Without All-Stars, Hornets get upended by Grizzlies

Basketball Betting Lines

02/09/2009 - Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie star O.J. Mayo scored 22 points and pulled down 16 rebounds, as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the undermanned New Orleans Hornets, 85-80, in a poor shooting display at the FedEx Forum.

Mike Conley added 18 points and eight assists for the Grizzlies, who have won four of their last five games. Hakim Warrick totaled 15 points and 14 boards for Memphis, which shot 36.4 percent (28-of-77) from the field and set a franchise-record with 64 rebounds.

Peja Stojakovic had 23 points and seven caroms to pace the Hornets, who were without the services of two All-Stars. Point guard Chris Paul was inactive for the fourth straight game with a strained right groin, while forward David West served a one-game suspension for committing a flagrant foul type two during Sunday's 101-97 victory over Minnesota.

James Posey and Antonio Daniels scored 11 points apiece for New Orleans, which shot a lowly 29.5 percent (26-of-88) from the floor and lost for the fifth time in its last seven games.

After trailing 22-21 after the opening 12 minutes, the Grizzlies emerged with a slim 40-39 edge at the break. A Darko Milicic dunk gave the home team a 60-48 lead with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter, but New Orleans battled back, going on an 18-6 run that carried over to the fourth quarter to even things up at 66-66.

Mayo nailed a jumper and Warrick converted 1-of-2 at the foul line to make it 77-71 with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the game. Posey drained a three- pointer with seven seconds remaining to draw the visitors within 83-80, but Mayo sealed the win at the charity stripe.

Game Notes

Memphis small forward Rudy Gay missed his second straight contest with a strained hip flexor...Marc Gasol provided 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win for the Grizzlies, who snapped a seven-game skid against the Hornets...Memphis improved to 12-18 at home this season, while New Orleans fell to 12-11 on the road.

Wwwasurebet Basketball Betting News

<< Defending champion Almagro has tough first-round win in Brazil
Costa do Sauipe, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Nicolas Almagro of Spain had a rough first-round match, but got by Brazilian wild card Ricardo Hocevar, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 on Monday at the $562,500 Brasil Open. The top-seeded Alm

<< Sessions, Bucks snap slide against Rockets
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Sessions led a balanced scoring attack with 26 points to go with seven assists, leading Milwaukee to a 124-112 victory over Houston and snapping the Bucks' eight-game losing streak against the Roc

<< No. 8 UNC pulls away late to rout fourth-ranked Duke
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rashanda McCants scored 22 points, including 19 in the second half, and grabbed nine rebounds to lead No. 8 North Carolina past fourth-ranked Duke, 75-60, at the Smith Center. Jessica Breland chipped in 14

<< Clemmensen, Devils blank Rangers
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Clemmensen made 27 saves to record his first shutout in nearly five years and the third of his career, as the New Jersey Devils defeated the slumping New York Rangers, 3-0, in an Atlantic Divisio

<< Bobcats end five-game slide in pasting of Clippers
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emeka Okafor tallied 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Charlotte Bobcats in a 94-73 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers. Boris Diaw and Raymond Felton scored 15 points apiece for the Bobcats

Lombardi, Boyd help Flames burn Habs >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matthew Lombardi and Dustin Boyd scored short- handed goals during the pivotal second period, as the Calgary Flames beat the Canadiens, 6-2, sending Montreal to its eighth loss in 10 games. Dion Phaneuf scor

Mizzou edges Kansas on last-second shot >>
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zaire Taylor hit the game-winning jumper with 1.3 seconds left to help 17th-ranked Missouri deal No. 16 Kansas its first conference loss of the season with a 62-60 victory over the Jayhawks. Taylor finis

Boston University wins Beanpot >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Bonino, David Warsofsky and Colin Wilson scored short-handed and Boston University won the 57th annual Beanpot tournament Monday night with a 5-2 triumph over Northeastern. Colby Cohen and Jas

Stepanek avoids upset; moves into second round in San Jose >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek avoided a huge upset Monday, but rallied to beat German qualifier Dominik Meffert, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round at the $600,000 SAP Open, the first American stop on the

Tigers take on Eagles in Chestnut Hill >>
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two ACC squads trying to get back in the win column hook up at the Conte Forum tonight, as the Boston College Eagles entertain the 12th-ranked Clemson Tigers in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles were in play just

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard