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Blazers make a stop in PhoenixBasketball Betting Lines03/21/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers are heating up at the right moment and will try for their sixth straight win tonight, when they take a trip to the desert to face the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. Portland is currently seated in the eighth and final postseason spot in the Western Conference -- just a half-game behind No. 7 San Antonio -- and made it five consecutive wins with Friday's 76-74 home victory versus the Washington Wizards at the Rose Garden. Brandon Roy's leaner from just inside the three- point line with 0.9 seconds lifted the Blazers, as he ended with 14 points on 4-of-18 shooting. "I was just thinking 'finally,'" Roy said of his big shot. "I took a lot of shots tonight. The majority of them felt good, a couple of them felt like I was a little off balance but I was just laughing, you know, finally, I made a shot. It was the one to help us win an important game for us." LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 19 points and grabbed 12 boards for Portland, which got 14 points from Andre Miller and held on for the win despite shooting 32.1 percent from the floor. The 32.1 percent was the lowest shooting mark in a win in franchise history, eclipsing the 33.0 percent clip on November 3, 1990 at Sacramento. Aldridge is averaging 19.4 points and 8.5 rebounds in his last 32 games, while Miller is posting 16.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.33 steals since January 2. Portland is 19-15 away from the Rose City this season. Meanwhile, the Suns are playing just as well and have won three straight and 11 of their last 14 games. They improved to 4-2 on a seven-game homestand following Friday's 110-100 victory versus the Utah Jazz thanks to a season- high 44 points and seven rebounds from Amare Stoudemire. "I wanted to come out with great focus on both ends and try to spark some energy out there and try to dominate," said Stoudemire. "I think tonight as a team we did a great job of that -- we all played particularly well, and if we keep this effort up and keep playing the way we are, we'll be in good shape." Robin Lopez added 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Steve Nash posted 15 points and 10 assists in a winning cause. Phoenix is 27-9 in the desert this season and is tied with Oklahoma City for the fifth seed in the conference standings. The Blazers have won the first two meetings with Phoenix in 2009-10, and are aiming for their first season sweep of the Suns since the 1998-99 campaign. Portland has won four straight after losing the last 11 meetings against the Suns, who have won nine of 10 as the host in this series. Portland has scored at least 100 points in each of the last 12 road contests, the league's longest streak this season and the team's longest such run since February 21 - April 21, 1991 (18 games). The Trail Blazers have won 42 straight games when holding their opponents to 88 points or fewer, including a 19-0 mark this year.
<< Top-seeded Syracuse and Gonzaga clash in West Region
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-ever meeting between powers from opposite coasts takes place this afternoon at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York as the Gonzaga Bulldogs clash with the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the 72nd annua
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Durant, Thunder visit Pacers in Indy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - MVP candidate Kevin Durant will lead the Oklahoma City Thunder into Indiana this afternoon for a showdown against the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse in the finale of a three-game road trip. Durant is second in th
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Lakers welcome Wizards to Staples Center >>
Spurs, Hawks tangle in Atlanta >>
Cavs return home to host Pistons >>
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTINGNCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.) "To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good." Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida. Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October. USC Trojans - 10.5 wins A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention. Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2 "There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach." Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1 The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1 If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines . |
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