Hornets try to stop Lin, Knicks at MSG
Basketball Betting Lines
02/17/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some think New Orleans will put an end to the Lin-sanity
that has engulfed New York City on Friday. Others think it will eventually be
Carmelo Anthony.
The thought was Jeremy Lin and Anthony could be in the starting lineup
together tonight as the Knicks shoot for an eighth straight win against the
Hornets in Madison Square Garden.
However, Anthony was ruled out again on Friday morning as he continues to
recover from a strained right groin. New York coach Mike D'Antoni said the
All-Star could be available Sunday when Dallas visits Gotham.
New York's recent resurgence, of course, has coincided with Lin's rise from
obscurity along with Anthony's absence from the lineup.
Lin continued his unlikely surge Wednesday, setting a career-high in assists
for the second straight day and handing out nine of his 13 helpers in the
first half, as the Knicks built a big lead on the way to a 100-85 win over the
Sacramento Kings.
New York has won seven games in a row for the first time since last season,
all with big contributions from the former benchwarmer and new starting point
guard.
Wednesday's runaway win came one night after Lin, with a then-career high 11
assists, kept the ball himself and buried a game-winning three-pointer with
0.5 seconds left in Toronto.
He only played three quarters against Sacramento, scoring 10 points and
sitting the entire fourth in a lopsided win.
"That's great on a night like that," said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni. "The
next game he might score 30. Whatever we need to win, he'll do."
The Knicks had seven scorers in double figures and improved to 15-15, reaching
.500 for the first time since they were 6-6 after a loss at Oklahoma City on
January 14.
Amare Stoudemire had 11 points in his second game back and Landry Fields led
New York with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
"We need to make sure we put our egos aside," said Lin. "When we put our egos
aside and buy into coach D'Antoni's system, we're going to win."
Those "egos" could be amped up when Anthony finally does return. The superstar
has been a disappointment since arriving from Denver at last season's trading
deadline, often being called a "ball-stopper" and criticized for not allowing
his teammates to get involved with the offense,
Lin, on the other hand, has been able to score and distribute, compiling 136
points in his first five starts -- the most by any player since the NBA merged
with the ABA in 1976 -- and dishing out the career-best 13 assists vs.
Sacramento.
"I know I'm not a selfish player. People around me know I'm not a selfish
player," Anthony told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. "I do everything I can to make
people around me understand I'm not a selfish player."
The Hornets, meanwhile, opened up a six-game road trip in Milwaukee on
Wednesday by earning a 92-89 win. Marco Belinelli led the Hornets in that one
with 22 points as New Orleans snapped a six-game road losing streak.
Chris Kaman added a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Trevor
Ariza netted 14 points for the Hornets, who have won two straight after
dropping 23 of their previous 25.
"We're a fighting team," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "We have a
little bit of grit about us. It's too bad you don't have a stat for heart and
intensity."
NOLA, which will also visit Oklahoma City, Indiana, Cleveland and Chicago on
its trek, is just 3-9 on the road this season and has lost six straight games
to New York. The Hornets have dropped three in a row and 14 of 20 at MSG.
<< Thunder welcome Warriors to OKC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder have
performed quite well following a loss this season and look to keep it that way
when the Golden State Warriors pay a visit to Chesapeake Energy Arena tonight.
The Th
<< Team Valor calls audible for Animal Kingdom
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday marks the return to competition
for 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom after eight months on the
sidelines. The 4-year-old colt last raced in the Belmont Stakes in June.
Owner Team Valor In
<< Timberwolves, Rockets square off in Space City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to take the season
series from the Houston Rockets and their old friend Kevin McHale when the two
teams hook up at Toyota Center on Friday.
Houston had traditionally dominated the
<< Magic entertain Bucks at Amway Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic take aim at a fourth straight win this
evening when they conclude a three-game homestand versus the Milwaukee Bucks
at Amway Center.
The Magic continued to roll on Wednesday, as Ryan Anderson scored
<< Rounding Third: In Carter, baseball loses one of its good guys
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Growing up in New York whether you were a
fan of the Yankees or the Mets, it was hard not to get caught up with what was
going on at Shea Stadium in the Summer of 1986.
