Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
01/29/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlantic Division rivals meet in North Jersey Sunday when the Nets welcome Toronto to The Rock.
New Jersey has been on an uptick recently, winning three of their past four games. Deron Williams recorded a double-double with 27 points and 10 assists on Friday in Cleveland as the Nets held off the Cavaliers 99-96 at Quicken Loans Arena for their latest victory.
Kris Humphries, who left Friday's shootaround with an illness, fought through it, scoring 18 points and pulling down 11 boards. Anthony Morrow added 22 points and six rebounds.
"The guys played hard and came out with a lot of focus early in the game. I think we set the tone for this game in the first quarter," said New Jersey head coach Avery Johnson.
Rookie MarShon Brooks (Achilles) missed his third straight game for the Nets, while teammate Mehmet Okur (back) also missed the contest. Both players have been listed as questionable for tonight's affair although it's a long shot either plays.
Williams has been the barometer for any New Jersey success. When the two-time All-Star, who is averaging 22.3 points and 9.5 assists over his last six games, scores 24-plus the Nets are 5-0 and when he scores under that number the team is a dismal 2-12.
The Raptors, who are finishing a five-game road trip tonight, had a small two- game run halted in Denver on Friday when the Nuggets ran away for a 96-81 triumph.
Leandro Barbosa paced the Raptors in the Rockies with 19 points, while Jerryd Bayless had 18 and James Johnson donated 16 points. Aaron Gray had a big night on the glass, grabbing 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost nine of their last 11 overall and are 2-2 on their trek.
Toronto played Denver without star power forward Andrea Bargnani, who will be out indefinitely after aggravating a calf strain in a double-overtime win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
"You have to believe you can win right from the jump ball," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. "That's the challenge I issued our guys after the game tonight. I didn't see the belief in their eyes."
New Jersey has taken three of its last four against the Raptors, including a 97-85 win north of the border on Jan. 6.
<< Pierce, Celtics open home-and-home set with Cavs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce and the banged-up Boston Celtics aim to climb
above the .500 mark when they welcome Cleveland to TD Garden for the front end
of a home-and-home set.
With starters Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Jermaine O'Neal out
<< NHL's best clash at All-Star Game in Ottawa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 59th edition of the NHL All-Star Game is on tap for
today, as Team Alfredsson's hometown favorites take on Team Chara at Ottawa's
Scotiabank Place.
This marks the second straight year that the NHL has forgone the Easte
<< Bulls kick off monster road trip in Miami
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Eastern Conference heavyweights square off on the
shores of Biscayne Bay Sunday afternoon when LeBron James and the Miami Heat
play host to Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls in a rematch of last season's
conference
<< Djokovic outlasts Nadal in epic Aussie final
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Novak Djokovic became only the fifth
man in the Open Era to win three straight major titles when he outlasted
Rafael Nadal in Sunday's marathon final at the 2012 Australian Open. Djokovic
and Nadal battl
Hawks and Hornets tangle in the Big Easy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Hornets hope to build on their first win in over two
weeks when they host the Atlanta Hawks in the Big Easy.
New Orleans tasted victory for the first time since Jan. 9 on Friday when Carl
Landry netted a team-high 17 p
Wolves aim to snap long skid vs. Lakers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lakers will finish a two-day tour of the Midwest on
Sunday aiming for their 16th consecutive win over the much-improved Minnesota
Timberwolves.
The Wolves haven't beaten LA since March 6, 2007 but this is a much differ
Hoosiers host Hawkeyes in Big Ten battle >>
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ranked 16th in the nation to close out the
week, the Indiana Hoosiers try to get back to .500 in Big Ten Conference play
this evening as they entertain the Iowa Hawkeyes at Assembly Hall in
Bloomington.
Si
Tar Heels put lengthy home win streak on line vs. Yellow Jackets >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels
will try to make it 31 in a row at home tonight when they host the Georgia
Tech Yellow Jackets in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle at the Smith
Center.
This w
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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.
Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting