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03/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers hope to improve their playoff chances tonight by earning a sixth straight win over the lottery-bound Sacramento Kings.
The Blazers, who currently lead Memphis by four games for the eighth and final postseason spot in the Western Conference, will also be shooting for their second win over the Kings this week. Portland topped Sacramento, 88-81, in the Rose Garden on Tuesday behind Brandon Roy's 19 points.
Most recently the Blazers downed Golden State on Thursday, when Roy scored 41 points and had eight rebounds and Portland locked down the Warriors in the fourth quarter and rallied for a 110-105 victory.
Andre Miller contributed 15 points and seven assists, LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 points and eight assists, while Jerryd Bayless and Rudy Fernandez donated 12 points apiece off the bench for Portland, which has won two straight games and solidified its standing for a playoff spot in the West.
The Trail Blazers, who outscored the Warriors 27-9 in the last quarter, now sit a half-game behind San Antonio for the seventh playoff spot.
Portland snapped a nine-game losing streak on the road versus the Warriors, winning for the first time in Oakland since November 3, 2004.
"We don't want to lose here, but this is one of the toughest places for us to win," Roy said. "We knew how big this game was. We won this game, but it was tough. I'm just happy with the way we responded to their runs."
The Kings, meanwhile, rebounded from their loss to the Blazers earlier in the week by topping Toronto, 113-90, on Wednesday. Rookie star Tyreke Evans logged his first career triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and as many assists as Sacramento cruised.
Beno Udrih led all scorers with 24 points, while Donte Greene and Carl Landry chipped in 15 points apiece for the Kings, who put the brakes on a three-game losing streak.
"Coach (Paul Westphal) told me that he wanted me to get it (a triple-double)," said Evans. "He kept telling me to find people and he said I had a limited amount of time too, so I was trying to get it as fast as I could."
Roy has averaged 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the Blazers' two wins over Sacramento this season.
<< Pistons resume homestand with visit from Wizards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Eastern Conference also-rans continue playing out
the string tonight in Auburn Hills, where the Detroit Pistons play host to the
Washington Wizards.
The Pistons fell to 1-1 on a three-game homestand Wednesday, wh
<< Lakers visit Phoenix for key Pacific showdown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The two top teams in the Pacific Division meet for the last
time in the regular season tonight, when the second-place Phoenix Suns welcome
the front-running Los Angeles Lakers to the U.S. Airways Center.
The defending NBA
<< Stars return home to face Williams and Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Stars haven't done much to further their playoff
chances since the Olympic break, but an upcoming six-game homestand for a team
that has been strong this year as the host could do the trick.
Dallas begins that residenc
<< Bucks, Jazz to square off in battle of surging clubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the NBA's hottest teams clash in Brew City tonight
as the Utah Jazz pay a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Jazz won their fourth straight contest and improved to 2-0 on a four-game
road trip Wednesday in Auburn Hil
Dynamo bring back Serioux >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo acquired defender/midfielder
Adrian Serioux from Toronto FC in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2011
draft, the Major League Soccer clubs announced on Friday.
The 31-year-old Serioux,
George Karl to miss 3 more road games >>
DENVER (AP) -George Karl will skip the last three games on the Denver Nuggets' road trip as he adjusts to a feeding tube that was placed into his stomach as part of his cancer treatment.The Nuggets coach has already missed two games since being diag
Bengals make it official with Bryant >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals announced the
signings of wide receivers Antonio Bryant and Chris Davis Friday.
Terms of the contracts were not released, but Bryant's deal is believed to be
for $28 million
Karl to miss remainder of Denver road trip >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Nuggets coach George Karl will miss the
remaining three games of the team's road trip as he continues his treatment
for neck and throat cancer.
Karl missed the opening game of the trip on Wednesd
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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