Bobcats aim for 10th straight home win against division rival Magic

Basketball Betting Lines

01/23/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surprising Charlotte Bobcats will seek to extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 10 games tonight against Southeast Division rival Orlando.

The Bobcats have been a Jekyll and Hyde team this season, amassing nine straight wins in Charlotte and playing to an 18-4 record at Time Warner Cable Arena. The road has been a different story, however, and Larry Brown's club fell to a miserable 3-16 as the visitor last night against Southeast Division-leading Atlanta.

Jamal Crawford poured in 24 points and dished out five assists in that one, as the Hawks used a strong third quarter to defeat the Bobcats, 103-89.

Gerald Wallace ended with 25 points and six rebounds for the Bobcats, who were coming off a perfect six-game homestand. Stephen Jackson donated 24 points and six rebounds. Flip Murray added 11 points and nine assists off the bench for Charlotte.

Bobcats guard Raymond Felton suffered a sprained right ankle late in the first quarter, as he stepped on Crawford's foot and twisted his ankle while trying to get past the Atlanta player. X-rays were negative and Felton, who is averaging 12.5 points per game, was on the bench for the second half.

"I didn't think we played together as well as we have been. They executed great," Brown said.

It's probably a good idea Charlotte gets back into the win column against the Magic since the club will be embarking on six-game Western road trip after tonight's game.

Orlando, meanwhile, won its second straight game against a reeling Sacramento team last night. Dwight Howard scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, as the reigning Eastern Conference champs earned an easy 100-84 win.

Rashard Lewis and J.J. Redick each finished with 15 points for Orlando, which has won the two straight after snapping a three-game slide with a 109-98 victory over Indiana on Wednesday. It was only the Magic's fourth win in their last 11 overall.

Vince Carter ended with 11 points as Orlando stayed one-half game behind Atlanta in the division.

"Our effort and intensity has been up after those losses that we've had," Howard said. "We have to continue to do that."

Orlando has dominated this series recently winning six straight and nine of its past 10 meetings with the Bobcats.

Wfodors Basketball Betting News

<< Sixers and Pacers kick off home-and-home set in Indy
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference square off in the opener of a home-and-home series at Conseco Fieldhouse tonight when the Indiana Pacers play host to the Philadelphia 76ers. A pair of changes in the starti

<< Streaking Nuggets play host to Hornets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets hope to keep a pair of streaks intact Saturday night, when they resume a three-game homestand versus the New Orleans Hornets at the Pepsi Center. Denver has won five in a row o

<< Hapless Nets visit Jazz
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The resurgent Utah Jazz aim for a fifth consecutive home win Saturday night when they welcome the hapless New Jersey Nets to EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won for the fifth time in six games on Wednesday when Carlos Booz

<< Banged-up Warriors visit Suns
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pacific Division rivals clash in the desert Saturday as the Phoenix Suns shoot for their 10th straight home win over the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors haven't tasted victory in the Valley of the Sun since a 110-100

<< Bucks, Wolves clash at Bradley Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Midwest rivals clash in Brew City Saturday night as the Milwaukee Bucks play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Bucks failed to finish off a home-and-home sweep of Toronto last night as Jarrett Jack made 7-of-9 shots

Blazers finish road trip vs. Pistons >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The banged-up Portland Trail Blazers get back to work Saturday night when they conclude a four-game road trip in Auburn Hills against the Detroit Pistons. The Blazers have resembled a MASH unit all year, losing centers Gre

Top-25 clash features Blue Devils against Tigers >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-25 foes meet in ACC action this weekend, as the seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils tangle with the 17th-ranked Clemson Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Blue Devils have had no success this season as a true r

Rebels in Baton Rouge to challenge Tigers >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Ole Miss Rebels hope to move about the .500 mark in SEC play as they take on the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge this afternoon. Wins in two of the last three games have enabled Ole Miss to improv

Wolverines visit Boilermakers in pivotal Big Ten bout >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An important Big Ten Conference clash takes place in West Lafayette, Indiana this afternoon, as the Michigan Wolverines come calling on the 13th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Both teams are 3-3 in conferen

BYU visits San Diego State in pivotal Mountain West showdown >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked BYU Cougars take their 14- game win streak out on the road this weekend and face off against the San Diego State Aztecs in a Mountain West Conference showdown at Viejas Arena. The Cougars own

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.


Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

Bet NFL Sports Lines

Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.

For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.