Basement brawl: Woeful Nets visit lowly Sixers
Basketball Betting Lines
03/17/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The bottom two teams of the Atlantic Division will go head-
to-head for the final time of the 2009-10 campaign this evening at the
Wachovia Center, where the homestanding 76ers aim for a season sweep of the
dismal New Jersey Nets.
Both clubs enter tonight's clash mired in five-game losing streaks, with the
Sixers suffering their 10th defeat in 11 outings with Monday's 94-84 home
setback to the New York Knicks.
Philadelphia saw an 11-point halftime lead evaporate in their latest loss
after being outscored 29-14 by the Knicks in the third quarter. The 76ers shot
a woeful 27.3 percent from the field in the second half and just 38.4 percent
for the game.
"You get open shots and just can't make it," said Philadelphia head coach
Eddie Jordan afterward. "That was the story of the game for me."
Jrue Holiday was one bright spot for the Sixers, with the rookie logging 18
points, eight rebounds and six assists. Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert
each posted double-doubles in a losing cause, with Iguodala amassing 14 points
and 17 rebounds and Dalembert finishing with 11 points and 18 boards.
Philadelphia played Monday's contest without second-leading scorer Louis
Williams due to back spasms, while forward Thaddeus Young fractured his right
thumb in the loss and will be sidelined indefinitely. Williams, who's
averaging 14.7 points and 4.1 assists this season, will be a game-time
decision for tonight's tilt.
Even short-handed, the 76ers figure to have a solid chance of stopping their
current slide, considering they've won all three previous meetings with the
lowly Nets in 2009-10. In addition, New Jersey is an NBA-worst 7-59 for the
season and owns a brutal 4-31 mark on the road.
The Nets' struggles continued last night in East Rutherford, where the league
doormats were dealt a 108-84 defeat by Atlanta. New Jersey shot just 38.5
percent as a team and played without standout guard Devin Harris, who sat out
because of a upper respiratory infection that is expected to force him to miss
tonight's game as well.
"We've sustained runs before in previous road trips since the All-Star break,"
said center Brook Lopez, who led New Jersey with 21 points. "We just didn't do
that tonight."
Forward Josh Boone racked up 13 points and a career-high 20 rebounds against
the Hawks and has averaged 8.8 boards in five games since replacing the
injured Yi Jianlian (sprained left ankle) in the starting lineup.
The Nets, whose three losses to the Sixers this season have all been by four
points or fewer, have prevailed in two of their last three visits to the
Wachovia Center.
<< Spurs finish Florida trip in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An intriguing interconference matchup is on tap tonight in
central Florida, where the San Antonio Spurs take on the playoff-bound Orlando
Magic at Amway Arena.
San Antonio is still trying to solidify a postseason spot in t
<< Knicks make a stop in Boston for St. Patrick's Day
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics are closing in on their third straight
Atlantic Division title and will face another inferior opponent tonight on St.
Patrick's Day against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
Boston rebounded from a loss
<< Thunder kick off road trip in Charlotte
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's still plenty of wiggle room left for the Oklahoma
City Thunder to move up in the Western Conference standings. A lengthy winning
streak usually helps, as the Thunder shoot for a sixth straight win tonight
against the
<< Redskins sign QB Grossman
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins have signed
quarterback Rex Grossman.
Grossman has seven years of NFL experience, and spent last season with
Houston in a backup role. He played in one game, complet
<< Blackhawks limp into Honda Center to battle Ducks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago has had a hard enough time picking up victories in
Anaheim without having injuries to worry about. Nonetheless, the Blackhawks
could be without as many as four key skaters tonight when they visit the
Honda Center to t
Reeling Bulls visit powerhouse Mavs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have picked a bad time to start playing
poorly and their chances of ending an eight-game slide don't look so promising
with tonight's road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Bulls have also dropped
Road-weary Pacers try to fix issues in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An Indiana Pacers team that's had its share of troubles on
the road will face another tough challenge in tonight's visit to Quicken Loans
Arena for a bout with the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pacers have lost eigh
Raptors return home to face Hawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to hold on to a playoff berth that's beginning to
slip away, the Toronto Raptors return to the Air Canada Centre this evening
for an important matchup with an Atlanta Hawks team that figures to be without
its lea
Rockets to host Grizzlies in key conference clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a virtual must-win situation for a pair of Western
Conference teams in desperation mode tonight as the Houston Rockets host the
Memphis Grizzlies at the Toyota Center.
Historically the Grizzlies haven't had a lot of s
Jazz seeking to extend Timberwolves' season-long misery >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a potential mismatch on the NBA docket, the Western
Conference power Utah Jazz welcome the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves to Salt
Lake City tonight.
The Jazz, who are currently the fourth seed in the West, snapped a rare
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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