Mavs close out homestand vs. Thunder

Basketball Betting Lines

01/15/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southwest Division-leading Dallas Mavericks hope to salvage the finale of a three-game homestand Friday when they host the improved Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Mavericks fell to 0-2 on the residency Wednesday with a 100-95 loss to the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Andrew Bynum posted 22 points and 11 rebounds in that one as the Lakers became the first NBA team to record 3,000 wins with a 100-95 win.

Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points -- 15 in the fourth quarter -- and surpassed 20,000 points for his career. He is the 19th fastest player to reach the total and now has 20,014 after Wednesday's contest. He also added a season-best 16 rebounds.

"(Nowitzki would) rather have the win than 20,000 points," said Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle. "That's where the disappointment is. You get a guy who is pure basketball heart. He'd do anything to win any ball game and he wouldn't care how many points he scored. That's what really makes him special along with the other things you guys have seen on a daily basis for over a decade."

Josh Howard had 18 points for the Mavericks, who have lost eight of their last nine games against the Lakers. Jason Kidd had 11 points and 11 assists in defeat.

The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a tough overtime loss to San Antonio on Wednesday. Richard Jefferson came up with a big block and hit the game-winning basket with 9.1 seconds left in the extra frame as the Spurs, who trail Dallas by just one-half game in the Southwest, pulled out an exciting 109-108 victory over Oklahoma City.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook netted 35 and 25 points, respectively, for the Thunder, who had won eight of 10 coming into the game. Westbrook also handed out 13 assists but missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer, while Jeff Green ended with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.

Down 108-106, the Spurs' Antonio McDyess had a chance to tie the game but made just 1-of-2 free throws with 56.2 seconds showing in overtime. A double team on Durant resulted in Thabo Sefolosha tossing up a shot that Jefferson got a piece of to give the Spurs the ball back.

Manu Ginobili then drove to the hoop but lost the ball before making a diving save. With the shot clock nearly at zero, Jefferson made his way into the lane and hit the go-ahead bucket with 9.1 seconds remaining.

Westbrook couldn't free himself up on his try from the right wing, hitting all iron as the Thunder fell just short.

"We had a great look. I thought Russell's shot was good. I'm proud of him for taking that shot. It looked good but it didn't fall," Durant said.

Dallas has dominated this series recently taking 16 of its past 18 meetings with the Oklahoma City franchise.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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