Howard, Magic put streak on line vs. Bulls

Basketball Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard and the surging Orlando Magic shoot for their seventh straight win tonight in the conclusion of a three-game homestand versus the Chicago Bulls at Amway Arena.

Orlando is riding a six-game winning streak and improved to 2-0 on the residency with Tuesday's 113-87 drubbing of the Los Angeles Clippers behind 22 points and 15 rebounds from Howard, who posted his league-leading 51st double-double of the season. Howard had an NBA-best 69 double-doubles in 2007-08, and finished second in that category last season with 63.

"With the playoffs coming up, we just want to make sure we get ourselves prepared for what's ahead by challenging ourselves every night to get better," said Howard.

Jameer Nelson totaled 17 points with eight assists, Rashard Lewis chipped in 15 points and Vince Carter netted 13 for the Southeast Division-leading Magic, who have won five in a row at home and are 26-6 in central Florida in 2009-10.

The Magic are creeping up the Eastern Conference standings, and sit five games behind top-seeded Cleveland in the No. 2 spot.

Chicago has dropped five in a row and completed a winless four-game homestand with Tuesday's 132-108 decision to the Utah Jazz at the United Center.

Derrick Rose, who is averaging 26.6 points, 6.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds in his last six contests, led the Bulls with 25 points and 13 assists. Brad Miller had 20 points, while Luol Deng and Ronald Murray totaled 14 points apiece for Chicago, which is a game off the sixth postseason spot in the Eastern Conference. Toronto, Charlotte and Miami are all even for sixth, while the Bulls are on the outside looking in at the ninth spot.

"We played well enough offensively, but we can't control the paint right now," said Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro.

The Bulls will open a four-game road trip Thursday against Orlando, Miami, Memphis and Dallas, and are 12-19 away from the Windy City this season. Back on January 15, Chicago owned a road record of 4-15 and have gone 8-4 as the visitor since. Deng (calf) will miss Thursday's game, while Miller is probable with a thumb injury. Miller is posting 16.5 ppg in his last four outings.

The 2009-10 series between Orlando and Chicago is tied at a game apiece, but the Magic have won 10 of 13 and 11 of the last 15 meetings. The Bulls have lost four straight and five of their last six at Orlando.

Idolonfoz Basketball Betting News

<< Penguins aim for fifth straight win in clash with hosting 'Canes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to stay perfect since returning from the Olympic break when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at RBC Center. The Penguins are 4-0 since the league came back from the Winter Games.

<< Red Wings, Wild meet for key battle in Motown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams fighting for a playoff berth in the Western Conference get together tonight at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena, where the hometown Red Wings take on the Minnesota Wild in a key late-season showdown. The reigning

<< Surging Flyers host Bruins in Winter Classic rematch
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will try to continue their surge in the right direction when they host the Boston Bruins tonight at Wachovia Center. The Flyers are 7-1-1 in their last nine games and have greatly improved their pl

<< Blues visit Islanders at Nassau Coliseum
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues will try to get back on track tonight when they visit the New York Islanders for an interconference clash at Nassau Coliseum. The Blues pushed their winning streak to a season-high five games by posting

<< Hawks hope to snap funk in DC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks hope to avoid a third straight loss when they wrap up a three-game road trip Thursday night against the Southeast Division-rival Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. Atlanta is winless so far

Senators resume western swing with stop in Calgary >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having just picked up their first win since the Winter Olympics break, the Ottawa Senators will now try to pick up their first victory in Calgary since 2003 when they visit the Flames tonight at Pengrowth Saddledome. The

Sharks continue homestand with battle against Predators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having rallied in the third period in each of its last two victories, the San Jose Sharks wrap their season series with the Nashville Predators this evening at HP Pavilion. Even though it is getting later in the season, th

Panthers try to keep rolling in visit to Avalanche >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers will try to win four straight games for the first time this season when they visit the Colorado Avalanche tonight at the Pepsi Center. The Panthers come into this game six points back of a playoff spot

Nats release Guardado, Estes >>
Viera, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals on Thursday released veteran left-handed pitchers Eddie Guardado and Shawn Estes. The 39-year-old Guardado, who agreed to a minor league contract with the Nationals on December

Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen dies >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pro football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen died early Thursday morning in California after a battle with cancer. He was 69 years old. Olsen was a two-time All-American at Utah State, playing both the

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