Heat, Bulls set for Windy City skirmish
Basketball Betting Lines
03/25/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat are closing in on their second straight postseason berth, but will face a tough challenge tonight versus the hungry Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
Miami is tied with Charlotte for the sixth spot in the East, while the Bulls sit two games behind Toronto for the eighth and final postseason position in the conference standings with 12 games remaining on the schedule.
The Heat have won two straight and eight of 11 games, and opened a three-game road trip with Monday's 99-89 victory at New Jersey behind Dwyane Wade's 27 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. Wade now has 93 career double-doubles for fifth on Miami's all-time list and is two shy of tying Tim Hardaway for fourth. Jermaine O'Neal tallied 25 points and Michael Beasley chipped in 16 for the Heat, who will also visit Milwaukee and are 16-18 away from south Florida this season.
"We knew it wasn't going be an easy game," Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team shot 55.4 percent from the floor. "You look at a team like this and just look at the record and you are very deceived by it. You have to give them credit for competing every night."
Wade is listed as probable for Thursday's game with a bruised right quadriceps muscle. He is fifth in the NBA with 26.5 points per game.
Chicago is trying to reach the playoffs a second straight year and for the fifth time in six seasons. It has won two in a row since a horrendous 10-game losing streak and kicked off a three-game homestand with a 98-88 victory over Houston on Monday.
Derrick Rose led all scorers with 27 points, handed out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds in the win. Rose, who is averaging 24.0 points, 5.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in his last nine games, is just one of four players posting at least 20.0 ppg, 5.7 apg and 3.5 rpg this season (LeBron James, Chris Paul, Wade).
Rose and Company got a huge lift when head coach Vinny Del Negro was tossed from the game after receiving a second technical in the final minute of the third quarter.
"We needed that, we need that more often," Rose said regarding the spark after the ejection. "One of us had to step up and let it be known in this league that they're not going to keep bullying."
Kirk Hinrich was 4-for-4 from three-point range for 17 points against the Rockets, and is averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 rebounds over his past five contests. Chicago had a 53-39 edge on the boards and is second in the NBA in rebounds with 44.19 boards per game.
The Bulls will also host New Jersey on the residency and are 20-14 in the Windy City this season.
Miami has won two of three matchups with the Bulls this season and six of the previous eight meetings overall. These two clubs have split the past 12 encounters at the United Center.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With 12 games remaining on the schedule, time is running out on the Houston Rockets and their quest for a playoff berth. Tonight they'll try and get back in the win column for a last-minute push towards the postsea
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers are on the brink of their second
straight playoff appearance and hope to stay in contention tonight, when they
host the Dallas Mavericks at the Rose Garden.
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Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The "Cinderella" Cornell Big Red, the 12th
seed in the East Region, will attempt to upset the top-seeded Kentucky
Wildcats in the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA Tournament tonight.
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year, the Xavier Musketeers try to extend their 2009-10 campaign a bit longer
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Regional Semifi
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Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers
have reached the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 as expected, and they will
attempt to avoid an upset tonight against the red-hot Washington Huskies, the
East Region's 1
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers missed out on a golden opportunity to gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race in their most recent trip to the ice. The postseason hopefuls may have another chance to boost their prospects ton
Bruins hope to continue surge against Lightning >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins have come up with important wins in their
last two trips to the ice and the playoff hopefuls will aim for a third
straight victory when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at TD Garden.
Boston enter
Devils host Rangers with first place in reach >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will try to take over sole
possession of first place in the Atlantic Division tonight when they host the
rival New York Rangers at Prudential Center.
New Jersey enters tonight one point behind the Pen
Flames try to extend success over Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames have been very successful against the
New York Islanders in recent years and they hope that trend continues when
they visit Nassau Coliseum on Long Island tonight.
The Flames are four points behind Detro
Feisty Flyers aim to halt skid versus Wild >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will try to put the brakes on an
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The Flyers have lost three straight and five of their last six
Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com