Cavs go for sixth straight win vs. Kings

Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers shoot for their sixth straight win tonight when they wrap up a short two-game homestand versus the Sacramento Kings at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Cavaliers are two games behind Detroit in both the Central Division and Eastern Conference standings. They improved to 24-8 at home this season following Sunday's 99-88 win over the Indiana Pacers.

James posted 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead Cleveland, while Larry Hughes donated 23 points and seven assists in the victory. Cavs forward Drew Gooden finished with 19 points and eight boards.

Meanwhile, the Kings have dropped two in a row after a four-game winning streak and suffered a 113-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday in the finale of a three-game homestand at ARCO Arena.

Mike Bibby scored 34 points and Ron Artest had 17 points and eight rebounds in his return following his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence. Kevin Martin scored 19 points and Brad Miller ended with 11 points and seven boards for Sacramento, which went 1-2 on the stand.

Sacramento, which is just a game off the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, will open a five-game road trip tonight against Cleveland, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando and Atlanta. The Kings are 10-20 away from home this season.

Tuesday's matchup between Sacramento and Cleveland is the second and final meeting of the regular season. Cleveland won the first meeting, 108-98, on January 9 at ARCO Arena.

Sacramento, though, has won 10 of 12 and 12 of the last 15 meetings. It has also won five straight and six of its last seven at Cleveland.

Wwwcricket365 Basketball Betting News

<< Sharks hope to continue dominance of Blackhawks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks haven't had much trouble when facing the Chicago Blackhawks recently. The playoff contenders will try to continue that trend when the two teams get together tonight at HP Pavilion. The Sharks have claim

<< Canucks host Wild in important tilt at GM Place
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will attempt to hold off the hard- charging Minnesota Wild for first place in the Northwest Division when the rivals face off tonight in an important showdown from General Motors Place. Vancouver owns

<< Flyers and Stars renew series
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars will renew acquaintances with the Philadelphia Flyers, as the two clubs square off for the first time in over three years tonight at the American Airlines Center. These teams last faced one another on Marc

<< Red Wings and Preds kick off key home-and-home
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two teams in the Central Division begin a pivotal home-and-home series tonight at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center, where the first-place Predators host the rival Detroit Red Wings. Nashville enters this i

<< Purple Eagles and Rattlers open up 69th NCAA Tournament
Dayton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the right to play in the First Round of the 69th annual NCAA Tournament, the Niagara Purple Eagles will clash with the Florida A&M Rattlers this evening from the Dayton Arena in an opening round

Sharks' Nabokov heating up >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov is making the San Jose Sharks think twice about using a platoon system in net for the rest of the season. Nabokov and fellow netminder Vesa Toskala have shared time in goal this season for the Sh

Heat, Jazz put winning streaks on the line >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams riding six-game winning streaks square off tonight, as the Miami Heat welcome the Utah Jazz to AmericanAirlines Arena. Utah will open a four-game road trip in South Beach and just completed a perfect three

Prentiss, Moten & Dennard earn AFL Weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Las Vegas Gladiators WR KEVIN PRENTISS, Philadelphia Soul DB EDDIE MOTEN, and Utah Blaze WR/DB RYAN DENNARD have been named Offensive Player, ADT Defensive Player, and Ironman of the Week, respectively, for Week

Moose emerging as a Western Conference power >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two weeks ago, we highlighted in this space the tight race for the North Division title, which at the time saw three teams separated by a total of two points. Since then, the Manitoba Moose have kept up the

Hornets hope to halt losing streak vs. Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets try and stop a five-game losing streak tonight when they welcome the New Jersey Nets to the Ford Center. The Hornets, who are 1 1/2 games off the eighth and final playoff spot in the

MySportsbook.com - The World's Leading Online Sportsbook

For more than 11 years now, MySportsbook.com has been the World’s BEST online sports book website, providing a safe and secure place for sports wagering. Our world-class level of experience and industry sportsbook expertise is unmatched.

Offering a wide array of sports to wager on, MySportsbook.com leaves no stone unturned in our search to provide you with great football betting lines and online blackjack options. From teasers to parlays, from futures to wacky propositions, we add more game excitement than any other sportsbook. Fully licensed in two gaming jurisdictions, MySportsbook.com is open and eager to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Whatever the sporting event, this online sportsbook has you covered. Enjoy some of sport’s most memorable moments that much more with MySportsbook.com. With increased interest, follow the game-winning field goal, the walk-off homerun, the buzzer-beater or the hole-in-one shot. Bank on that clutch glove save, the upset TKO or an incredible Hail Mary pass. MySportsbook.com quenches your thirst for action.

To visit this online blackjack got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts credit cards needs.

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.