Spurs, Wolves square off in Twin Cities

Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to continue their mastery of the Minnesota Timberwolves when the two Western Conference inhabitants get together tonight at the Target Center.

San Antonio has won 10 straight and 15 of the past 16 meetings with the Timberwolves, who have lost five in a row as the host in this series. Minnesota's last win over the Spurs was a 103-101 overtime triumph back on January 3, 2007 in the Twin Cities.

The Spurs have won five of their last six games overall, including Wednesday's 97-87 triumph versus the New York Knicks in the Alamo City. Manu Ginobili scored a game-high 28 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the way. Ginobili has scored in double figures 10 times and has posted 20-plus points on six different occasions in 11 games since the All-Star break, averaging 20.9 ppg in that period.

Tim Duncan added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs, who sit seventh in the conference standings. Keith Bogans donated 13 points, while George Hill registered 12 in a winning cause. Hill has started the last 23 games and is posting 16.0 ppg.

"We held them to 18 less than they usually score. I'm pretty happy with that," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after beating the Knickerbockers.

San Antonio will try to push its road record of 14-15 to the .500 mark Friday.

The Timberwolves have seen better days and are playing out the string this evening. They have lost seven straight and 13 of their last 14 games, and are coming off Wednesday's 110-102 loss versus the Denver Nuggets. Nuggets forward J.R. Smith put the game away with a trio of threes late in the game.

"Those three (three-pointers) gave them the momentum. A team like that, you have to put them away. They're a great team," said Minnesota guard Ramon Sessions, who had nine points.

Corey Brewer had 21 points and Al Jefferson posted 17 and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which is 0-3 on a four-game homestand and winless in its last seven contests in the Twin Cities.

Kevin Love notched 15 points and 11 boards in defeat. Minnesota is 9-24 as the host this season.

Socceronlinechance Basketball Betting News

<< Sabres try to run win streak to four games versus Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will aim for a fourth consecutive victory when they welcome the Minnesota Wild for an interconference clash at HSBC Arena. The Sabres' three-game winning streak is the club's longest since a season- bes

<< Desperate Grizzlies welcome Knicks to Memphis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies are still alive in the Western Conference playoff race, but time is running short. Tonight they'll begin a three-game homestand versus the New York Knicks at FedEx Forum with hopes of gaining ground in t

<< Thunder host hapless Nets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The chances of the Oklahoma City Thunder posting their fifth straight home win look promising, as they will resume a three-game residency versus the miserable New Jersey Nets from the Ford Center. The Thunder made it four

<< Nuggets visit the Big Easy to take on Hornets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One slip at the controls and the Denver Nuggets will have some company atop the Northwest Division standings. They'll try to prevent that from happening tonight, when they resume a four-game road trip against the New Orleans

<< Capitals turn eye to East's top seed in meeting with Lightning
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals didn't have to break a sweat in clinching their third straight Southeast Division title on Wednesday. Tonight, they'll try to move closer to locking up the top seed in the Eastern Conference when th

Playoff-bound Cavs make a stop in south Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A large lead atop the Central Division and playoff berth already sewed up has allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to give LeBron James some rest for the stretch run. The reigning NBA MVP is expected to return from his two-gam

Rangers and Thrashers both try to end slides in Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of four-game losing streaks have made a possible road to the postseason a bit harder for the Rangers and Thrashers. Only one team will be able to reverse its misfortunes tonight. Atlanta will try to sweep the season

Celtics try to stop skid in home tilt with Pacers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will be attempting to avoid a third straight loss when the Atlantic Division leaders host the road-challenged Indiana Pacers tonight at TD Garden. Boston followed up a two-point setback at red

Bobcats continue push towards postseason, host Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats aim to maintain their recent winning ways and further solidify their postseason hopes in tonight's clash with a Los Angeles Clippers team that'll be seeking to end a five-game slide when it pays a visit

Sliding Ducks host Predators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks aim for their first win in nearly a month tonight when they host a Nashville Predators club that is struggling to hold onto one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference. The Ducks have dropped

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com