Rockets to host Grizzlies in key conference clash

Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - (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 success in Houston and have fallen in their last seven trips to the city, including a 104-79 blowout loss back in November. However, Lionel Hollins' club has won seven straight on the road coming into tonight's contest, a franchise record.

Currently both clubs are on the outside looking in for the Western Conference playoff picture, with Memphis standing 4 1/2 games behind Portland for the eighth and final postseason spot and Houston five games behind of the Trail Blazers.

The Grizzlies gave their slim playoff hopes a boost last night in Memphis, where O.J. Mayo paced a balanced attack with 24 points and the Grizzlies withstood a spirited effort from a depleted Chicago Bulls squad to post a 104-97 win at FedEx Forum.

Mike Conley registered 19 points and 10 assists and Zach Randolph had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have won four of their last five games. Rudy Gay added a dozen points, and Hasheem Thabeet stepped up with 10 points and nine boards to tie career highs in both categories.

"O.J. [Mayo] hit some big shots for us, and we got a lot of fast break points," Gay said.

The Rockets also took a step in the right direction in their last outing, a thrilling 125-123 win over Denver on Monday. Aaron Brooks scored 31 points and drained the game-winning jumper with 2.9 seconds left to lift Houston in that one .

Kevin Martin added 29 points and Luis Scola, who had a career-high 44 points in a 116-108 win over New Jersey last Saturday, chipped in 23 to go with 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won three straight to tie a season-high.

"I just can't say enough about our team. They battled the whole night," said Houston coach Rick Adelman.

Casino-internet-casino Basketball Betting News

<< Raptors return home to face Hawks
(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 lea

<< 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

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

Reina close to inking new Liverpool contract >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina has confirmed that he is on the verge of penning a new contract with the Anfield- based club. The 27-year-old Spaniard is settled on Merseyside and is happy to com

FOOTBALL BETTING LINES

NFL Football Sports Betting

Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.

New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.

His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.

HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.

The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.

RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.

First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.

The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.

These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.

New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.

You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting