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03/17/2010 - Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver were at the head of a balanced scoring attack with 21 and 20 points, respectively, as the Utah Jazz logged a runaway win over Minnesota, 122-100.
Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Mehmet Okur chipped in 14 and Wesley Matthews provided 10 points.
Deron Williams dished 11 assists to pair with nine points for the Jazz, who won for the sixth time in eight contests. Korver reached a season-high in points by hitting 7-of-9 shots, while Millsap added 11 boards in the rout.
Al Jefferson and Corey Brewer each recorded 17 points for the Timberwolves, who are riding an 11-game losing streak. Wayne Ellington and Ryan Gomes added 13 and 11 points, respectively, in the T'Wolves' 17th loss in the last 18 games.
It was tied at 26 after the opening 12 minutes, but Utah pulled ahead by 11 behind a 13-2 run in the second. Andrei Kirilenko and Korver provided four points apiece during the stretch and the Jazz led 52-43 at the break.
Both teams ratcheted up the offense in the third and Utah maintained a 10- point advantage at the midway point following an Okur basket.
Korver sank a pair of three-pointers down the stretch, while Boozer and Millsap each converted conventional three-point plays to help solidify an 87-73 Jazz lead moving to the fourth.
A 12-2 Utah run to open the final period set the tone for the rest of the game. Ronnie Price's dunk three minutes in made it a 24-point game at 99-75, as the overmatched T'Wolves failed to equal Utah's 62.5-percent shooting prowess in the fourth quarter.
Game Notes
The Jazz had 28 fast-break points and shot 60.4 percent overall in the second half...Kirilenko returned to score nine points after missing two games with a strained left calf...Despite their monumental struggles this season, the T'Wolves earned a split of the season series.
<< Celtics get St. Patty's Day win over Knicks
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce scored 29 points in 24 minutes to
lead Boston in a 109-97 win against the Knicks amid a sea of green on St.
Patrick's Day at the Garden.
Kevin Garnett added 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting f
<< Sixers stop slide, topple Nets
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Iguodala netted 20 points and
dished out eight assists as the Sixers took down the reeling Nets, 108-97, at
the Wachovia Center.
Jrue Holiday netted 19 and Elton Brand added 12 points and eig
<< Cavs win division, continue home dominance of Pacers
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James nearly had his second straight
triple-double, finishing with 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and
the Cleveland Cavaliers captured their second straight Central Division title
with a
<< Bosh sends Raptors past Hawks on last-second shot
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Bosh hit the winning jump shot with 2.1
seconds left, boosting the Toronto Raptors to a 106-105 decision over the
Atlanta Hawks.
Bosh had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Andrea Bargnani totaled
Mavs get back on track with win over hurting Bulls >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caron Butler scored 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki
added 26 as the Mavericks ran past Chicago, 113-106, sending the short-handed
Bulls to their ninth consecutive defeat.
J.J. Barea registered 15 points for Dalla
Magic stay hot, cool Spurs >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter recorded 24 points and eight
assists, leading the Orlando Magic in a 110-84 rout of the San Antonio Spurs
in a matchup between the NBA's two hottest teams.
Both teams came in having won e
Cal starter Amoke suspended on eve of NCAA tourney >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - California starting forward Omondi Amoke has
reportedly been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules and is
not expected to suit up for the Bears' NCAA Tournament opener against
Louisvi
Ryan nets two as Ducks continue Blackhawks' slide >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Ryan notched a pair of goals as Anaheim
doubled up Chicago, 4-2, at Honda Center.
Todd Marchant and Saku Koivu also tallied and Corey Perry added a pair of
assists for the Ducks, who have won two i
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting
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