NBA's best meets worst as Cavs host Nets
Basketball Betting Lines
02/09/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The teams with the best and worst records in the NBA this
season will go head-to-head at Quicken Loans Arena tonight, where the
powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers put an 11-game win streak on the line against
the downtrodden New Jersey Nets.
Cleveland's current surge, tied with Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers for the
longest string of consecutive wins in the league in 2009-10, has given the
championship hopefuls a 41-11 record for the season and a comfortable six-game
advantage over Southeast Division leader Orlando for the top spot in the
Eastern Conference. The Cavs have a 1 1/2-game edge on the Lakers for the best
mark in the NBA.
The Cavaliers kept up their winning ways with Saturday's 113-106 home verdict
over the New York Knicks, with LeBron James once again leading the way. The
reigning league MVP established a franchise-best with 35 first-half points to
help Cleveland build a commanding 74-54 lead at intermission, and finished
with 47 along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
"I was able to shoot the ball extremely well, but still get my teammates
involved," said James, who was named the Eastern Conference's Player of the
Week on Monday. "When I'm on fire, I can go for a lot of points, but getting
my teammates involved is good for us in the long run."
Shaquille O'Neal chipped in 19 points and Anthony Parker scored 11 for the
Cavaliers, who continue to win despite injuries to two key members in Mo
Williams and Delonte West.
West, who missed the last eight games due to a broken ring finger, did
practice without incident on Monday and could be back in the lineup for
tonight's matchup. Williams, who's second to James among Cleveland players in
scoring (16.9 ppg) and assists (5.1 apg), hasn't played since January 19
because of a sprained left shoulder and is sidelined indefinitely.
The Cavs will be shooting for a 10th straight home victory tonight and are an
NBA-best 22-3 at Quicken Loans Arena this season. In contrast, New Jersey is a
woeful 1-26 on the road and has dropped 14 in a row since its lone triumph as
the visitor, a 103-101 decision over Chicago on December 8.
The 4-46 Nets have also lost six straight games overall and 17 of its last 18
contests following Saturday's 99-92 defeat at Detroit. The team's latest loss
was further marred by an injury to top player Devin Harris, who had to be
helped off the court after colliding with teammate Jarvis Hayes in the game's
final minute.
Harris, who put up a team-best 21 points and seven assists in the loss, was
diagnosed with a sprained left shoulder and will be a game-time decision this
evening. The 26-year-old missed nearly two weeks with a similar ailment last
season.
This is my third sprained AC joint, so I just know how to brace it to make it
feel better," Harris said after the game. "It's not as bad as the one I had
last year."
Hayes bruised his left shin as a result of the incident and is expected to
play tonight.
The Nets will be attempting to stop a stretch of six straight losses to the
Cavaliers, with three of those defeats having taken place in Cleveland. The
Cavs topped New Jersey by a 99-89 score at Quicken Loans Arena back on
December 15.
<< Pacers, Bulls clash at Conseco Fieldhouse
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Chicago Bulls squad that's struggled on the road for much
of this season will try to turn around its historic lack of success at
Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse in tonight's Central Division clash with the
Indiana Pacers.
<< Vols and 'Dores duke it out in pivotal SEC clash
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will
take on the 22nd-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores this evening with an SEC battle
and state bragging rights on the line.
Tennessee has won its last three games to move to
<< Ranked foes meet in Big Ten battle
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Michigan State Spartans
will try to keep their slim hold on the top spot in the Big Ten tonight, as
they host the sixth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena.
After opening their Big T
<< Illini and Badgers square off in Big Ten brawl
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Illinois Fighting Illini carry a four-game
win streak into tonight's Big Ten Conference battle with the 11th-ranked
Wisconsin Badgers, who are tough to beat in Madison.
Illinois has quietly gotten itself in
<< Alabama visits Kentucky in SEC action
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Alabama Crimson Tide invade Rupp Arena
this evening for an SEC clash with the third-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
Alabama is a respectable 13-10 overall, but that record is overshadowed by a
3-6 mark versus l
Sixers shoot for season-high 5th straight win vs. Wolves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Minnesota and Philadelphia got together the
Sixers blew a 20-point lead en route to an overtime loss. The 76ers will try
to maintain any sort of advantage tonight, when they try to extend their
season high winni
Skidding Heat host Rockets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat hope a return to south
Florida will cure their recent woes, as they try to halt a five-game losing
streak Tuesday versus the Houston Rockets at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami has fallen into a
Kings hope to snap long road losing streak in MSG vs. Knicks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wins have been hard to come by lately for the Sacramento
Kings, who will try to put the brakes on a six-game losing streak Tuesday
night against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Kings opened a three-game e
Thunder close out trip in Portland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder hope to finish off a three-game
road trip in perfect fashion on Tuesday when they meet a Portland Trail
Blazers club minus All-Star Brandon Roy at the Rose Garden.
The Thunder improved t
Wizards return to hardwood in Charlotte >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards return to the court after a slightly
longer break than anticipated in tonight's clash with the Charlotte Bobcats
from Time Warner Cable Arena.
Washington has not played since posting an impres
What Is the Point Spread?
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
How to Read Point Spreads
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
- Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
OR
- Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
-
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
- Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
OR
- Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Notre Dame
Ohio State
West Virginia
Texas
USC
Florida
California
Auburn
Oklahoma
Iowa
Louisville
Florida State
Michigan
Miami (FL)
LSU
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Nebraska
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona State
Oregon
Clemson
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Alabama
Arkansas
Boston College
Michigan State
Maryland
South Carolina
Colorado
Purdue
Georgia Tech
TCU
UCLA
Arizona
Pittsburgh
Iowa State
Wisconsin
North Carolina State
Virginia
North Carolina
Fresno State
Hawaii
Northwestern
BYU
Oregon State
UNLV
Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1
7-1
8-1
8-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
18-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
70-1
70-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
150-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
250-1
250-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
400-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
1000-1
1000-1
40-1 |
ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Miami (FL)
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke |
2-1
2-1
3-1
7-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
50-1
500-1 |
ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Texas Tech
Colorado
Iowa State
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Missouri
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State |
7-5
9-5
9-2
12-1
14-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
35-1
100-1
100-1 |
ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Auburn
Florida
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Arkansas
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Mississippi State
Kentucky
Vanderbilt |
5-2
11-4
4-1
6-1
7-1
7-1
9-1
20-1
28-1
75-1
100-1
300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
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