Hawks, Pacers clash in Dixie
Basketball Betting Lines
03/28/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks hope to bounce back from an
uncharacteristic performance when they host the suddenly streaking Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
The Hawks laid an egg in Philadelphia on Friday, losing to the woeful 76ers.
Andre Iguodala finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in that
one to lead the Sixers to a surprising 105-98 win.
Josh Smith and Joe Johnson each had 20 points to pace the Hawks, who have lost
three consecutive road contests. Atlanta has already clinched a playoff spot,
however, but lost ground in the Southeast Division race.
The Hawks entered the contest 3 1/2 games behind first-place Orlando, but fell
another game back after the Magic beat Minnesota on Friday. Atlanta does have
a magic number of five to lock up home-court advantage in the first round.
The Pacers, meanwhile, won their season-high fifth straight game on Friday
when Danny Granger made 14-of-23 field goals en route to a career-high 44
points while pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out five assists, as
Indiana used a big second half to defeat the Utah Jazz, 122-106, at Conseco
Fieldhouse.
Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush each added 14 points for the Pacers, who set a
franchise mark for three-pointers made with 17. Indiana is now nine games
behind Toronto for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. The Raptors
lost 97-96 to the Nuggets on Friday.
A.J. Price and Josh McRoberts donated 12 and 11 points off the bench,
respectively, for the Pacers, who outscored the Jazz, 68-45, in the second
half.
"A terrific win for us. I'm very proud of our guys," Pacers head coach Jim
O'Brien said. "The biggest statistic is we held them to 28 points in the paint
and the last five games they've averaged 57 points. We made 17 threes. So when
you can space the court it opens things for Danny (Granger)."
The Hawks, who have won seven straight overall at Philips Arena, have beaten
Indiana five straight times.
<< Bucks host desperate Grizzlies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks are virtually assured of a postseason
berth in the Eastern Conference but the outlook is growing gloomier by the day
for the Memphis Grizzlies out West as the two teams get ready to meet in
Brew City.
<< Cavs welcome Kings to the "Q"
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers continue their march toward the
postseason Sunday when the open up a three-game homestand against the lottery-
bound Sacramento Kings.
The Cavs, who have the NBA's best record and lead the Eastern C
<< Avalanche aim to stop free fall against Sharks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four losses in their last five games have the Avalanche
slipping in the Western Conference standings. Colorado might catch a break if
Joe Thornton is unable to play for the San Jose Sharks in tonight's matchup at
HP Pavilion.
<< Blackhawks try to avenge loss to Blue Jackets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks didn't look like a playoff team in
their last trip to the ice when they suffered their worse loss of the season.
They'll get a chance to avenge that setback tonight against the same opponent
as they hos
<< Flyers try to avoid sixth straight loss in clash with Devils
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Devils have already secured their 13th straight
trip to the postseason, a season high-tying losing streak is threatening to
knock the Flyers out of the picture all together.
Philadelphia aims to halt a five-game
Bulls take playoff push to Auburn Hills; face Pistons >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls shoot for their second win in as many
nights against an inferior foe as they hope to tighten the race for the
Eastern Conference's last playoff spot.
The Bulls, who topped the lowly Nets in Chicago last n
Magic and Nuggets collide at Amway Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the NBA's top teams square off in central Florida
Sunday when the Orlando Magic play host to the Denver Nuggets.
Amway Arena has been a house of horrors for Denver over the years. The Nuggets
are a miserable 3-18 al
Heat host Raptors in key Eastern Conference matchup >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of postseason contenders meet in a key Eastern
Conference matchup in the shadow of South Beach on Sunday when the Miami Heat
play host to the Toronto Raptors.
Their current four-game run has put the Heat in great sh
Streaking Suns visit woeful Wolves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking Phoenix Suns plan to improve their playoff
position in the jumbled Western Conference tonight when they take on a
Minnesota team hoping to avoid matching the franchise record with a 16th
straight loss.
The S
Blazers head to Oklahoma City for big Western Conference clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Western Conference contenders jockey for playoff
position tonight when the Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Portland Trail
Blazers to Ford Center.
The Thunder, who are currently the sixth seed in the West, a gam
Pacific-10 Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Stanford
 Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State
 It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do:
Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.
Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.
Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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