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03/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The acquisition of Vince Carter has paid off so far for Eastern Conference power Orlando, which will shoot for its sixth straight win tonight versus the Los Angeles Clippers in the second test of a three-game homestand at Amway Arena.
Carter scored a team-high 25 points in Sunday's hard-fought 96-94 win over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the opener of the residency, while double-double machine Dwight Howard muscled his way to 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Southeast Division-leading Magic, who are second in the conference standings and 18-5 in their previous 23 games. Howard leads the league with 50 double-doubles this season.
"This was just a battle. It was much more a battle than a basketball game," Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It was extremely physical, both teams fought extremely hard the entire way."
Jameer Nelson finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a winning effort. Meanwhile, Carter needs 15 points to pass Eddie Johnson (19,202) for 45th place on the all-time scoring list.
The Magic will close out the residency on Thursday versus Chicago and are 25-6 as the host this season. They have won four straight in central Florida.
Los Angeles will continue a five-game road trip this evening and opened the trek on a sour note, dropping a 107-85 decision against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Drew Gooden led the team with 20 points and 12 boards, while Chris Kaman recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds for LA, which has lost three straight overall and six in a row as the guest.
Rasual Butler and Baron Davis each had 11 points in the lopsided setback.
"I think we shot our bullets early," Gooden said. "Ran out of ammunition in the second half. I think our legs caught up with us. It's tough to play here. The crowd got into it."
The Clippers, who have lost 10 of their last 11 road games since January 25, will also visit the Heat, Bobcats and Spurs on the road swing and are 7-24 away from home this season.
In injury news for the Clips, guard Eric Gordon is questionable against the Magic with a sore right leg. Gordon is second on the team with 17.2 ppg.
Orlando defeated Los Angeles, 97-86, back on December 8 this season at Staples Center and has won six straight in the series. The Clippers are winless in their last three trips to Amway Arena.
<< 2010 Conference USA Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the first time in five years, someone
other than Memphis is the top seed in the Conference USA Tournament, as the
Texas-El Paso Miners won the regular-season title with a 15-1 finish. Winners
of 14 straig
<< Blazers' Przybilla undergoes surgery
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla
underwent surgery late Monday to repair a ruptured right patella tendon.
It was the second such procedure for Przybilla, who first suffered the injury
on Decemb
<< 2010 Big 12 Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Another year and another championship for
Kansas, which captured its sixth straight Big 12 regular-season crown with a
15-1 finish. The No.1 ranked Jayhawks are the top-seed for the sixth time in
the 14-year
<< Orioles renew contracts of Jones, Wieters
Sarasota, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have renewed the
contracts of young stars Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Brad Bergesen and Nolan
Reimold, while also agreeing to 2010 contracts with 22 other players.
Jones is en
Surging Bucks host Allen, Celtics >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweet-stroking veteran Ray Allen has already recorded his
20,000th career point and will add to that mark tonight, when the Boston
Celtics hit the road to Milwaukee for a showdown with the Bucks.
On Sunday, Allen hit a go-
North Texas takes on Troy in Sun Belt title tilt >>
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Troy Trojans and the second-
seeded North Texas Mean Green have advanced to the championship game of the
2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, and they will compete for an automatic
bid to the "B
Bulldogs battle Raiders for Horizon League crown >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the fifth straight season the 12th-
ranked Butler Bulldogs will take part in the Horizon League Tournament
Championship Game when they host the Wright State Raiders this evening at the
Hinkle Fieldhouse.
IUPUI and Oakland collide for Summit League title >>
Sioux Falls, SD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The IUPUI Jaguars and the Oakland Golden
Grizzlies will battle tonight in the championship game of the Summit League
Tournament. The prize for the winner is an automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament.
IUPUI,
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.
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