McGee leads Wizards over Bobcats
Basketball Betting Lines
01/28/2012 -
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - JaVale McGee had 22 points, 10 rebounds and
five blocks on Saturday, as the Wizards downed the Bobcats, 102-99, for their
first road win of the season.
Nick Young scored 21 and John Wall had 13 and 10 assists for the Wizards, who
had dropped their previous eight away from home. Trevor Booker added 16 points
off the bench and Jordan Crawford chipped in 12 points and seven assists.
Kemba Walker notched his first career triple-double in the loss, scoring 20 to
go with 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Byron Mullens had a career-high 23 points
and Boris Diaw added 21 and 10 assists for the Bobcats. They have lost eight
in a row for the first time since 2007.
<< Chara breaks his record again in hardest shot
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zdeno Chara broke his own record in the hardest
shot challenge at the NHL SuperSkills competition.
Coming into the event with a record 105.4 mph blast in 2011, his first shot
was a blistering 108.8 to shatte
<< Oklahoma upsets No. 22 Kansas State
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Pledger poured in a game-high 30
points and pulled down five rebounds as Oklahoma squeezed past No. 22 Kansas
State, 63-60, on Saturday.
Cameron Clark finished with 11 points on 5-of-9 shootin
<< Team Alfredsson sweeps skills challenge relay
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Team Alfredsson won all three points
available in the skills challenge relay at the NHL SuperSkills competition.
Consists of one-timers, target shooting, passing, puck control and
stickha
<< Benn wins accuracy competition
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, who had an
appendectomy on January 15, won the accuracy shooting challenge at the NHL
SuperSkills competition.
Shooting for Team Chara, he had the fastest score in the q
<< Kane wins breakaway challenge competition
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago's Patrick Kane, skating for Team
Chara, won the breakaway challenge at the NHL SuperSkills competition.
After missing his first attempt, Kane donned a Superman cape along with the
thick Clark
Iguodala's triple-double fuels rout of Pistons >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Before starting a brutal seven-game
stretch Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers had to take care of business against
the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
On his 28th birthday, Andre Iguodala record
Team Alfredsson wins elimination shootout >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Team Alfredsson defeated Team Chara in the
elimination shootout at the NHL SuperSkills competition.
Consisting of breakaway attempts, both teams sent 12 skaters on net and
Alfredsson's team scored
Virginia holds on to down North Carolina State >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Sammy Zeglinski and Jontel Evans draped
all over him, Lorenzo Brown's three-pointer at the buzzer from the right wing
fell short and No. 19 Virginia held on and escaped Raleigh with a 61-60 win
over No
Rockets roll past skidding Knicks >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Budinger had 19 points and Goran Dragic
added 16, as the Rockets cruised past the reeling Knicks, 97-84, on Saturday.
Neither team was with its leading scorer. Kevin Martin was out with a foot
injur
Chara breaks his own record, but Team Alfredsson wins >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zdeno Chara's record-breaking blast was part
of the highlights at the NHL SuperSkills competition on Saturday.
Chara was captain of his own team that eventually lost to Team Alfredsson,
21-12.
In the
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.
Big East Conference odds
Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com
For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
|