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Bulls continue playoff push with trip to Minnesota

Basketball Betting Lines

02/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Chicago Bulls pulled off a few trades on Thursday that will make them contenders in the upcoming free agent market, they are still very much alive in this season's playoff race.

Fresh off dealing Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons in separate trades, Chicago will try for a third straight victory in this evening's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.

The Bulls were able to clear salary yesterday by dealing Salmons to Milwaukee, along with a pair of second-round picks, for forwards Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander.

An even bigger deal went down later in the day, when Chicago ended Thomas' disappointing run in the Windy City, shipping the fourth overall pick of the 2006 draft to Charlotte for guards Acie Law and Flip Murray as well as a future first-round pick.

The 23-year-old Thomas had career averages of 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in his 254-game career with Chicago.

By acquiring a host of expiring contracts, Chicago is now in position to make a major run at the upcoming free agent class, which could include the likes of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Joe Johnson. The Bulls will hope to pair one of those players with their own star in guard Derrick Rose, who has played well since the All-Star break despite suffering a right hip injury last week.

The top pick of the 2008 draft was well enough to score eight points in 15- plus minutes at last weekend's All-Star Game. Rose was then worked back into action slowly by Chicago following the break, though he made the most of his 27 minutes Tuesday versus the New York Knicks. Rose dropped 29 points in a 118-85 home win that night, then posted 27 points in close to 40 minutes of work in Wednesday's 115-109 triumph at New York to complete the home-and-home sweep.

"Everything is going smooth for me," Rose said. "We're playing good basketball right now."

Luol Deng added 23 points in Wednesday's win, Brad Miller notched 19 of his 21 points in the second half and Taj Gibson donated 14 points and a career-best 16 rebounds as Chicago moved a game over .500 (27-26) by winning for the fourth time in five games.

The Bulls will also try to keep up their solid road play as of late. Chicago, which is tied with Miami for sixth in the East, has won seven of its last nine as the guest following a 4-15 road start this season.

Chicago may find it tough to extend its strong road play, as it has lost four trips to Minnesota, where it hasn't won since February 13, 2005. However, the Bulls did log a 110-96 home victory over Minnesota on January 9 to halt the Timberwolves' three-game series winning streak.

Rose was held to just eight points in that win, while Joakim Noah -- currently sidelined with a left foot injury -- had 20 points.

Chicago now visits a Minnesota team that has lost four straight and is just 6-18 over its last 24 games.

The Timberwolves used a big fourth-quarter run to pull ahead of Washington on Wednesday, taking a 91-87 lead after a 16-1 burst, but couldn't hold off the Wizards in what ended up being a 108-99 setback.

Al Jefferson had 18 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota, which received a 13-point, 13-rebound effort from Kevin Love in his 24th double-double of the season. Ryan Gomes and Jonny Flynn added 16 and 15 points, respectively.

"Guys aren't doing the right things to get wins," Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis said of his struggling club.

Minnesota, which traded forward Brian Cardinal to the Knicks on Wednesday for center Darko Milicic and cash considerations, has won three of four and five of its last eight at home.


<< Stoudemire, Suns play host to Hawks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and Phoenix All- Star center Amare Stoudemire remains in the desert as the Suns prepare to host the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Stoudemire, who has the right to opt out of his contr

<< Celtics, Blazers square off at the Rose Garden
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams that bolstered their rosters at the trade deadline meet in the Pacific Northwest Friday when the Boston Celtics resume a five-game road trip in Portland against the Trail Blazers. The Celtics are coming

<< Jazz make a stop in Golden State
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking Utah Jazz shoot for their sixth straight road win Friday in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors. The Jazz improved to 2-0 on their current four-game road swing Wednesday in New Orleans when Paul Mi

<< Revamped Bucks visit Pistons
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newly-acquired guard John Salmons is expected to join the Milwaukee Bucks tonight, when they close out their season series with the Central Division-rival Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Bucks added Salm

<< Spurs continue road trip versus 76ers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs aim for a third straight win on a season-long road trip that continues with tonight's matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers from the Wachovia Center. San Antonio has posted a 4-2 record thus far on this

Magic take on Mavs in battle of division leaders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of first-place clubs meet this evening in Orlando, where the Magic play host to the Dallas Mavericks at Amway Arena looking to win for the ninth time in their last 11 contests. Orlando, which holds a 1 1/2-game lead

Pacers try to end slide against slumping Hornets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to halt a three-game losing streak, the Indiana Pacers kick off a four-game road trip this evening at New Orleans Arena against a Hornets club that continues to struggle without guard Chris Paul. The Pacers will try

Woods: "I am so sorry" >>
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods apologized for his behavior on Friday in his first public statement since the Thanksgiving weekend car accident that led to revelations of marital infidelity. "I am deeply

Nationals win arbitration case with Burnett >>
Viera, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have won their arbitration case with reliever Sean Burnett and will pay the left-hander $775,000 this coming season. Burnett, who was seeking $925,000 in arbitration,

Memo to UEFA: Ovrebro must go >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't quite as high-profile a match - a Round of 16 contest as opposed to a semifinal - but for the second consecutive year, Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebro has managed to make a mess of a

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

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 MySportsbook.com’s “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

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.