Mr. Lin goes to Washington
Basketball Betting Lines
02/08/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linsanity has officially hit New York.
Tonight Jeremy Lin tries to continue his amazing play when the New York Knicks go after a third straight win against the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center.
After netting 25 points and seven assists on Saturday, Lin again dazzled in his first start on Monday, scoring 28 points with eight assists - both career- highs - to lead the undermanned Knicks past the Utah Jazz, 99-88.
"I just have nothing but gratitude and thankfulness right now," said Lin. "This one was ugly and we lost a couple of players, but this team has a lot of will."
Lin's heroics were unexpected but necessary, as Amare Stoudemire missed the game following the tragic death of his brother, while Carmelo Anthony left the game just minutes into the contest with a strained groin.
Stoudemire will again miss tonight's contest, while Anthony was re-evaluated on Tuesday and will miss 1-to-2 weeks.
"We're going to have to create our own energy, and with Amare and Melo out we're going to have to play together and we're going to have rough stretches," Lin said. "But we're going to have to play gutsy and ugly at times to get the win.
"You can't replace [Anthony]. We're going to have to have people step up, and it's going to have to be everyone. It's not going to be one person scoring 20 points. It's going to be two points here and two points there. Everyone's going to have to do a little bit extra. Obviously we don't have that same star power right now."
Lin, the first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, may have been the one bringing Madison Square Garden to its feet, but he wasn't the only unheralded contributor on Monday. Seldom used Steve Novak totaled 19 points in a reserve role, while Jared Jeffries added 13 points and Bill Walker had 11.
"You never know who can step up. It only takes one guy to step up and all of a sudden everything turns and I think that's the way we're feeling around here now," center Tyson Chandler said. "Jeremy stepped up and put guys back in their natural positions and all of a sudden our offense is flowing."
An undrafted point guard from Harvard, Lin spent some time with Golden State last year before being released by the Warriors this summer. He was also cut loose by the Houston Rockets prior to the start of the year before catching on with the Knicks.
"I'm riding him like freakin' Secretariat," head coach Mike D'Antoni said of his new point guard.
The Knicks, though, are still just 10-15 on the year and a mere 4-8 on the road. New York returns home to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday before hitting the road again to face both Minnesota and Toronto.
Washington, meanwhile, enters on a rare winning note after topping the Raptors in overtime on Monday. John Wall scored a game-high 31 points and the Wizards held on for a 111-108 win.
"We just kind of fell in line behind him," said Wizards head coach Randy Wittman about Wall's play. "That is as good a game that I've had with him that he's played on both ends of the floor."
Washington got season-high point totals from Nick Young (29) and Trevor Booker (19) as the Wizards snapped a four-game skid and got revenge for a 106-89 loss to Toronto on Friday.
The victory was the first in five games for the Wizards, who lost to the Knicks back in early January in D.C. In fact New York has won seven straight and 11 of the last 13 in the series.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The best from the NBA's Eastern Conference meets the worst from the West when the Chicago Bulls resume their grueling nine-game road trip against the lowly Hornets in New Orleans. The Bulls won their third straight con
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Only one of Detroit's six wins this season has come on the
road and the Pistons would like to change that as early as tonight, when they
pay a visit to the New Jersey Nets in the opener of a home-and-home set.
The Pistons
<< Blue Jackets sign Prospal for another season
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets signed veteran
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Prospal, who turns 37 later this month, leads the team with 24 assists and
ranks second w
<< Heat and Magic battle for Sunshine State bragging rights
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since their heart-to-heart meeting among players and
coaches following a loss at Milwaukee last week, the Miami Heat haven't
suffered defeat and hope to continue that trend tonight against the Orlando
Magic in the opener of a
<< Nuggets entertain Mavs at Pepsi Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Western Conference contenders mired in losing
streaks square off in the Rockies tonight when the Denver Nuggets play host to
the reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.
The Nuggets dropped their third in a r
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The much-improved Timberwolves will aim to win for the second time in as many nights without All-Star Kevin Love when they take on the Grizzlies in Memphis tonight. Love, who leads the Wolves in both scoring (25.
South Carolina State faces tough opening to 2012 schedule >>
Orangeburg, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First-ever games at Arizona and Texas A&M
are part of a rugged opening month of the 2012 South Carolina State football
schedule announced Wednesday.
Coach Buddy Pough's team will play only four home game
Portland tries to bounce back at home vs. Rockets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland will seek to rebound from a rare loss in Rip City
when it hosts the Houston Rockets at the Rose Garden tonight.
Russell Westbrook blocked Nicolas Batum's drive to the hoop in the closing
seconds of regulatio
Pacers seek another road win in Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers target their fourth straight win on the
road when they take on the Atlanta Hawks tonight at Philips Arena.
Indiana is 10-5 as the visitor this season and will also visit Memphis on its
quick two-game roa
Isles reward Nielsen with 4-year extension >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders offically signed
center Frans Nielsen to a four-year contract extension on Wednesday.
No financial terms were disclosed, but multiple outlets reported it is worth
$11 million.
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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