James, Cavs welcome Celtics to the "Q"
Basketball Betting Lines
03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Eastern Conference heavyweights clash Sunday afternoon as LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Boston Celtics.
James returned to the Cavaliers lineup Friday in Philadelphia after missing a pair of games with a balky right ankle and scored 23 points as Cleveland pulled out a tough 100-95 decision over the 76ers.
"The King" also handed out 10 assists and grabbed six rebounds for the Cavaliers, who went 1-1 in his absence.
Mo Williams chipped in 21 and Delonte West scored 17 points, while fellow reserve Anderson Varejao had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who have won eight of their last nine games.
"We executed defensively the right way," said Cleveland coach Mike Brown. "LeBron did a nice job trying to attack to get to the free throw line down the stretch. More importantly, defensively, we got stops at the right time."
Forward Antawn Jamison missed the game against the Sixers due to a cyst behind his left knee but hopes to return to the lineup this afternoon.
The Celtics, meanwhile, are coming off a blowout win over Indiana. Paul Pierce scored 20 to lead a balanced attack in that one, as Boston got back to its winning ways with a 122-103 rout of the lowly Pacers in Beantown.
Rajon Rondo added 16 points and 11 assists for the Celtics, who had lost two straight overall, in addition to eight of their last 15 games at home. Boston, which went 35-6 at TD Garden in each of the past two seasons, improved to just 19-12 as the host in 2009-10.
"(We) were stung the other night (in a 20-point loss to Memphis), but also I warned them going into tonight: just because you want to fix it if things don't start out right, you can't hang your head or panic about it," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "The difference (Friday) was we hung in there and we got some stops. And then we got on a run."
Nate Robinson and Glen Davis each came off the bench to score 15, and Ray Allen poured in 13 points in the win. Kendrick Perkins provided 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Cavs had won 11 straight at home against Boston - including the playoffs -- before dropping a 95-89 decision on Oct. 27. Cleveland then responded to even the season series with a 108-88 blowout win in Beantown on Feb. 25.
Overall, the Cavs are tops in the Eastern Conference while Boston has fallen to fourth and has been playing .500 ball (18-18) since Christmas.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reeling Toronto Raptors haven't been playing like a team headed toward the postseason and will try and salvage the finale of a four-game road trip Sunday night against the surging Portland Trail Blazers. The Raptors fe
<< Wolves, Kings clash in Sacramento
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams headed for the NBA Draft Lottery tangle in
Sacramento tonight as the Kings play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sacramento lost for the fourth time in five outings on Friday when Brandon Roy
poured in 28 poin
<< Suns resume homestand vs. fading Hornets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns hope to get back on the winning track
Sunday when they resume a season-long seven-game homestand against the
fading New Orleans Hornets at US Airways Center.
The Suns fell to 1-2 on their residency Friday
<< Surging Flames visit Canucks, GM Place
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Flames are getting hot at just the right time. Calgary
will try to match its longest winning streak of the season tonight when it
visits GM Place to take on the Vancouver Canucks.
The Flames have won four straight as t
<< Jazz visit Thunder in key Western Conference matchup
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the Western Conference's top teams jockey for
playoff position in Oklahoma City Sunday as Kevin Durant and the Thunder
welcome the Utah Jazz to town.
The Jazz are currently the fourth seed in the jumbled West, 1 1/2
Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti will start on the pole for the Sao Paulo Indy 300 after posting the fastest time in Sunday's qualifying on the streets of Sao Paulo. One d
Indians closer Kerry Wood not worried >>
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -Kerry Wood says he's not worried about missing any more time with the Cleveland Indians because of a sore back.The veteran closer says missing an outing Saturday was just precautionary. He said the soreness would not have kept
Ford out of Pacers' lineup 7 to 10 days >>
MILWAUKEE (AP) -Pacers point guard T.J. Ford is expected to miss seven to 10 days with a sore left groin.Coach Jim O'Brien made the announcement before Indiana played the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.Ford was injured early in the first quarter of a los
Capitals star Ovechkin gets game misconduct >>
CHICAGO (AP) -NHL scoring leader Alex Ovechkin is out of the Capitals' game against the Blackhawks after receiving a five-minute major and a game misconduct in the first period for driving Chicago's Brian Campbell into the boards from behind.Ovechki
Reid to work out at LSU Monday >>
HOUSTON (AP) -Bobby Reid hasn't played football since a 2008 injury, but the former Oklahoma State quarterback might get another chance at reviving his once-promising career.Reid, who became known more for Mike Gundy's now infamous ``I'm a man. I'm
Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.