Heat host Raptors in matinee affair
Basketball Betting Lines
02/05/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh said a few days ago it's
important for this team to make the essential adjustments following a loss.
"If we lose one or two, we need to make the necessary adjustments, get it done
and cut that down," Bosh told the Miami Herald. "That's the next step."
Bosh, his teammates and the coaching staff aired their grievances and offered
suggestions on what they can do to make this team better after blowing a lead
against Milwaukee in Wednesday's 105-97 loss. The meeting of the minds worked
in a big win at Philadelphia Friday night and the Heat look to build off of
that triumph in a Super Bowl matinee this afternoon versus Toronto. The New England Patriots will face the New York Giants tonight in Super Bowl XLVI.
The Heat are back in south Florida following their two-day sojourn and will
host both the Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Winners in nine of their last
11 games, the Heat recorded a 99-79 victory over the pesky 76ers at a packed
Wells Fargo Center and were led by Dwyane Wade's 26 points. LeBron James
turned in another solid performance with 19 points, 12 rebounds and eight
assists for Miami, which used a 27-8 run to start the fourth quarter and
outscored the Sixers by a 32-16 margin in the final stanza.
"The most important thing is that this team improved in 48 hours," Heat head
coach Erik Spoelstra said. "This was a very good team win against a very good
team that has been playing well."
Mario Chalmers and Bosh scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, while
Mike Miller also had 12 points and Norris Cole added 11 in the win. The Heat
shot 51.9 percent and aim for a fifth straight win at home Sunday. They are
10-2 as the host and own a 1 1/2-game lead over Atlanta for the top spot in
the Southeast Division. Miami is 12-3 versus the Eastern Conference this
season and sports a 5-0 mark against Atlantic Division inhabitants. It has won
nine in a row against teams from that division during the regular season.
A win today for the Heat would match their best 24-game start to a season
since an 18-6 ledger in both the 1996-97 and 1998-99 campaigns. Another
victory would also put them a season-high 12 games above the .500 mark. James
is the best candidate to make that happen and is the only player in the NBA to
average at least 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game. He has
posted at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in 25 straight
games, and only one other player in league history has registered those
numbers in at least that many contests. Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson turned
the trick on three other occasions.
Robertson, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996, had a
26-game streak in the 1962-63 season and two years later accomplished the feat
in a league-best 29 consecutive contests (1964-65). "The Big O" had a 25-gamer
in the 1963-64 season.
Meanwhile, the Raptors have won four of their last seven games since a
grueling eight-game losing streak and will play back-to-back road games
against Miami and Washington. They are just 5-10 away from home this season.
Toronto is coming off of Friday's 106-89 win over the Wizards at Air Canada
Centre, as Leandro Barbosa scored a team-best 19 points and Amir Johnson
posted 18 points and 13 rebounds. Barbosa was able to shake off flu-like
symptoms and missed the team's shootaround.
"It feels good, it was a breakout game for me," Johnson said. "I talked to
coach, he told me just to be patient and just play."
James Johnson netted 13 points and Jose Calderon collected eight and a game-
high 17 assists for the Raptors, who had a lopsided 61-37 advantage in
rebounds and bounced back from a 100-64 loss at Boston on Wednesday. The 61
boards were a franchise record in regulation. Toronto had 65 rebounds in an
overtime game against New York back on March 21, 1999.
Toronto's bench scored a season-high 68 points against Washington. The team
can match their road win total of last season (6) with an improbable triumph
Sunday against the Heat. Raptors center Andrea Bargnani missed his 11th game
of the season with a nagging calf injury. Toronto is 2-9 without Bargnani, who
is out indefinitely and leads the team with 23.5 points in 13 games.
The Raptors lost all four meetings with the Heat last season and are winless
in the previous five contests in this series. Toronto has also lost four
straight and nine of 12 trips to south Florida. Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan
is averaging 16.0 points in seven career games against Miami, while James is
posting 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists in 28 career matchups with
Toronto. Wade is averaging 27.5 ppg in 21 career games in this series.
<< Kvitova sends Czechs into Fed Cup semis
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won
her singles match on Sunday and sent the reigning champion Czech Republic into
the Fed Cup semifinals for a second straight year.
The Czechs entered Sunday's actio
<< Jets wrap road trip against Canadiens
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luckily for the Winnipeg Jets, they got a day of rest
before wrapping their six-game road trip.
The Jets hope to break even on the swing this afternoon in a meeting with the
Montreal Canadiens, who are still searching for
<< Rangers, Flyers meet for first time since Winter Classic
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rangers are enjoying a solid run of success as of late
over the rival Flyers. After all, in the past year they have beaten them in
New York and Philadelphia as well as indoors and outside.
New York seeks a sixth straig
<< Streaking Devils, Pens clash in New Jersey
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of streaking Atlantic Division rivals square off
this afternoon as the New Jersey Devils try to match their longest winning
streak of the season against the rolling Pittsburgh Penguins.
After dropping their final th
<< Bruins hope to get on track versus Capitals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins hope to avoid matching their longest
losing streak of the season this afternoon as they visit a Washington Capitals
club that has its eyes set on first place in the Southeast Division.
The Bruins haven't
Celtics start local events early vs. Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics own an amazing 17 championships, the
most by an NBA franchise.
Their neighbors across the way, the NFL's New England Patriots, can capture
their fourth Super Bowl title Sunday night against th
Hurricanes blow into Durham seeking upset of Blue Devils >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Blue Devils will look to keep
up the race for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference as they host the
Miami-Florida Hurricanes for a bout at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
This will be the 18th
Wolverines and Spartans add another chapter to bitter rivalry >>
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines will
try to be the first team to knock off the ninth-ranked Michigan State Spartans
at the Breslin Center when the two rivals square off in a Big Ten Conference
battle.
Berdych beats Monfils for title in France >>
Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Wimbledon runner-up Tomas
Berdych outlasted French crowd favorite Gael Monfils in Sunday's title match
at the Open Sud de France tennis tournament.
The top-seeded world No. 7 Berdych
Aceves, Red Sox avoid arbitration >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox and pitcher Alfredo Aceves
have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration with the 29-
year-old relief pitcher.
The deal is worth a reported $1.2 million with an add
Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com
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