Basketball Betting








 

Basketball Betting


NFL Football
NCAA Football
NCAA Basketball
MLB Baseball
NHL Hockey
Soccer
Auto
Horse Racing
Golf
Tennis
 

NBA Basketball Betting

Bobcats shoot for first road win in Toronto

Basketball Betting Lines

11/26/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats will try to string together consecutive wins for the first time this season tonight when they pay a visit to the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.

The Bobcats ended a four-game losing streak with a 93-84 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at Time Warner Cable Arena. D.J. Augustin scored 25 points and Raymond Felton added 23 for the Bobcats, who helped head coach Larry Brown get a win against his former team.

Gerald Wallace netted 11 points and Emeka Okafor chipped in eight points and nine boards in a winning effort. The Bobcats will try for their first road win of the season (0-3) on Wednesday night up north.

In injury news for the Bobcats, guard Jason Richardson (knee surgery) is questionable for Wednesday's game against Toronto. Richardson has missed the past six games and leads Charlotte with 17.6 points per game. He practiced on Tuesday for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on November 12.

The Raptors will resume a four-game homestand tonight and have lost the first two tests of the residency. They suffered a 118-103 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, as Chris Bosh scored a game-high 24 points and had six rebounds in defeat.

Andrea Bargnani added 14 points and seven rebounds for Toronto, which has dropped five of its last seven contests. Jermaine O'Neal, who was nursing a strained left knee, left the game with 7:17 remaining in the first half. He notched six points and two rebounds, and is questionable versus Charlotte.

Toronto, which will also host the Atlanta Hawks on the homestand, defeated the Bobcats by an 89-79 score on November 9 this season in Charlotte. The Raptors have won 10 of 13 and 11 of the 15 all-time matchups.

Charlotte is just 2-5 at Air Canada Centre.


<< Celtics shoot for sixth straight win against Warriors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending champion Boston Celtics will try to stretch their unbeaten streak to six games tonight when they host the Golden State Warriors at TD Banknorth Garden. Boston has won five in a row and improved to 13-2 with S

<< Knicks face Pistons in Motown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The suddenly-struggling Detroit Pistons will continue a four-game homestand this evening versus the New York Knicks at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit has lost two straight and three of four games overall, and opened t

<< Suns visit Wolves in Twin Cities
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns will shoot for their third straight win when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the Target Center. Phoenix posted its second straight win and fourth in six tries following Tuesday's 99-98 tri

<< Hawks welcome injury-riddled Bucks to Atlanta
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The injury-riddled Milwaukee Bucks will resume a four-game road trip this evening against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Bucks have been without star guard Michael Redd (ankle) since earlier this month and he is o

<< Stoker out at Northwestern State
Natchitoches, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Northwestern State University fired head football coach Scott Stoker on Tuesday. Stoker was in his seventh season with the Demons, who compiled a 43-38 mark for his alma mater. That included playoff runs i

LeBron and Cavs aim to stay perfect at home vs. lowly Thunder >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Superstar LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will try to stay unbeaten at home tonight when they welcome the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder to Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers are 7-0 as the host so far this season an

Boston College and Purdue meet in New York City >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston College Eagles and 10th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers resume play in the NIT Season Tip-Off tonight, as they clash in the semifinal round at historic Madison Square Garden. The winner of this game will mo

Big Apple battle of unbeatens pits Blazers against Sooners >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two undefeated teams clash in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off tonight, as the Oklahoma Sooners take on the UAB Blazers at Madison Square Garden. The survivor of this matchup will move on to face either P

Notre Dame and North Carolina meet for Maui Invitational title >>
Maui, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - National heavyweights will collide for the Maui Invitational title tonight, as the top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels take on the eighth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame earned its spot in this champi

No. 6 Texas seeks return to win column against Oregon >>
Maui, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a narrow defeat in a battle of national heavyweights, the sixth-ranked Texas Longhorns will attempt to bounce back strong against the Oregon Ducks in the final round of the Maui Invitational. Texas won i

MySportsbook.com is operated by Sportingbet, a UK gambling company which is publicly traded on the AIM on the London Stock Exchange.

Sportingbet easily forms the world's largest Internet gaming company, with a truly global outreach. This also provides added transparency and accountability to this online Sportsbook and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. MySportsbook offers betting lines on all major sporting events. Our staff of almost 400 people includes clerks ready 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to care for your needs.

MySportsbook's competent, experienced managerial staff and personnel are backed by a state-of-the art sports wagering software.

We offer a 15% sign-up bonus to new customers who use Neteller for deposit and 10% bonus for all other deposit methods. Casino clients can take advantage of a 5% cash back monthly. Clients are also eligible for a 5% re-up bonus on subsequent deposits and 10% cash back on NFL losses.* Our instant-play flash casino is no-download, just click and go to a wide range of games including online Blackjack, 3-Card Poker, Craps, Baccarat, Roulette and Pai-Gow Poker, as well as a variety of slots and video poker games for the complete online casino Las Vegas experience.

My Sports book accepts all credit cards, online checks, Neteller, Firepay and bank wires. MySportsbook guarantees prompt, hassle-free payouts, as well as unparalleled individual attention from its acclaimed customer service department.

To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

Horse Betting

(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.