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Sixers try to bounce back vs. bumbling BobcatsBasketball Betting Lines01/27/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers try to bounce back from a rare loss at home this evening when they welcome the hapless Charlotte Bobcats to the Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia lost for only the second time in 10 tries in front of its fans on Wednesday, falling in overtime, 97-90, to the New Jersey Nets. Lou Williams ended with 17 points and six assists for Philadelphia, which fell to 8-2 at home this season. Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday had 16 and 14 points, respectively. Trailing by four, 88-84, with 2 1/2 minutes left in overtime, Philly ripped off six straight points to take the lead. Holiday capped the surge with an easy steal off an inbounds pass and slam, making it 90-88 with 1:18 to go. But Deron Williams made a jumper and three-pointer around Jodie Meeks' missed three-pointer to give New Jersey a 93-90 edge with 26.8 seconds left. The Nets then sealed the win with four free throws. "We had five fast break points tonight. That was the difference," said Sixers coach Doug Collins. "We never could get out and run." After winning nine of 10 games, the Sixers have now lost three of five and have surrendered 95.4 points-per-game in doing so. Not helping any is the fact that the team is without its two centers Spencer Hawes (Achilles) and Nik Vucevic (quadriceps). "We definitely need our bigs," Brand said. "We're looking forward to getting them back, but we just couldn't get stops." The Sixers added some depth earlier Friday by signing veteran free agent center Francisco Elson. "We are happy to pick up Francisco Elson, a veteran big man who can help bolster our front court, Sixers president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said when announcing the signing. Charlotte, meanwhile, continues to be one of the league's worst teams at 3-16. The Bobcats dropped their sixth straight game on Wednesday to the equally anemic Washington Wizards, losing 92-75. Matt Carroll scored 17 points in his first start of the year for the Bobcats, who were without starters D.J. Augustin (toe) and Gerald Henderson (back). The Bobcats got help from rookie Kemba Walker, who scored eight points to go with four assists and six boards in place of Augustin; and Tyrus Thomas, who added 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high nine blocks for Charlotte, which has dropped seven in a row on the road. "As I said last night, take three or four of your best players off any team, and you're not gonna play well," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said about his team's recent injuries. "Our scorers, our two leading scorers are not playing, how are we gonna score?" The loss was the 12th in 13 tries for the Bobcats, who will be without Augustin again tonight. Henderson will likely be a game-time decision. Philadelphia could have an even bigger edge tonight, as the home team in this series has won the last four and seven of the last eight contests. Charlotte has also dropped 10 of its last 13 in the City of Brotherly Love.
<< Wolves welcome Spurs to the Twin Cities
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to snap a 16-game losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs when the two clubs met in early January and shoot for a rare win streak in the series tonight at the Target Center. The Timberwo
<< Bogut-less Bucks visit Bulls
<< Cavs and Nets meet at The Q
<< Mavs hope to rebound with Jazz in town
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Staten Island, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wagner College football program will open its 2012 season at Florida Atlantic - the Seahawks' first game against a Football Bowl Subdivision school. Wagner announced an 11-game schedule on Friday, beg
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NFL Football BettingBILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover. BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week. COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy. TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win. RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win. PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start. JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch. SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do. VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams. DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home. SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one. BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1. BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses. RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw. PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting. |
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