Skidding Heat host Rockets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/09/2010 - (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 virtual tie with Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and is coming off Saturday's 95-91 setback at Chicago in the finale of a winless three-game road trip. Wade recorded 20 points and Jermaine O'Neal added 24 and a game-best 16 rebounds for the Heat, who got just six points from Michael Beasley.

"Our focus right now has to be staying together, our purity and commitment to each other and the team and to hold our ground until we turn the tide. This was a tough loss," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

The Heat, who are 13-12 as the host, will try to stop a two-game slide at home and is 9-12 against teams from the Western Conference this season. Wade, meanwhile, has scored in double figures in 145 consecutive games, a team record. He owns 429 double-figure scoring games in his career and is closing in on Alonzo Mourning's team record of 442 straight games.

Houston is coming off a tough home loss versus the Philadelphia 76ers in which Aaron Brooks recorded 34 points and tied a career-high with a 6-of-11 performance from three-point territory. Brooks posted 17 points in the second quarter for Houston, which was outscored by a 32-19 margin in the final stanza.

"That was a tough loss," said Houston coach Rick Adelman. "We didn't play well at all offensively. In the fourth quarter you have got to make stops, and we didn't really stop them in the whole fourth quarter."

Kyle Lowry netted 14 points and Carl Landry added 13 and 10 rebounds in the loss, Houston's fifth in its last eight contests. Lowry left the game in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle and is expected to miss Tuesday's game. Trevor Ariza could also miss tonight's tilt in Miami with an injured hip. Ariza was forced to exit the game in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

Saturday's loss to Philadelphia snapped Houston's home winning streak in the month of February at 17 straight games. On a brighter note, the Rockets hold a 17-5 record in games following a loss this season and are 1 1/2 games off the final postseason berth in the West.

Miami recently defeated Houston, 115-106, on January 15 at the Toyota Center behind Wade's game-high 37 points and eight assists. Miami halted a three-game slide in the series with that win, but the Rockets have won five of the past seven meetings between the teams.

Wwwsportsbetting Basketball Betting News

<< 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

<< NBA's best meets worst as Cavs host Nets
(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

<< 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

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

Bucks go for another home win in clash with Pistons >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks hope to finish a brief two-game homestand in perfect fashion Tuesday, when they welcome the Central Division- rival Detroit Pistons to the Bradley Center. The Bucks won for the fifth time in six games o

Streaking Jazz pay a visit to Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Utah Jazz shoot for their ninth consecutive win on Wednesday in Los Angeles against a Clippers team that has been faltering lately. The Jazz finished a four-game homestand in perfect fashion on Saturday w

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

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 this sportsbook “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

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.


El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.