Kings and Suns square off in Sac-Town
Basketball Betting Lines
02/11/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After unseating the Western Conference-best Oklahoma City Thunder, the Sacramento Kings hope to keep the momentum going this evening versus the Pacific Division-rival Phoenix Suns at Power Balance Pavilion.
The Kings recorded their third straight win at home with Thursday's 106-101 victory over the Thunder in which Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins provided 22 and 19 points, respectively. Marcus Thornton hit two big three-pointers in the closing minutes and finished with 15 points for the Kings, who used an 18-4 run late in the game to win for the fourth time in five tries overall.
"We've improved as a team, we're on the right path now," Cousins said on the Kings' website. "We're a lot better than our record (10-16) shows. We've grown so much from the team we used to be."
Jason Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds to help Sacramento snap a six- game losing streak to the Thunder. The Kings scored 28 points off of 23 Thunder turnovers. OKC entered the game with the league's highest winning percentage.
After hosting the Suns in California's capital, the Kings will head east for a six-game road trip against Chicago, New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Miami and Washington. On the season, the Kings are 7-4 at home and 3-12 on the road. The last time the Kings won four straight home games was Nov. 25-Dec. 2, 2009.
Cousins has recorded 17 double-doubles this season (third-most in the NBA), while Evans has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four games. Thornton is averaging 19.4 ppg in his past four outings.
Phoenix looks to get back on the winning path in Sacramento tonight and had won a season-best three straight games until dropping a 96-89 decision versus the Houston Rockets Thursday in the Valley of the Sun.
The Suns, who will kick off a three-game road trip against the Kings, Warriors and Nuggets this evening, received a season-high 21 points and 10 rebounds from Channing Frye. Steve Nash, named to his eighth All-Star team on Thursday, did not miss a shot (7-for-7), scoring 14 points to go with 13 assists.
"We just didn't execute down the stretch," said Frye, who is averaging 18.0 points in his last three games. "We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make every play and be perfect at the end and we can't do that. We have to make sure we are in a good rhythm and establish how we are going to play in the first half."
Marcin Gortat had 16 points and Jared Dudley recorded 14 in defeat. Phoenix struggled on the boards to the tune of a 44-31 difference and shot 47.3 percent for the game. Houston's bench outscored the Suns' reserves, 57-13.
Phoenix and Sacramento are playing the first of three meetings this season and will also battle on March 4 in Phoenix and April 3 at the Kings. Sacramento took three of four matchups from the Suns a year ago after Phoenix won all four encounters during the 2009-10 campaign. Phoenix has won 12 of the last 16 games in this series, but has dropped 14 of 22 trips to Sac-Town.
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their biggest win of the season, the 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils return to Cameron Indoor Stadium, as they play host to the Maryland Terrapins in ACC action this afternoon. Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Dev
<< No.1 Kentucky takes act on the road
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats put their
unblemished SEC record in harm's way this evening in Nashville, as they take
on the dangerous Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gym.
John Calipari's Wildcats are you
<< Top-10 collision on tap in Columbia
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-10 foes square off in a crucial Big 12
affair, as the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers welcome the sixth-ranked Baylor
Bears to Mizzou Arena this afternoon.
Frank Haith's first season in Columbia has been hig
<< Racers seek turnaround against Governors
Murray, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Now that the ninth-ranked Murray State Racers
have finally lost their first game, they can now turn their attention to
winning their third straight Ohio Valley Conference regular season
championship, when they host
<< Spartans battle Buckeyes in pivotal Big Ten brawl
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As if they could squeeze any more drama out of
this evening's Big Ten Conference showdown with the 11th-ranked Michigan State
Spartans, the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will be seeking their 40th
straight hom
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard and the Magic visit Brew City and the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday hoping to bounce back from their second overtime loss this week. Orlando, which also fell to the Clippers on Monday in OT, lost to the Hawks i
Mavs host Blazers in Big D >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas will kick off a three-game homestand tonight by
welcoming the Portland Trail Blazers to American Airlines Center.
The reigning NBA champion Mavericks have won two straight after an
uncharacteristic three-game skid,
Wichita State visits Creighton in MVC showdown >>
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two teams in the Missouri Valley
Conference square off in Omaha this evening, as the Wichita State Shockers
have come calling on the 17th-ranked Creighton Bluejays.
Both teams are 21-4 on the year, with W
Mountain West showdown pits Aztecs against Rebels >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second half of the Mountain West
Conference schedule kicks off today with a clash of the titans in the desert,
as the 14th-ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels play host to the 13th-ranked San Diego
State Aztecs at th
Jayhawks clash with Cowboys in Big 12 action >>
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Kansas Jayhawks return to
Lawrence following a two-game road trip, as they play host to the Oklahoma
State Cowboys in Big 12 action from the Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas has been a model of cons
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .