Magic shoot for 9th straight win; host Bobcats

Basketball Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats continue their push for the franchise's first postseason berth tonight against a streaking Orlando team in search of its ninth straight win.

The Magic, who are currently the second seed in the Eastern Conference, 4 1/2 games behind Cleveland, earned their eighth straight triumph in the nation's capital last night when Dwight Howard put up 28 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out five assists, as Orlando overcame a sluggish start to upend lowly Washington, 109-95.

J.J. Redick netted 18 points, and fellow reserve Brandon Bass contributed 16 points and nine rebounds for the Southeast Division-leading Magic. Vince Carter scored 18 points for the victors.

Orlando, which has won seven consecutive games against the Bobcats, hasn't won nine straight in a season since Jan. 30-Feb. 18, 2001.

The Bobcats, meanwhile, find themselves in the sixth spot in the East after a 106-98 win over the LA Clippers in Charlotte on Friday. Stephen Jackson poured in 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter while dishing out six assists in that one, as the Bobcats continued their stellar play at home.

Gerald Wallace added 17 points and six rebounds before leaving right before halftime with a sprained left ankle. Boris Diaw ended with 16 points and five assists, while Tyson Chandler donated 13 points and nine boards off the bench.

Raymond Felton had a near triple-double with 10 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds for Charlotte, which has won five in a row for the first time since a six-game tear from January 9-20.

An MRI on Wallace's ankle Saturday revealed no fractures or ligament tears, but the forward is expected to miss tonight's game. In other roster news, Charlotte signed guard Larry Hughes on Saturday but the veteran is nursing a broken finger and likely won't make his Bobcats debut until next week.

Charlotte has won four in a row as the host and improved to 24-8 at Time Warner Cable Arena this season with the win over LA, setting a franchise record for home victories. The road has been a different story, however, and the Bobcats hope to improve on their 9-23 mark as the visitor tonight.

Skybppk Basketball Betting News

<< Heat host hapless Sixers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat continue their push toward a postseason berth when they host the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. The Heat are coming off a huge win over Chicago on Friday in which Quentin Richardson made 7-of-11 three-p

<< Sharks visit Ducks aiming for season series sweep
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After three straight come-from-behind victories, the Sharks finally ran out of magic on Saturday. Good thing they haven't need much when facing the Ducks this year. San Jose kicks off a six-game road trip this evening vers

<< Thrashers shoot for rare victory over Coyotes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Thrashers couldn't have picked a worse time to post their second-longest losing streak of the season. A visit from the Coyotes on Sunday could extend the winless drought by another game. Atlanta will try to snap a five

<< Surging Bucks shoot for season sweep of Pacers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Milwaukee Bucks continue their push to the postseason Sunday when they attempt to sweep Central Division rival Indiana for the first time in nearly 30 years. The Bucks have already beaten the Pacers three times

<< ACC title game pits Blue Devils against Yellow Jackets
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils go for their record 18th ACC Tournament title today, as they take on the seventh-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the finals at Greensboro Coliseum. Th

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

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

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

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

Reeling Raptors finish road trip in Portland >>
(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

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

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.

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.