Celtics start local events early vs. Memphis

Basketball Betting Lines

02/05/2012 - (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 the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.

Before possibly having some snacks and beverages watching the Patriots-Giants game, the Celtics have their own work to do and will host the Memphis Grizzlies in a matinee affair from TD Garden. The Celtics look to stay unbeaten on their current five-game homestand and improved to 2-0 on the residency thanks to a 91-89 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday in a rematch of a Christmas Day affair. New York won that game, 106-104.

Ray Allen scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter of the most recent encounter with the Knicks and Paul Pierce ended with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Boston, which has won 10 in a row at home over the Knicks and three straight overall. Pierce described the intensity of the Atlantic Division showdown.

"Both teams were just fighting for it," Pierce said. "Was like a summer game where whoever won the game would make the NBA."

Boston has fought for seven wins in its last eight games and got 15 points and eight boards from Kevin Garnett. Garnett also grabbed the 10,000th defensive rebound of his career early in the second quarter, becoming just the third player in NBA history to reach that mark. Rajon Rondo had seven points, seven assists and five rebounds in his return to the lineup after missing eight games with a right wrist injury. The Celtics are 8-6 at home and will also welcome the Bobcats and despised Lakers to Beantown.

The Celtics sit four games behind Philadelphia for the division lead and are winless against the Western Conference this season (0-4). On the milestone watch, Pierce is 30 points shy of tying Larry Bird (21,791) for second on the team's all-time scoring list. John Havlicek has a comfortable spot at the top with 26,395 points. Pierce is probable for today's game with a strained hip and so is center Jermaine O'Neal (sore knee).

Memphis was sent back to the loss column with Friday's 101-94 setback at Oklahoma City and had a two-game winning streak stopped. Thunder superstar Kevin Durant poured in 36 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute.

"He's a great player. I mean that's all you can say -- he's a great player. He made great plays and great shots down the stretch," Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins said about Durant. "He took over the game. He's going to be one of the all-time greats if he stays healthy."

Marc Gasol had 24 points and Rudy Gay ended with 23 for the Grizzlies, who have lost five of seven games since a season-high seven-game winning streak. Oklahoma City recorded 29 points off of Memphis' 19 giveaways, while the Grizzlies scored 26 points on 17 Thunder turnovers.

Former Celtics guard Tony Allen scored 17 points and O.J. Mayo added 13 in a reserve role. The Grizzlies are 1-1 on a three-game road trip, 5-8 as the visitor and three games behind San Antonio for the lead in the Southwest Division. They'll start a five-game homestand Monday versus the Spurs.

Gay has scored 20-plus points in three straight games and is averaging 17.9 points in nine career games against Boston. The Grizzlies and Celtics have split a home-and-home series in back-to-back seasons, but Boston has won 14 of the past 20 meetings between the teams. Pierce has recorded 21.5 ppg in 24 career matchups with Memphis. Garnett is averaging 19.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in 50 career games against the Grizzlies.

The Celtics possess an all-time record of 18-13 against Memphis, winners of four straight against Eastern Conference opponents.

Oblinecasino Basketball Betting News

<< Heat host Raptors in matinee affair
(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

<< 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

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

Youzhny whips Lacko for Zagreb title >>
Zagreb, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russian Mikhail Youzhny cruised past Slovakian Lukas Lacko in straight sets in Sunday's final at the Zagreb Indoors tennis event. The third-seeded world No. 39 Youzhny doused the unseeded Lacko 6-2,

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.