Bulls rally in second half to beat Lakers
Basketball Betting Lines
12/20/2006 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luol Deng scored 23 points, four more than superstar Kobe Bryant, and the Chicago Bulls used a big second half to down the Los Angeles Lakers, 94-89, at the United Center.
Coming off games of 53 and 45 points, Bryant was held to 19 points on 6-of-19 from the floor. Bryant's struggles had plenty to do with the defense of Chris Duhon, who also scored 11 points with six rebounds and six assists.
Bryant missed all five three-point attempts, as the club managed to make only 3-of-19 from long distance. The Lakers have lost three of four.
"He didn't show it if he was frustrated or not," said Duhon. "We did a great job on him. Thabo's (Sefolosha) length gave him some problems. Thabo and I did a good job pressuring him. We made him put the ball on the floor and work to get his shot off."
Ben Gordon, coming off the bench as the sixth man, poured in 22 points while Michael Sweetney chipped in 11. Ben Wallace had a full stat sheet with nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks to go along with four points.
Chicago has won five in a row and 12 of its last 13.
Kwame Brown totaled 18 points and 12 rebounds while Smush Parker chipped in 16 points in defeat.
"I thought their bench came in and saved the day for the Bulls," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "That and our three-point shooting did us in."
The Bulls used a brief 8-2 scoring stretch during the fourth stanza to take an 82-74 lead. Sefolosha's reverse layup capped the stretch with 7:42 on the clock.
Brown's layup with 2:45 remaining brought the Lakers within 87-84. However, Deng connected on a reverse layup then Sefolosha made a layup after Wallace swatted away a Brown attempt from in close.
Bryant fouled out with under one minute left, and the Bulls held on for the victory.
The Lakers scored the final eight points of the first quarter to take a 26-23 lead. Seven straight points in the second stanza gave the Lakers a 38-28 advantage. Andrew Bynum's layup with 7:09 left in the period capped the burst.
Los Angeles led 48-42 at the half.
Game Notes
The game featured three ties and four lead changes...The Lakers blocked nine shots...Chicago improved to 11-2 on home, winning its fourth straight at the United Center...The Lakers are 3-5 on the road.
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NFL Awards and All-Pro Team release schedule >>
EDITORS:Release dates for the NFL awards:For Wednesday PMs, Jan. 3 - Defensive Rookie of the Year.For Thursday AMs, Jan. 4 - Offensive Rookie of the Year.For Thursday PMs, Jan. 4 - Comeback Player of the Year.For Friday AMs, Jan. 5 - Most Valuable P
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog 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.
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