Basketball Betting
 

Basketball Betting


NFL Football
NCAA Football
NCAA Basketball
MLB Baseball
NHL Hockey
Soccer
Auto
Horse Racing
Golf
Tennis
 

NBA Basketball Betting

Wizards, again, end season with Arenas questions

Basketball Betting Lines

04/15/2010 -

WASHINGTON (AP) -After the Washington Wizards' season finale, Gilbert Arenas' locker sat virtually empty. It contained two shirts, a couple of pieces of paper and a pink athletics band used to stretch and rehab muscles.

The four guns that caused so much trouble were long gone, and the former occupant was spending the night in a halfway house.

And while Andray Blatche, the undisputed go-to star of the team - an honor he won totally by default - held court with reporters in the center of the locker room, the Wizards' seasoned ended with the same old question for the fourth consecutive season:

``What's up with Gil?''

In 2007, Arenas had just injured up his knee. In 2008, his knee still wasn't completely healed and he was about to become a free agent. In 2009, he finished the season having played only two games but said his knee was finally healed. He vowed to be more serious and said after the season ended: ``I don't go out, I don't club, I don't get in trouble, I don't fight. I just go play basketball and go home.''

Now he's a convicted felon, having been sentenced to 30 days in the halfway house for bringing guns into the locker room in December as part of what he called a prank to settle an argument over gambling debts with teammate Javaris Crittenton.

Another season was ruined, and the Wizards finished among the dregs of the NBA for the second straight year, going 26-56.

And there seems to be no getting rid of him. Arenas is only two years into a six-year, $111 million contract.

``It's maybe not what I signed up for originally when I came,'' said coach Flip Saunders, finishing his first season with the club.

To his credit, Saunders was quick to add that he's not jumping ship, that coaches love challenges and that: ``Through every adversity, through every challenge, there's opportunity.''

Then the Wizards should have lots of opportunity.

Not only did this season include the Arenas-Crittenton saga, but beloved longtime owner Abe Pollin died in November. Franchise cornerstones Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood were traded in February. The biggest asset acquired in those deals - Josh Howard - promptly blew out his knee.

But now the possibilities are endless. The Wizards essentially have only six players under contract for next season and $18.7 million of salary cap space to pursue free agents. They also have two picks in the first round of the draft. The Pollin family is selling the team to Ted Leonsis, who will bring his unique vibe and energy to the franchise, as he has already done with the Washington Capitals.

``Right now,'' Saunders said, ``we have an open canvas.''

Not quite fully open. At the center, once again, will be Arenas. For the fourth year in a row, the Wizards have no choice but to express optimism - whether warranted or not - that he'll return as the player he once was.

``Gilbert, he's an All-Star player,'' Saunders said. ``The whole situation, I'm sure he's learned from it.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

<< Rangers dominate PFA nominations
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers players dominate the nominations for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award, with the four-man shortlist made up of David Weir, Steve Davis, Kris Boyd and Andy Webster. Weir, Davis and B

<< Djokovic, Nadal ease into Monte Carlo quarters
Monte Carlo, Monaco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded 2009 runner-up Novak Djokovic and five-time reigning champion Rafael Nadal were easy third-round winners Thursday at the $2.97 million Monte Carlo Masters. Djokovic cooled off ho

<< Real Salt Lake loans goalie Melia to USL club
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake loaned goalkeeper Tim Melia to the Charleston Battery of the United Soccer Leagues Second Division on Thursday. Melia, who can be recalled to Real Salt Lake at any time per conditions of the loan a

<< Eagles' OL Jean-Gilles signs one-year tender
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Thursday that offensive lineman Max Jean-Gilles has signed his one-year tender offer. The 6-foot-3, 358-pound guard was tendered at the fourth-round level aft

<< Arsenal's Vermaelen will miss rest of season
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen will miss the rest of the season, coach Arsene Wenger said Thursday. Vermaelen strained his calf in Wednesday' loss to Tottenham, which essentially ended the Gunners' title

Bayern believes Ribery will stay >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said he fully expects France international Franck Ribery to remain with the club next season. The attacker's future has been the topic of wi

New England's Joseph sidelined by hip injury >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England midfielder Shalrie Joseph will miss his third match of the season Saturday due to a hip flexor strain, it was reported Thursday by MLSsoccer.com. Joseph missed the first two matches because of

Rooney highlights finalists for PFA award >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is expected to be confirmed as Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year after being named on a four-man shortlist for this year's award. Chelsea's

Galliani: Leonardo will coach Milan next season >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan Chief Executive Adriano Galliani insists Leonardo will definitely return as coach next season. The rookie Brazilian has come under fire at times this season following a slow start to their Serie

Jets' Washington signs tender >>
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jets running back and kick returner Leon Washington signed his one-year contract tender Thursday. Washington met with the media Thursday and said he was happy to be back after spending the last two mo

Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

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

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards