Hawks host 76ers at Philips Arena
Basketball Betting Lines
02/04/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks will try to bounce back tonight versus
the Philadelphia 76ers in the continuation of a four-game homestand.
Atlanta had won three straight and nine of 11 games until dropping a 96-77
decision to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Josh Smith led the Hawks with
11 points and both Joe Johnson and Ivan Johnson added 10 points in defeat.
"We've got to put up a little bit better fight than what we did in the paint"
Smith said of his Hawks being beat 58-38 inside. "Hopefully everyone will
learn from this game and correct it later on and just find a way not to have
any let downs like that anymore."
Hawks forward Jason Collins left the game in the first quarter with a sprained
left elbow and did not return. He is expected to miss Saturday's game. The
Hawks, who were coming off a 4-1 road trip that left them tied with Miami for
the Southeast Division lead, had their six-game home winning streak stopped
and fell to 8-2 as the host this season.
The Hawks will also welcome the Suns and Pacers to Philips Arena, and now sit
one game behind Miami for division supremacy.
Philadelphia is coming off Friday night's 99-79 loss to the Heat and completed
a seven-game homestand with a 5-2 record. It had a four-game winning streak
come to an end thanks to a poor fourth quarter versus Miami, as the Sixers
were outscored by a 32-16 difference in the decisive period.
Thaddeus Young led five players in double-figure scoring with 16 points off
the bench, while Jodie Meeks and Lou Williams netted 13 apiece for
Philadelphia, which is still a dominant 12-3 as the host this season and made
39.5 percent of its shots. Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala scored 11 and 10
points, respectively, in defeat.
"Those guys cranked it up a little on us and forced us into taking a few bad
shots, but we did just go cold," Young said about the fourth quarter. "We have
to find a way to make shots and we couldn't do it tonight."
The 76ers hope to improve on their 4-4 road ledger tonight. They defeated
Atlanta, 90-76, on Jan. 20 at Wells Fargo Center behind a game-best 20 points
from Young. Holiday added 16 points and 11 assists, while Elton Brand had 10
points with 16 rebounds for Philadelphia, which has won three straight against
Atlanta.
Philadelphia has lost three of its last five visits to Philips Arena.
<< Pacers try to stay hot vs. Magic
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers will try to extend their season-high
winning streak to five games when they entertain the Orlando Magic tonight in
the opener of a modest two-game homestand.
Indiana has won four in a row and se
<< Mavs hit the road to Cleveland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Perhaps a change of scenery will bring different results
for the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, who will commence a three-
game road trip tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
The
<< Knicks square off with Nets at MSG
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks will play their third game in as many
nights when they entertain the local New Jersey Nets Saturday at Madison
Square Garden.
The Knicks have lost the first two of back-to-back-to-back con
<< Pistons welcome Hornets to The Palace
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of also-rans get together tonight at The Palace of
Auburn Hills, where the Detroit Pistons will host the New Orleans Hornets.
The Hornets have lost four in a row and 13 of their last 14 games, including
Thursday
<< Timberwolves host Rockets in Twin Cities
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves aim to reach the .500 mark
tonight versus the Houston Rockets at the Target Center.
Minnesota is 11-12 on the season and has won seven of its last 11 games,
including Friday's 108-1
Blazers entertain Nuggets at Rose Garden >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Northwest Division rivals meet in Rip City on Saturday when
the Jekyll and Hyde Portland Trail Blazers entertain the well-rounded Denver
Nuggets at the Rose Garden.
The Blazers have been two different teams this season
Bobcats hope to end slide against Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats certainly hope to halt an ugly 10-
game skid tonight but maybe Paul Silas' club should just focus on staying
competitive when its visits the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns.
The Bobcats are
Lakers resume trek in Utah >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers will resume a six-game road trip
tonight against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.
The Lakers have won three in a row and four of five games since a season-high
three-game slide and kicke
Clippers kick off trek in Washington >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were named starters on the
Western Conference All-Star squad and look to get the Los Angeles Clippers
back in the win column tonight against the Washington Wizards.
The Clippers will
Kings, Warriors meet again in Sacramento >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-state rivals meet for the second time this week when the
Sacramento Kings play host to the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors just finished up a lengthy six-game homestand by beating
Sacramento on Tuesday by
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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