Bobcats halt Thunder's winning streak

Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson came up with 20 points, five assists and added five rebounds, as Charlotte put a stop to Oklahoma City's five-game win streak with a 100-92 triumph.

Stephen Graham tied a career-high with 19 points -- set on Tuesday -- and Raymond Felton scored 17 with seven assists for the Bobcats, who had a season- high six-game winning streak cut short Tuesday in Indiana.

Boris Diaw chipped in 13 points and Tyrus Thomas 11 with nine boards. Bobcats star forward Gerald Wallace missed a third straight game with an ankle injury.

Kevin Durant recorded 26 points and 10 boards for Oklahoma City, which experienced just its fourth loss in the last 21 games overall.

Jeff Green put in 17 points, while Russell Westbrook and Nick Collison each added 15 points. Westbrook handed out 10 assists as well.

The Thunder were ahead 26-15 after 12 minutes of play and stretched their lead to 16 early in the second and held a 51-32 advantage with 2 1/2 minutes left following a Westbrook jumper. The Bobcats closed on an 11-0 run to make it a 51-43 affair at halftime.

The Bobcats clawed all the way back to a 61-61 tie on Graham's layup halfway through the third and finished the period on a 10-5 run to grab a 73-70 edge going to the fourth.

The hosts continued to hold down a slight edge, but Durant put in a pair of baskets and Westbrook a layup to make it a one-point game, 84-83, with 5 1/2 minutes to play.

Jackson drained a three-ball moments later, and Thomas threw down an alley-oop slam off a Diaw feed with 3:14 left for a six-point difference. The Thunder failed to execute down the stretch and got just two more field goals the rest of the way, as Charlotte built its lead back to double digits.

Game Notes

The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved Michael Jordan's acquisition of a controlling interest in the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday. Jordan and MJ Basketball Holdings, LLC reached an agreement to purchase the majority of the team from Bobcats owner Bob Johnson in late February but was awaiting official approval by the league...The Bobcats have won five in a row at home and are 25-8 at Time Warner Cable Arena this season...The Thunder will also visit Toronto and Indiana on a three-game road trip and are 19-14 away from the Ford Center this year.

Wwwgamehub Basketball Betting News

<< Florida Derby wide open with 11 starters
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A field of 11 three-year-olds has been entered for Saturday's $750,000 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. The 1 1/8- mile race is historically a major stepping stone on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

<< Titans sign DE Babin to offer sheet
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans have signed unrestricted free agent defensive end Jason Babin to an offer sheet. Babin played in 12 games last season and recorded 20 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks for the Eagle

<< Rutgers retains Hill for now
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rutgers University will retain the services of men's head basketball coach Fred Hill for the upcoming season. The school on Wednesday issued a brief release from director of intercollegiate

<< Mariners release P Petit
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners released right-handed pitcher Yusmeiro Petit on Wednesday. The move comes before Petit ever threw a pitch in a regular-season game for Seattle, as the team claimed him off waivers f

<< Cliff Lee dealt five-game suspension
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball handed down a five- game suspension and an undisclosed fine to Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee Wednesday. MLB's ruling indicated Lee intentionally threw at the head of Arizona c

Devils sweep season series with Penguins >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Parise and Patrik Elias each posted a goal and one assist as New Jersey completed a six-game regular-season sweep of Pittsburgh with a 5-2 decision at the Prudential Center. Dainius Zubrus, Paul Mar

Bosh sends Raptors past Hawks on last-second shot >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Bosh hit the winning jump shot with 2.1 seconds left, boosting the Toronto Raptors to a 106-105 decision over the Atlanta Hawks. Bosh had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Andrea Bargnani totaled

Cavs win division, continue home dominance of Pacers >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James nearly had his second straight triple-double, finishing with 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers captured their second straight Central Division title with a

Sixers stop slide, topple Nets >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Iguodala netted 20 points and dished out eight assists as the Sixers took down the reeling Nets, 108-97, at the Wachovia Center. Jrue Holiday netted 19 and Elton Brand added 12 points and eig

Celtics get St. Patty's Day win over Knicks >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce scored 29 points in 24 minutes to lead Boston in a 109-97 win against the Knicks amid a sea of green on St. Patrick's Day at the Garden. Kevin Garnett added 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting f

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.


COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting