Banged up Hornets look to stay unbeaten against LeBron and Cavs

Basketball Betting Lines

11/01/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After opening the 2008-09 season with consecutive wins on the road, the Hornets will return home for back-to-back games, starting with tonight's showdown between LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at New Orleans Arena.

The Hornets won their season opener on Wednesday with a 108-103 triumph at Golden State, then traveled to Phoenix the following night and beat the Suns, 108-95, at US Airways Center. Chris Paul finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double and had 20 points, 10 assists and eight boards in the win.

Morris Peterson scored 21 points for the Hornets, who played without center Tyson Chandler because of a sprained right ankle. New Orleans forward Peja Stojakovic left the game in the fourth quarter due to a severe right ankle sprain and registered 20 points. David West had 18 points for New Orleans.

Chandler and Stojakovic are expected to miss Saturday's game. The Hornets will also host Atlanta on their brief homestand.

Cleveland is 1-1 on the season, having lost to Boston in the season opener on Tuesday before handing the Charlotte Bobcats a 96-79 defeat on Thursday.

In the win over Charlotte head coach Larry Brown and the Bobcats, James had a solid performance with 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to lead the way.

Daniel Gibson went 4-of-6 from three-point range on the way to a 25-point night and Mo Williams scored 17 points to go with seven assists for the Cavaliers. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 11 points and Ben Wallace contributed 10 rebounds and five blocks in the win.

The Cavs will visit Dallas after their bout in New Orleans.

New Orleans won both meetings with Cleveland last season, but the Cavs have won eight of the last 11 encounters.

Cleveland has lost two straight and 12 of 15 contests at the Hornets.

Wwwthirdage Basketball Betting News

<< Rangers aim to extend hot start against Maple Leafs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Off to their best start in franchise history, the New York Rangers head north this evening to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. New York was last in action on Thursday, when it posted a 3-2 win over At

<< Semin leads Caps into Buffalo to battle Sabres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their star Alexander Ovechkin struggling and over in his native Russia, the Capitals have relied on his countryman to pick up the scoring. Alexander Semin will try to lead Washington to another win tonight, as the club v

<< Bruins return home to face Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins begin a three-game homestand tonight, when they welcome the Dallas Stars to TD Banknorth Garden. Boston is returning home from what can be considered a successful three-game road trip. Netminder Tim Thoma

<< Gone dry: Oilers try to halt skid in road test with Hurricanes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After opening the season with four straight wins, the Oilers have gone cold at both ends of the ice. Edmonton will attempt to halt a five-game losing streak this afternoon in a test with the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Cen

<< Nets entertain Warriors in home opener
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After opening the season with a win on the road, the New Jersey Nets kick off the home portion of their schedule by welcoming the Golden State Warriors to the Izod Center. Vince Carter scored 21 points and had six assists,

Devils play host to Thrashers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils continue a four-game homestand this evening, as they welcome the struggling Atlanta Thrashers to the Prudential Center. New Jersey began its residency with a 6-5 shootout loss against Toronto on Wedn

Mavs shoot for 9th straight win vs. Timberwolves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks will try to give new head coach Rick Carlisle his first win tonight, when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. Dallas opened the new season with Thursday's 112-102 loss to the

Canadiens try to hand Islanders sixth straight setback >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens seek a third straight win tonight, as they travel to New York and Nassau Coliseum to battle the Islanders, a team that has lost five straight. Montreal began the year with a shootout loss to Buffalo

Rockets welcome Thunder to Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets are off to a good start this season and will aim for their third straight win tonight, when the Oklahoma City Thunder pay a visit to the Toyota Center. Houston began the 2008-09 campaign with Wednesday'

Bucks welcome Raptors for home opener >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After splitting their first two games on the road, the Milwaukee Bucks return to the Bradley Center for the first time in the 2008-09 season to face off with the talented Toronto Raptors. Richard Jefferson scored 20 points

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.