Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
02/05/2012 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There was nothing wrong with Nicolas Batum's left knee on Saturday.
Batum returned from a brief two-game absence and nailed a franchise record nine three-pointers en route to a career-high 33 points as the Portland Trail Blazers routed the Denver Nuggets, 117-97.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 points and nine rebounds while Marcus Camby pulled down 20 boards for the Blazers, who moved to 11-1 at the Rose Garden this season.
Danilo Gallinari netted 20 points while Kosta Koufos finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, who have lost four of their last five games.
Batum's three-pointer late in the first quarter capped a 10-4 Blazers run as the hosts took a 33-24 advantage before taking a 33-26 lead into the second.
Back-to-back Batum treys gave Portland its largest lead of the half, 50-34, with 7:24 to play in second.
But the Nuggets closed the stanza on a 10-2 run, cutting the margin to 59-53 heading into the locker room. Batum had five treys and 17 points in the first half.
The Blazers pulled away in the third quarter.
Koufos' reverse layup pulled the Nuggets within 68-63, but the Blazers responded with a 17-4 run to make it 85-67 with 1:20 to go in the third. Aldridge had eight points during the flurry, which Batum capped with his sixth three-pointer. Portland led, 85-71, after three.
Batum buried three more treys in the final quarter as the Blazers led by as many as 27, cruising to the easy win.
Game Notes
The Blazers scored 24 points off 17 Denver turnovers...Seven of Camby's rebounds were offensive boards...Gerald Wallace added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists for Portland...The Blazers were 15-of-33 from beyond the arc...Portland dished out 30 assists.
<< Pangos, Sacre lift No. 24 Gonzaga over Pepperdine
Malibu, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Pangos and Robert Sacre each scored 15
points, lifting the 24th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs over the Pepperdine Waves,
72-60.
Guy Landry Edi added 13 points for the Bulldogs (18-4, 8-2 WCC), who bounc
<< Parker sets franchise assists record as Spurs down Thunder
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Parker exploded for a season-high 42
points and added nine assists to become the Spurs' all-time assists leader
as San Antonio handled Oklahoma City 107-96 at AT&T Center on Saturday.
Tim Du
<< Jazz take down Lakers
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Jefferson scored 18 points and Paul
Millsap added 16 with each pulling down 13 rebounds in Utah's 96-87 win over
the Los Angeles Lakers.
Josh Howard and Derrick Favors both had 12 points and En
<< Suns beat skidding Bobcats
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robin Lopez scored 11 of his 13 points in the
fourth quarter, as the Phoenix Suns handed the Charlotte Bobcats their 11th
straight loss with a 95-89 victory.
Michael Redd had 17 points in his first start
Nugent-Hopkins returns, carries Oilers to SO win over Red Wings >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins netted the game-winning
goal in the sixth round of the shootout, sending the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-4
win over the Detroit Red Wings at Rexall Place.
Nugent-Hopkins, who returned to th
Boeljon birdies last for victory in Australia >>
Queensland, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Christel Boeljon birdied the 72nd
hole Sunday to polish off a come-from-behind victory at the Australian Ladies
Masters.
Boeljon posted her second straight four-under 68 and won by a single strok
Pratt wins playoff for Myanmar Open title >>
Yangon, Myanmar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australia's Kieran Pratt birdied the second
playoff hole Sunday to earn his first Asian Tour title at the Myanmar Open.
Pratt bested Adam Blyth and Kiradech Aphibarnrat in the extra session at The
Royal M
Lawrie pulls away for Qatar Masters title >>
Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Lawrie staved off challenges from Jason
Day and Sergio Garcia on Sunday to win the Qatar Masters in comfortable
fashion.
Lawrie, the second-round leader, fired a seven-under 65 on Sunday.
(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.
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting