsSuper Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds. Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44. Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season. That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason. Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium. After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10. The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1). To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below. NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV New England Patriots 8/1 Dallas Cowboys 9/1 New York Giants 10/1 Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1 Indianapolis Colts 12/1 San Diego Chargers 12/1 Baltimore Ravens 14/1 Tennessee Titans 16/1 Carolina Panthers 18/1 Philadelphia Eagles 18/1 New Orleans Saints 20/1 Atlanta Falcons 25/1 Denver Broncos 25/1 Green Bay Packers 25/1 Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1 Minnesota Vikings 25/1 New York Jets 25/1 Arizona Cardinals 30/1 Chicago BearS 30/1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1 Buffalo Bills 35/1 Houston TexaNS 35/1 Miami Dolphins 35/1 Washington Redskins 35/1 Seattle SeahawkS 50/1 Cleveland Browns 55/1 Cincinnati Bengals 60/1 San Francisco 49ers 60/1 Oakland Raiders 75/1 St. Louis Rams 75/1 Detroit Lions 100/1 Kansas City Chiefs 100/1 Odds as of: 2/2/09 Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. |
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