Raptors return home to face Hawks

Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to hold on to a playoff berth that's beginning to slip away, the Toronto Raptors return to the Air Canada Centre this evening for an important matchup with an Atlanta Hawks team that figures to be without its leading scorer for a second straight night.

Toronto heads home having lost five straight and nine of its last 10 contests and now holds a tenuous grasp on the eighth and final postseason seed in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors currently own a 1 1/2-game edge on the similarly-struggling Chicago Bulls for that spot.

The last four setbacks came during a West Coast road trip that ended with Sunday's 109-98 loss at Portland. The Raptors were able to cut an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to two midway through the final period, but an 8-2 run gave the Trail Blazers a 101-93 lead with under 3 1/2 minutes to go.

"I thought we competed pretty hard," said Raptors head coach Jay Triano. "At halftime we talked to our guys about doing a good job. The shots that (the Blazers) were making, we had hands in their face, and they were still making shots."

Chris Bosh also kept Toronto in the game thanks to a 28-point, seven-rebound effort, with Hedo Turkoglu and Amir Johnson netting 14 and 13 points, respectively, in defeat.

The Raptors, who will also host surging Oklahoma City on this brief two-game residency, are a solid 22-10 at the Air Canada Centre this season but have dropped three of their last four outings as the host.

Atlanta enters tonight's tilt having won three in a row after Tuesday's 108-84 road rout of hapless New Jersey. The Hawks cruised despite All-Star swingman Joe Johnson sitting out due to Achilles' tendinitis that will force him to miss this game as well.

Jamal Crawford helped offset Johnson's absence by pouring in 25 points, with Al Horford adding 15 points and 11 rebounds on the evening.

"I thought we were pretty good defensively as well as our offense," said Hawks coach Mike Woodson. "I mean, we moved the basketball and the open man got it and we made shots."

Tuesday's triumph closed Atlanta within three games of Orlando for first place in the Southeast Division. The Hawks are one ahead of Atlantic Division leader Boston for the No. 3 seed in the conference race.

The Hawks will be shooting for their fifth straight victory over Toronto, with the last two of those wins having taken place this season. Atlanta handed the Raptors a 111-89 loss up north on December 11, with Johnson pacing six Hawks in double-figure scoring with 20 points.

Casino-internet-casino Basketball Betting News


<< Road-weary Pacers try to fix issues in Cleveland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An Indiana Pacers team that's had its share of troubles on the road will face another tough challenge in tonight's visit to Quicken Loans Arena for a bout with the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers have lost eigh

<< Reeling Bulls visit powerhouse Mavs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have picked a bad time to start playing poorly and their chances of ending an eight-game slide don't look so promising with tonight's road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. The Bulls have also dropped

<< Basement brawl: Woeful Nets visit lowly Sixers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The bottom two teams of the Atlantic Division will go head- to-head for the final time of the 2009-10 campaign this evening at the Wachovia Center, where the homestanding 76ers aim for a season sweep of the dismal

<< Spurs finish Florida trip in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An intriguing interconference matchup is on tap tonight in central Florida, where the San Antonio Spurs take on the playoff-bound Orlando Magic at Amway Arena. San Antonio is still trying to solidify a postseason spot in t

<< Knicks make a stop in Boston for St. Patrick's Day
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics are closing in on their third straight Atlantic Division title and will face another inferior opponent tonight on St. Patrick's Day against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Boston rebounded from a loss

Rockets to host Grizzlies in key conference clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a virtual must-win situation for a pair of Western Conference teams in desperation mode tonight as the Houston Rockets host the Memphis Grizzlies at the Toyota Center. Historically the Grizzlies haven't had a lot of s

Jazz seeking to extend Timberwolves' season-long misery >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a potential mismatch on the NBA docket, the Western Conference power Utah Jazz welcome the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves to Salt Lake City tonight. The Jazz, who are currently the fourth seed in the West, snapped a rare

Hornets resume important trip with bout against Warriors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets resume a five-game road trip in Oakland tonight, aiming for a season sweep of the woeful Golden State Warriors. New Orleans has already topped the Warriors three times this season and will be aimin

Scorching Bucks try to take down reeling Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Milwaukee Bucks aim for their longest winning streak in eight seasons tonight, when they face off with the reeling Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Bucks, who are kicking off a three-game road trip t

Nationals release Dukes >>
Kissimmee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have released outfielder Elijah Dukes. The team announced the news Wednesday in a brief release, which did not provide a reason for the move. Dukes, 25, was expecte

MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds

According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.

Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet.  The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.

MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.  In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State.  Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.

Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL.  In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.


ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Notre Dame
Ohio State
West Virginia
Texas
USC
Florida
California
Auburn
Oklahoma
Iowa
Louisville
Florida State
Michigan
Miami (FL)
LSU
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Nebraska
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona State
Oregon
Clemson
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Alabama
Arkansas
Boston College
Michigan State
Maryland
South Carolina
Colorado
Purdue
Georgia Tech
TCU
UCLA
Arizona
Pittsburgh
Iowa State
Wisconsin
North Carolina State
Virginia
North Carolina
Fresno State
Hawaii
Northwestern
BYU
Oregon State
UNLV
Field (Any Other Team)
5-1
7-1
8-1
8-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
18-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
70-1
70-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
150-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
250-1
250-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
400-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
1000-1
1000-1
40-1



ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Miami (FL)
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke
2-1
2-1
3-1
7-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
50-1
500-1



ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Texas Tech
Colorado
Iowa State
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Missouri
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
7-5
9-5
9-2
12-1
14-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
35-1
100-1
100-1



ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Auburn
Florida
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Arkansas
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Mississippi State
Kentucky
Vanderbilt
5-2
11-4
4-1
6-1
7-1
7-1
9-1
20-1
28-1
75-1
100-1
300-1

For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.