Magic survive Kobe, Lakers to win fifth straight

Basketball Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter scored a team-high 25 points, and Dwight Howard added 15 points and 16 rebounds, as the Orlando Magic escaped with a 96-94 win over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

Jameer Nelson finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Orlando, which has won five straight and seven of its last eight overall. Rashard Lewis hit four three-pointers and ended with 12 points and six boards.

Kobe Bryant, who missed a potential game-tying shot at the fourth-quarter buzzer, led all scorers with 34 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who have dropped three straight -- all on the road -- for the first time since January 23-27, 2008. Pau Gasol donated a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.

LA, which earned a 98-92 victory over the Magic on January 18 at Staples Center, defeated Orlando for the NBA title in five games last year. It was the Lakers' 15th title in franchise history.

Trailing, 74-64, after three quarters, Bryant hit a pair of jumpers to ignite an 8-0 run and get LA to within two, 74-72, with 8:35 remaining. Orlando answered with a 7-2 burst to grab a 81-74 after a Howard dunk a short time later. On the play, Gasol was issued a flagrant foul, but Howard missed both free throws.

Then, with the Magic up 94-89 in the final minute, Bryant drained a corner three with 26.4 seconds on the clock. After Nelson was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the stripe, Bryant hit a long jumper from the top of the arc with 12.9 ticks left to cut LA's deficit to one.

The shot was originally ruled a three before the officials briefly reviewed it, and the replay clearly showed Bryant's foot was on the line. Carter was then fouled and made 1-of-2 with 9.7 seconds to go before Bryant's medium-range jumper was off the mark as time expired.

The Magic had a 31-24 lead after the first 12 minutes, then went up by double- figures, 38-28, after Mickael Pietrus hit a three-pointer in the early stages of the second quarter.

Orlando continued to hold the lead throughout the period, but Gasol's dunk got the Lakers to within 52-48 heading into the break. A layup and jumper from Matt Barnes and Jason Williams, respectively, allowed the hosts to build a 71-59 lead with 2:27 left in the third quarter, and the Magic settled for a 10-point lead after three.

Game Notes

Despite the loss, the Lakers have won 17 of the last 23 matchups with the Magic and hold a 31-12 advantage in the all-time series...Howard's double- double was hit 50th of the season, which leads the NBA...Orlando will also face the Clippers and Chicago Bulls on its three-game homestand...The Magic shot 41.1 percent from the field, while LA shot only 37.5 percent...Barnes finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

Wwwsilverdollarcasino Basketball Betting News

<< Iginla's hat trick helps Flames beat Wild
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarome Iginla recorded his second hat trick of the season, as the Calgary Flames handled the Minnesota Wild, 5-2, in a battle between Northwest Division foes at the XCel Energy Center. Iginla also dished out a

<< Villegas earns five-shot win at Honda Classic
Palm Beach Gardens, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Camilo Villegas captured his third PGA Tour win on Sunday, leaving the rest of the field in the dust with a closing two-under 68 at the Honda Classic. The 28-year-old Colombian posted a 13-

<< Pens down Bruins, who lose Savard
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin scored early in the third period to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins at Mellon Arena. Pascal Dupuis also tallied for the Penguins, who have won four straig

<< Bordeaux maintains edge over Montpellier
Bordeaux, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alberto Costa scored in stoppage time, but Montpellier wasted a chance to take over the lead in France's Ligue 1, because Bordeaux goalie Cedric Carrasso saved two penalties in a 1-1 tie Sunday at the Stade J

<< Kurt Busch prevails in a wild one at Atlanta
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurt Busch avoided tire issues and held off the field in a second green-white-checkered finish to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second year in a row. Busch squeezed his way from

NFL suspends free agent DT Ferguson >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Football League has reportedly suspended defensive tackle Jason Ferguson for the first eight games of the 2010 season for a violation of the league's performance enhancing drug program

Morgan, Spartans earn share of Big Ten title with rout of Michigan >>
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raymar Morgan led all scorers with 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, as 11th-ranked Michigan State claimed a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a 64-48 rout of conference rival M

Bruins' Savard leaves game on stretcher >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard left Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Penguins on a stretcher after being drilled by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke. Cooke, who is known for his physical nature, caught an un

Browns add LB Fujita, OL Pashos >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns added a pair of free agents in linebacker Scott Fujita and offensive lineman Tony Pashos on Sunday, signing both to multi-year contracts. Fujita played last year for the Super Bow

Lavender leads Ohio State to Big Ten title >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jantel Lavender posted 35 points and 10 rebounds, leading 10th-ranked Ohio State to the Big Ten Tournament title with a 66-64 win over Iowa. Lavender went 14-of-25 from the field and was named the

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard