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Hawks hope to snap road skid in WashingtonBasketball Betting Lines04/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third seed in the Eastern Conference is still up for grabs and the Atlanta Hawks seized control of it on Friday. Tonight, the Hawks hope to move closer to securing that goal when they visit the hapless Washington Wizards. Jamal Crawford finished with 25 points to lead a balanced attack last night, as Atlanta got back on track with a 107-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Josh Smith had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Hawks, who had dropped their last two but used a 27-of-30 performance from the foul line Friday to take the win. It was Atlanta's 50th victory of the season, a milestone the team hadn't reached since 1997-98. The win also put the Hawks into sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference, a game ahead of Boston, which lost to Washington on Friday. Atlanta also holds the tiebreaker over Boston by virtue of sweeping the season series. "It feels good," Smith said. "When we first started out, the goal was to win 50-plus games. Some people laughed, it really didn't matter. We knew that we had the talent in order to make 50-plus wins." Joe Johnson added 18 points and seven assists in the win, while Al Horford had 15 rebounds to go with 12 points. The Hawks had 45 points in the second quarter. Playing on the road hasn't been kind to Atlanta recently, however. The Hawks have dropped six straight away from Dixie but Washington may be the tonic for that. Atlanta has won eight straight over the Wiz and are shooting to sweep the season series for a second straight year tonight. The Wizards, meanwhile, played spoiler in Beantown last night when Andray Blatche poured in 31 points and came down with 11 rebounds as Washington snapped a six-game skid against Boston with a 106-96 triumph at TD Garden. Shaun Livingston added 25 points and seven assists for Washington, which was swept in three games last season by Boston and was in danger of a four-game whitewash this season, but the Wizards dominated the playoff-bound Celtics on Friday. "We pulled it out, we hung on," Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. "We kept it interesting, kept the people in their seats a little. But like I said a young team, we play extremely well for a lot of that game at both ends." Nick Young scored 19 and JaVale McGee added 14 points and 11 boards for the Wizards, who won for the fourth time in six contests since a 16-game losing streak.
<< Sabres visit Senators in battle of playoff teams
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of playoff teams will meet tonight in Canada's capital city as the Ottawa Senators host the rival Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Place. The Northeast Division champion Sabres have secured at least the third seed in t
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats continue their march to the postseason Saturday when they welcome the Detroit Pistons to Time Warner Cable Arena. Two days after clinching the first postseason berth in franchise history the Bobcats
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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 |
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