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Reeling Raptors try and keep hope alive against PistonsBasketball Betting Lines04/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Losers of five in a row, the Toronto Raptors have only themselves to blame on possibly missing out on a playoff berth. Tonight they'll try to regroup with a visit to the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Toronto suffered a tough 104-88 loss at home to the Chicago Bulls, who took over the eighth and final postseason spot in the conference with two games to play. The Raptors are a game behind and got a career-high 19 rebounds and six points from Hedo Turkoglu. "Maybe I should have taken better shots offensively," Turkoglu said. "I have to put the game behind me. We've got to concentrate on the next two games." Sonny Weems and Andrea Bargnani both had 18 points, while Jarrett Jack netted 14 for the Raptors, who will host New York on Wednesday in the season finale. Detroit's disappointing season is almost over and the team had a three-game winning streak cut short with Saturday's 99-95 loss to playoff-bound Charlotte in the Tar Heel State. Ben Gordon ended with 21 points and seven assists for the Pistons, who received 14 points from Jason Maxiell. Will Bynum and Charlie Villanueva each had 12 points in a losing effort. Gordon is averaging 27.3 points in his last three games. "We've been playing well lately," said Bynum, who is posting 10.4 points and 5.4 assists in his last 18 games. "If we could've played like this all year, I think we would have been in the playoffs right now. It's a little bit frustrating knowing that we had the ability to play like this, and to play like this now at the end of the season." The Pistons will wrap up the 2009-10 campaign on Wednesday at Minnesota. In injury news, guard Rodney Stuckey (ribs) is questionable for Monday's game. Toronto has won the first three meetings with Detroit this season and has never swept a season series from the Pistons. The Raptors have lost 11 of 12 and 14 of their last 17 games at The Palace.
<< Spurs aim for 12th straight win vs. T'Wolves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still grappling for playoff position in the tight Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs shoot for their 12th straight win over the woeful Minnesota Timberwolves in their regular season finale at the AT&T Cen
<< Nuggets still alive for No. 2 seed; host Grizzlies
<< Kings welcome Rockets to ARCO Arena
<< Playoff-bound Blazers, Thunder clash in Rose City
<< Mavs pay a visit to Clippers
Hawks aim to wrap up East's No. 3 seed in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A win tonight would lock up the East's No. 3 seed for the Atlanta Hawks, who will pay a visit to the playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks tonight at the Bradley Center. Atlanta is a game ahead of Boston for the third spot in the
Bobcats visit lowly Nets >>
Garza, Rays shoot for another victory over Orioles >>
Now the season begins; playoffs set to go >>
Twins host Red Sox in Target Field opener >>
NFL Football BettingBILLS (+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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