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03/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA's best road team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, will pay a visit to the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The playoff-bound Cavs have won 14 of their last 19 road games and are 23-11 away from Quicken Loans Arena this season. They have won three in a row overall and recently handed the Boston Celtics a 104-93 defeat on Sunday in Cleveland, as NBA leading scorer LeBron James contributed 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
James, who is averaging 29.9 points this season, scored 24 of his points in the second half and also collected three blocks and two steals. Antawn Jamison returned from a one-game absence (knee) to register 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who never trailed in the second half en route to their ninth win in 10 games overall.
"I thought that we played the right way. Usually when you play a team like Boston, the most aggressive team is going to win, (not just) offensively, but defensively too," Cavs head coach Mike Brown said. "I thought that we were aggressive on both ends of the floor throughout most of the game."
Anderson Varejao added 17 points and 10 boards in the win. Cleveland's magic number to clinch its second straight Central Division crown is two.
The Pistons have dropped two straight, three of four and nine of their last 11 games, including Monday's 119-93 decision against the Celtics in Beantown. Will Bynum had 16 points and seven assists for banged-up Detroit, which is winless in its last seven road games.
Jason Maxiell had 11 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
"They did a great job of exploiting and we didn't react tonight," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "It was one of the few games that our energy wasn't the way it should be and I'm disappointed with the way we played."
Detroit center Ben Wallace missed his seventh straight game due to a sore right knee. The team, which is also playing without Rodney Stuckey, lost forward Tayshaun Prince to a back injury in the first quarter. Prince is listed as questionable for Tuesday's game versus the Cavs.
Cleveland has won the first two meetings with the Pistons this season and five in a row overall. Detroit is 13-4 in the last 17 matchups as the host.
<< Bobcats aim for franchise-record 7th straight win in Indy vs. Pacers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Charlotte Bobcats will try to stretch their
winning streak to a franchise-high seven straight games tonight, when they
take on the Indiana Pacers on the road at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Charlotte has won six in a ro
<< Big 12 sets record with 7 NCAA bids
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -The Big 12's coaches spent an entire season, even some time before it, telling anyone who'd listen this was the conference's strongest year ever.Turns out, they were right.The Big 12 earned a conference-record seven NCAA tourn
<< Booker ready for final NCAA chance
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -Devin Booker recalls the frustration of teammate and older brother, Trevor, last weekend after their highly regarded Clemson team was upset in its opening game at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.Devin, a Clemson freshman
<< Bryant and Lakers hang on against Warriors
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant scored 29 points and the Los
Angeles Lakers held on for a 124-121 win over Golden State, their ninth
straight win over the Warriors.
Pau Gasol added 26 points, while Andrew Bynum c
Struggling Bruins visit Hurricanes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will fight to hold onto their playoff
spot when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at RBC Center.
The Bruins are currently eighth in the East with 72 points and are just one
point ahead of the New
Sliding Bulls make a stop in Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fading Chicago Bulls hope to put the brakes on season-
long seven-game skid and improve their standing in the Eastern Conference
playoff picture when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Chicago's losing
Nuggets hope to have Karl back vs. Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets hope to have head coach George Karl back
on the bench tonight when the Western Conference power kicks off a three-game
homestand against the woeful Washington Wizards.
Karl announced last Friday that
Thrashers try to end skid in clash with Sabres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers could be in much worse shape than
they are when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff race. Still, the
club will not be able to improve their postseason chances until they end a
lengthy losing strea
(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.
Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.
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