Clippers resume road trip in Orlando
Basketball Betting Lines
02/06/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A possible trade destination for Dwight Howard is Los
Angeles with the revamped Clippers. For now, however, Howard is still property
of the Orlando Magic, who will open a three-game homestand tonight versus
the Clippers at Amway Center.
Howard, the subject of trade rumors during this compressed season, and the
Magic will also host the Southeast Division-rival Heat and Hawks on the
homestand and are slated to play six of the next seven games in central
Florida. Orlando is 8-4 as the host and is coming off of Saturday's 85-81 win
in Indiana behind Howard's 27 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two
blocks. Jason Richardson and Ryan Anderson had 17 and 12 points, respectively,
for the Magic, who are unbeaten (3-0) since losing four straight.
"Both teams played really, really hard. When you have these kinds of schedules
in the league you're going to have some games like that," Magic coach Stan Van
Gundy said. "It was our ninth game in 13 days and their ninth in 14. Basically
nobody could make a shot and there were 41 turnovers in the game."
The Magic played without Jameer Nelson for the fifth straight game. He is
listed day-to-day with concussion-like symptoms and hasn't played since a loss
at New Orleans on Jan. 27. Orlando forward Glen Davis is eligible to return
from a two-game suspension Monday because of conduct detrimental to the team.
Magic forward Quentin Richardson was ejected from Saturday's game following an
altercation in the third quarter. Richardson, who had eight points in less
than 14 minutes, came face-to-face with, and then shoved Pacers forward Danny
Granger in front of the Orlando bench during a stoppage in play.
Orlando made 9-of-25 three-pointers against the Pacers and is shooting .386
(226-586) from beyond the arc this season.
Los Angeles will continue its 11-day, six-game road trip tonight and opened
the trek with Saturday's 107-81 blasting of the Washington Wizards.
Blake Griffin recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while DeAndre
Jordan added 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for the Clippers, who are
1 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead and won for the
fifth time in six games. Chris Paul had two points and seven assists, and has
been clicking with Griffin and the rest of the Clippers.
"It's getting better and better," Griffin said of his chemistry with Paul. "No
one ever comes in an just clicks like that right away. We knew it was going to
take time. We weathered the storm, so to speak. I think now we're starting to
pick it up a little bit."
Mo Williams had 17 points and eight assists, Caron Butler scored 14 and
Chauncey Billups added 12 points in a winning effort. Butler was facing his
former Wizards teams since he was traded to Dallas in 2010. Los Angeles will
also visit the Cavs, Sixers, Bobcats and Mavs on the trek and is 4-4 on the
road as opposed to a 10-3 home ledger.
The Clippers are 5-1 against the East this season and could unveil new
addition Kenyon Martin tonight. Martin was signed on Friday and played for the
Xinjiang Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association during the NBA lockout.
He was contractually obligated to wait until the end of the Tigers' season
before returning to the NBA. Martin was cleared to play by FIBA, basketball's
international governing body, on Thursday and averaged 8.6 points and 6.2
rebounds in 48 games last season with the Denver Nuggets.
"Kenyon is the ultimate competitor and a key acquisition," stated club vice
president of basketball operations Neil Olshey. "We expect that he will
provide additional experience, passion and professionalism, as well as some
important depth to our front court."
Los Angeles lost both meetings with Orlando a season ago and is winless in the
last nine matchups between the two teams. The Clippers have lost five straight
at Orlando. Howard is averaging 18.4 points and 13.1 rebounds in 14 career
games against the Clippers. Paul has faced the Magic eight times in his
career, posting 18.0 points and 8.5 assists in that time.
<< Pachuca erases three-goal deficit to stun Toluca
Toluca, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mauro Cejas converted a penalty kick in the
90th minute as Pachuca rallied from three goals behind to stun Toluca, 4-3, on
Sunday in Mexico's Clausura.
Toluca built a three-goal lead after 17 minutes on an
<< Howard-less Red Wings aim for win in Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not having their starting goaltender over the weekend did
little to help Detroit shake off its road issues. However, a trip to Phoenix
just might do the trick.
The Red Wings look to record a sweep of their season series wi
<< Flames try for rare win in Anaheim
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames took care of business at home on Friday
before hitting the road for a few games. The task gets a little daunting right
off the bat tonight as they aim for their first victory against the Ducks at
Anaheim in
<< Thunder invade Portland's Rose Garden
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West's best faces a tough test tonight as Oklahoma City
resumes a five-game road trip against a Portland team that has been dominant
in Rip City.
The Thunder are an NBA-best 18-5 despite losing the opener of their
<< Nuggets target a win vs. visiting Rockets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The suddenly shaky Denver Nuggets will try to avoid a
season-high third straight loss tonight when they welcome the Houston Rockets
to Pepsi Center.
The Nuggets, who are opening up a three-game homestand, have dro
Kobe leads Lakers into Philadelphia >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The superstars keep rolling into South Philly and Los
Angeles Lakers stud Kobe Bryant is next on the A-list when he leads his team
against the 76ers tonight from Wells Fargo Center.
Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, LeBron Jame
Bulls continue lengthy road trip vs. Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of a nine-game road trip
and will continue the lengthy trek tonight against the New Jersey Nets.
Chicago improved to 3-2 thus far on the road swing following Saturday's 113-90
victory at
Hawks hope to get healthy vs. Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Known to be a formidable foe on their own court, the
Atlanta Hawks have stumbled a bit during a four-game homestand and look to
restore order at Philips Arena tonight versus the Phoenix Suns.
The Hawks have lost the first
Stoudemire deals with tragedy as Knicks host Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz haven't fared so well lately in the Big Apple
and hope to reverse those fortunes tonight against a shorthanded New York
Knicks team at historic Madison Square Garden.
Amare Stoudemire will miss tonight's game
Raptors seek another win over Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards meet for the
second time in four nights this evening, as the two teams do battle at the
Verizon Center this evening.
These two bottom feeders met on Friday in Toronto and Leandro
NFL Football Betting Online
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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