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Magic's young guns coming of ageBasketball Betting Lines11/24/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yes, it's too early to jump to conclusions with the 2006-07 NBA season not even a month old, but the Orlando Magic have definitely served notice that they will be a factor in the Southeast Division. After Wednesday's 96-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers -- the Magic's fifth win in six games -- Orlando moved into a tie with Cleveland for the best record in the Eastern Conference at 8-4. What's even more impressive about that splendid start is that the players most responsible for the turnaround, forward Dwight Howard and guard Jameer Nelson, are just starting to show off their considerable potential. With each passing game, Howard continues to prove Orlando correct for taking him with the No. 1 overall pick as an 18-year-old in the 2004 draft. The ultra-talented youngster amassed 24 points and 21 rebounds in last Saturday's victory over Charlotte, then backed that monster performance up with a 24- point, 23-rebound effort at Memphis two days later. Howard had a chance to become the first NBA player since Kevin Willis in 1991 to record three straight games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds, but could "only" manage 16 points and 11 boards in the Indiana win. The yet-to- turn 21-year-old leads the league with an average of 13.8 rebounds per game and is shooting better than 60 percent from the field. Nelson picked up the slack against the Pacers, as the third-year pro racked up 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He's averaging a career-best 15.1 points through the team's first 12 outings. Orlando will try to maintain its grasp on the Southeast lead with consecutive games against divisional opponents this weekend. The Magic visit defending world champion Miami on Friday before hosting Atlanta on Saturday.
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Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - To see the potential of the Buffalo Sabres, all you need to do is take a look at two games this past week. A 7-2 win over Tampa Bay that saw the team net seven goals in one period. A 7-4 win over
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards' disappointing 4-7 record at this early stage of the NBA season has been largely due to an inability to win on the road. Eddie Jordan's club has posted a splendid 4-1 mark at home thus far, but has drop
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Football BettingNFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago. Thursday, August 21 NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37 NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007 In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points. Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season): * SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp. Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled. Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too. That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm. Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds. CHICAGO -3 (-120) ** The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond! Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds . |
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