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01/20/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is no better time than now to get the ball in Kevin Durant's hands. The young star for the Oklahoma City Thunder will try to shoot down another foe tonight, when the Minnesota Timberwolves welcome their Northwest Division-rivals to the Target Center.
Durant scored 29 points in Monday's 94-91 victory at Atlanta in the opener of a four-game road trip and extended his franchise record by scoring 25 or more points for the 15th consecutive time. He entered the game having reached the 30-point mark in his last five contests for the Thunder, who have won two straight and four of their last six games.
"Of course making shots is good, but if we can come back and get a stop, that means we're in the game," Durant said. "I think we did that. Joe Johnson hit some tough shots, but we've got to live with those. I think we got stops when we needed them and we scored as well."
Jeff Green finished with 15 points and 11 boards, as Oklahoma City posted its 23rd win of the season to equaled its win total for all of last season. The Thunder, who are 7-1 on the road this season when leading after three quarters of play, improved to 11-9 as the guest and will also visit Memphis and Cleveland on the current road swing.
Minnesota will try to string back-to-back wins together for the first time since late December when they resume a three-game homestand Wednesday. The Timberwolves battled back from a 20-point deficit to beat Philadelphia, 108-103, in overtime on Monday afternoon.
Rookie Jonny Flynn scored 16 of his career-high 29 points during a huge second half for the Wolves, who ended a four-game slide and got 23 points and 13 rebounds from star forward Al Jefferson.
"It feels great. We kind of struggled a little bit in the first half, then came out big and fought back. You have to keep fighting and we did that today," Flynn said.
The T'Wolves will also visit New Orleans and own a 6-15 mark at the Target Center this season. On the injury front forward Kevin Love (illness) is listed as doubtful for Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City.
Minnesota and Oklahoma City split four games last season, while these two clubs have split the previous eight encounters in the Twin Cities.
<< Bobcats hope to close out perfect homestand vs. Heat
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A big reason for Charlotte's surprising turn-around this
season has been their excellent play at home. The Bobcats will try to complete
a perfect six-game homestand Wednesday versus Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat
at Time Warn
<< Kings, Hawks clash in Dixie
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A leading candidate for the Sixth Man Award, Atlanta Hawks
guard Jamal Crawford will try to get his team back in the win column Wednesday
night versus the Sacramento Kings at Philips Arena.
Crawford registered 12 points an
<< Roy scheduled to return as Blazers visit Sixers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to have Brandon Roy
back in action when the team continues its present road trip with tonight's
bout against the Philadelphia 76ers from the Wachovia Center.
Roy, the Blazers' leadin
<< Dolphins home renamed again
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The stadium for the Miami Dolphins and the
upcoming Super Bowl will again have a new name.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the Dolphins have partnered with Sun Life
-- a Canadian financial services fi
Surging Grizzlies visit Hornets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Randolph is making a push for the upcoming All-Star
Game and will try to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to their fifth straight win
tonight against the New Orleans Hornets in the Big Easy.
The Grizzlies completed a perfec
BYU hopes to continue home dominance in clash with Wyoming >>
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winners of 16 straight home games, the 14th-
ranked BYU Cougars try to extend their impressive run tonight as they
entertain the Wyoming Cowboys in a Mountain West Conference showdown at the
Marriott Center in Provo
Blue Devils tangle with Wolfpack in ACC action >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Duke Blue Devils invade Raleigh this
evening for an ACC battle with rival NC State.
Duke has won its last two outings and owns an impressive 15-2 overall record,
good enough to earn the squad the seventh po
Troubled Tar Heels take on Demon Deacons >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling North Carolina Tar Heels
welcome the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to Chapel Hill this evening, for an ACC
showdown at the Smith Center.
The defending national champions have come to a crossroads
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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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.
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