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02/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic open a home-and- home set tonight when the two teams square off at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Detroit comes into the game on a winning note after holding on for an 84-83 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Chauncey Billups scored 19 points in the win. Milwaukee's Mo Williams missed a driving layup in the final seconds of regulation, and the Pistons slapped away the rebound to preserve the win.
Rasheed Wallace scored 16 points and pulled down 11 boards for the Pistons, who have won eight of nine. Antonio McDyess added 15 points and seven boards off the bench, and Richard Hamilton finished with 12 points and seven boards for Detroit.
The Pistons are 17-10 as the host this year and lead the Central Division by 2 1/2 games over Cleveland.
Orlando was also in action on Tuesday, but fell to the New York Knicks, 100-94, at Madison Square Garden.
Dwight Howard was a force, recording 27 points and 14 boards, for the Magic, who made it interesting in the final minutes only to lose for the 13th time in 18 outings.
Orlando drew within 94-91 after Jameer Nelson hit a three-pointer with under 1 1/2 minutes to play, but New York held off the Magic by scoring six of the final nine points of the contest.
Nelson ended with 16 points as Orlando lost for the fifth straight time on the road. The club's last win away from Amway Arena was on January 22 against Cleveland.
The setback dropped the Magic back to .500 at 27-27. The club is tied with the Miami Heat for second in the Southeast Division and seventh overall in the East, and is 4 1/2 games back of Washington for the top spot in the standings.
The Magic and Pistons will conclude the home-and-home set on Friday at TD Waterhouse Centre. Detroit has won five of the last six and eight of the last 10 in the series overall, and four in a row against the Magic at home.
<< Cavs, Raptors meet in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers conclude a three-game road trip
tonight when they travel to Toronto to battle the Raptors at Air Canada
Centre.
Cleveland has split the first two games of its trek so far. The Cavaliers were
downe
<< Knicks visit Atlantic Division-rival Philadelphia
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers conclude their seven-game homestand
tonight when they welcome the Atlantic Division rival New York Knicks to the
Wachovia Center.
The Sixers fell to 2-4 on their stand before the All-Star break when
<< Florida inches closer to SEC crown, as Gators host Gamecocks
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Florida Gators have
been knocked off their perch atop the college basketball world, at
least temporarily, but they continue to rule the SEC and are heavy
favorit
<< Louisville seeks 20th victory of the season
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Louisville Cardinals gun for
their fourth straight win tonight, as they host the St. John's Red Storm
in Big East play from Freedom Hall.
The Cardinals moved into the Top-25 this
Celtics continue swing in Phoenix >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Division-leading Phoenix Suns welcome the
NBA-worst Boston Celtics tonight to US Airways Center.
This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the squads. On
December 8th, Shawn Marion poured i
Kobe, Lakers get back to work against Portland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All-Star Game MVP Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers
return to the court tonight, as they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to the
Staples Center.
Bryant scored 31 points, dished out six assists and had six steals to
Miami's Pat Riley returns to bench in Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat welcome head coach Pat Riley back to
the bench tonight when they travel to Houston to battle the Rockets at the
Toyota Center.
Riley announced before the Heat's 104-85 win over Portland last Tuesday he
wo
Warriors return from All-Star break to host Grizzlies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors play their first game back from
the All-Star break, as they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies tonight to ORACLE
Arena.
Golden State went into the break on a winning note. On February 14th, Stephen
J
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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