A big reason for the excitement that
J.R. Smith bound for New York >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Free agent swingman J.R. Smith used social media to reveal
who he'll be playing for this season, tweeting on Friday, "New York Knicks It
Is!"
There has been no official word from the Knicks yet.
Smith, who recently r
Mertesacker out 'for a while' >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed
Friday that defender Per Mertesacker will be out for unspecified period of
time after undergoing surgery to repair an ankle problem.
The German defender sus
Almagro reaches Brasil Open semis >>
Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed and defending champion
Nicolas Almagro was an easy quarterfinal winner Friday at the $475,300 Brasil
Open.
The Spanish Almagro cruised past fifth-seeded Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-3,
6-2 in
Varejao to miss at least a month >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers provided an update on
the fractured wrist of Anderson Varejao on Friday and said the forward will be
sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks.
Varejao was hurt in a February 10 game ag
Berdych, del Potro reach Rotterdam semis >>
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Wimbledon runner-up
Tomas Berdych and former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro were a pair
of easy quarterfinal winners Friday at the $1.6 million ABN AMRO World Tennis
Tournam
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST |
National Championship |
Region |
| Arkansas |
300-1 |
50-1 |
| Belmont |
|
1000-1 |
| Boston College |
100-1 |
40-1 |
| Eastern KY |
|
1000-1 |
| George Washington |
|
75-1 |
| Georgetown |
10-1 |
3-2 |
| Marquette |
100-1 |
40-1 |
| Michigan State |
100-1 |
25-1 |
| New Mexico St. |
500-1 |
200-1 |
| UNC |
6-1 |
6-5 |
| Oral Roberts |
|
500-1 |
| Texas |
15-1 |
5-1 |
| Texas Tech |
200-1 |
5-1 |
| USC |
75-1 |
20-1 |
| Vanderbilt |
100-1 |
30-1 |
| Washington State |
40-1 |
15-1 |
|
|
|
| WEST |
|
|
| Duke |
50-1 |
10-1 |
| Florida A&M |
|
1000-1 |
| Gonzaga |
200-1 |
40-1 |
| Holy Cross |
|
300-1 |
| Illinois |
300-1 |
60-1 |
| Indiana |
75-1 |
40-1 |
| Kansas |
5-1 |
13-10 |
| Kentucky |
100-1 |
40-1 |
| Niagara |
|
1000-1 |
| Pittsburgh |
40-1 |
8-1 |
| Southern Ill. |
50-1 |
12-1 |
| UCLA |
10-1 |
3-2 |
| VCU |
500-1 |
100-1 |
| Villanova |
100-1 |
40-1 |
| VA Tech |
50-1 |
15-1 |
| Weber St |
|
1000-1 |
| Wright St |
1000-1 |
300-1 |
|
|
|
| MIDWEST |
|
|
| Arizona |
50-1 |
30-1 |
| Butler |
40-1 |
30-1 |
| Davidson |
|
300-1 |
| Florida |
4-1 |
4-5 |
| Georgia Tech |
75-1 |
25-1 |
| Jackson State |
|
1000-1 |
| Maryland |
30-1 |
6-1 |
| Miami-OH |
|
300-1 |
| Notre Dame |
100-1 |
20-1 |
| ODU |
500-1 |
100-1 |
| Oregon |
40-1 |
6-1 |
| Purdue |
300-1 |
60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC |
|
1000-1 |
| UNLV |
100-1 |
30-1 |
| Winthrop |
500-1 |
100-1 |
| Wisconsin |
15-1 |
7-2 |
|
|
|
| SOUTH |
|
|
| Albany |
|
200-1 |
| BYU |
200-1 |
40-1 |
| Central CT St. |
|
1000-1 |
| Creighton |
100-1 |
35-1 |
| Long Beach St. |
500-1 |
200-1 |
| Louisville |
40-1 |
10-1 |
| Memphis |
30-1 |
4-1 |
| Nevada |
75-1 |
35-1 |
| North Texas |
|
500-1 |
| Ohio State |
7-1 |
6-5 |
| Penn |
|
500-1 |
| Stanford |
200-1 |
50-1 |
| Tennessee |
100-1 |
20-1 |
| Texas A&M |
12-1 |
11-5 |
| Virginia |
75-1 |
18-1 |
| Xavier |
100-1 |
40-1 |
Field 100-1
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To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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