12/04/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns will try to stop a season-high three-game losing streak tonight when they pay a visit to the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
The Suns dropped their third in a row after Wednesday's 104-91 setback at New Orleans in the opener of a short two-game road trip. Amare Stoudemire scored 26 points while Leandro Barbosa and Grant Hill chipped in 19 and 17 points, respectively, in defeat.
Phoenix was without two-time MVP Steve Nash (flu) and Shaquille O'Neal (rest) against the Hornets, who took advantage without the big man inside and won the rebounding war by a 46-30 margin. Nash and O'Neal are expected to play tonight for the Suns, who are 7-3 as the guest. Nash is questionable and played with Dallas for six seasons. O'Neal is probable for Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks will continue a lengthy seven-game homestand tonight and opened the season-long residency with a 100-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday to improve to 3-4 as the host.
Jose Barea's three-pointer with 50.2 seconds to play lifted the Mavs and Dirk Nowitzki added a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas, which has won two straight and seven of eight. Jason Terry scored 26 points and Barea finished with 15 in the win.
The Mavericks will also host the Hawks, Spurs, Bobcats, Thunder and Nuggets. In injury news for Dallas, forward Josh Howard is questionable against Phoenix due to a sprained left ankle.
Dallas went 2-1 against Phoenix a year ago and has won 10 of the past 17 matchups. The Mavs have scored more than 100 points against the Suns in 16 of the previous 17 meetings.
Phoenix has lost two of three games at American Airlines Center.
<< Cards pick up Greene from Padres
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly
acquired shortstop Khalil Greene from the San Diego Padres.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that two minor league relievers will be
heading the other way i
<< BC Lions release Clermont
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The British Columbia Lions released slotback
Jason Clermont Wednesday night.
A first-round draft pick by the Lions in 2002, Clermont has 428 career catches
for 5,917 yards, placing him sixth on the club'
<< Hansbrough leads No. 1 UNC in rout of Michigan State
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Hansbrough scored 25 points and pulled
down 11 rebounds to pace top-ranked North Carolina to a 98-63 blowout of No.
13 Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
By the way the Tar Heels (8-0) are
<< Yao fuels Rockets past Clippers
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yao Ming scored 24 points and grabbed 10
rebounds, leading the Houston Rockets to a 103-96 victory over the Los Angeles
Clippers at Toyota Center.
Rafer Alston added 21 points, seven assists and ei
Top-25 foes clash in Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series >>
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what promises to be an outstanding battle of
non-conference heavyweights, the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns play host to
the 12th-ranked UCLA Bruins this evening in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
UCLA ope
UConn battle Buffalo in upstate New York >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Connecticut Huskies are set
to play their first true road game of the season tonight, as the Buffalo Bulls
play the role of host team in this non-conference clash.
UConn has opened the season
Villanova hosts Houston Baptist at the Pavilion >>
Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what appears to be a monumental mismatch,
the undefeated and 17th-ranked Villanova Wildcats will play host to the
winless Houston Baptist Huskies this evening.
Houston Baptist opened the season against a r
Sixth-ranked Sooners host Trojans >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma Sooners have risen to the sixth
spot in the most recent poll, and they figure to be challenged at home tonight
by the USC Trojans in a non-conference clash as part of the Big 12/Pac-10
Hardwood Series.
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
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