12/03/2008 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emeka Okafor had a season-high 25 points to go with 13 rebounds to lead Charlotte to a 103-97 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Gerald Wallace added 21 points and Jason Richardson posted 18 points, moving over 10,000 for his career, as the Bobcats won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Sean May ended with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Raymond Felton had 12 assists for the Bobcats.
Kevin Durant had 24 points for the Thunder, who fell to a paltry 2-17 this season. Jeff Green tallied 18 points and Joe Smith scored 13 for Oklahoma City, which lost despite shooting 54.5 percent from the field. The downfall for the Thunder was 19 turnovers and a horrid 18-of-28 performance at the foul line.
One free throw from Russell Westbrook brought the Thunder within 85-83 with nearly seven minutes left in the game, but the Bobcats came back with the next seven points, capped by a Richardson bucket.
Oklahoma City never made it a one-possession game again. Durant's three-ball from the right corner with 24.2 seconds left had the visitors within 102-97, but the Thunder missed on a chance to get closer when Wallace blocked Westbrook's layup attempt.
The Bobcats led 24-21 after one quarter and were ahead 49-45 at the half. Charlotte finished the second on a 15-5 spurt.
Oklahoma City edged in front early in the third, but the Thunder were behind 78-72 going to the fourth.
Game Notes
Charlotte has won three straight meetings...The Bobcats are 7-1 this season when scoring at least 90 points...D.J. Augustin had 10 points for Charlotte...Earl Watson tallied 11 assists for the Thunder...Chris Wilcox scored 12 before fouling out for Oklahoma City, and Westbrook scored 10.
<< Zherdev, Rangers top Pens in SO
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nikolai Zherdev netted the game-winner in the
shootout, as the New York Rangers edged Pittsburgh, 3-2, at Madison Square
Garden.
After Markus Naslund scored on the opening shot for New York, Miroslav Sa
<< Quinn undergoes successful surgery on finger
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn
underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to repair his broken right index
finger, an injury he sustained in a November 17 game against Buffalo.
Quinn broke
<< Cavs go to 10-0 at home with rout of Knicks
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James scored 21 points, dished out six
assists, grabbed five rebounds and had five steals to lead Cleveland in a
118-82 rout of New York, as the Cavaliers won their 10th in a row at home to
set a f
<< Heatley leads the way as Sens drop Thrashers
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dany Heatley registered a goal and two assists,
as the Ottawa Senators pounded the Atlanta Thrashers, 5-1, at Scotiabank
Place.
Daniel Alfredsson and Brendan Bell both had a goal and an assist for t
Smith returns for Hawks >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith, who had
missed the previous 12 games due to a high left ankle sprain, returned to
action by starting Wednesday's 105-95 win against Memphis.
Smith played just 11 min
No. 15 Wake Forest routs Indiana >>
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Johnson scored 21 points and
grabbed five rebounds, leading the 15th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons to an
83-58 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Johnson shot
Ming fuels Rockets past Clippers >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yao Ming scored 24 points and grabbed 10
rebounds, leading the Houston Rockets to a 103-96 victory over the Los Angeles
Clippers at Toyota Center.
Rafer Alston added 21 points, seven assists and ei
Villanueva leads Bucks over Bulls >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlie Villanueva scored 23 points and
hauled in 10 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks in a 97-90 victory over the
Chicago Bulls.
Richard Jefferson added 21 points for the Bucks, who snapped a s
MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
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 this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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