Cavs aiming for rebound in tilt with Suns

Basketball Betting Lines

02/11/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to bounce back from consecutive losses for the first time this season when they return home to host the Phoenix Suns at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Cavs got their first taste of defeat at home this season with a 101-91 setback to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, then dropped a 96-95 decision at Indiana Tuesday night despite LeBron James' 47 points on 15-of-21 shooting.

James is averaging 36.2 points in his last five games, including a season-high 52 points at New York last Wednesday.

Mo Williams, who was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star squad as a replacement for Toronto's Chris Bosh, had 15 points for the Cavaliers, who have dropped two straight since a four-game winning streak. Zydrunas Ilgauskas chipped in 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

Cleveland had started off the season with 23 straight wins at Quicken Loans Arena before falling to the Lakers.

Meanwhile, the struggling Suns will wrap up a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Cavs and fell to 1-1 on the trek after Monday's 108-91 loss at Philadelphia. Steve Nash, who had 21 assists in Sunday's win at Detroit, posted just two points and eight assists against the Sixers.

Amare Stoudemire recorded a team-high 19 points for the Suns, while Jason Richardson ended with 16 points in defeat. Shaquille O'Neal was held in check with just seven points and 10 boards for Phoenix, which has dropped seven of its last 12 overall games and is 14-12 away from home in 2008-09.

The Suns went 2-0 against Cleveland last season and have won four straight, six of seven and 15 of the last 18 meetings in the series. These two teams have split the 12 most recent encounters in Ohio.

Casono Basketball Betting News

<< Sharks hope to extend success versus Penguins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks picked up a big win in Boston on Tuesday and will try to make it two straight victories when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for this evening's interconference battle at Mellon Arena. The Sharks are

<< Visiting Sens go for home-and-home sweep of Sabres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators will shoot for a home-and-home sweep when they visit the Buffalo Sabres for this evening's Northeast Division battle at HSBC Arena. The Senators ended a four-game losing streak by notching a shootout vi

<< Nuggets hoping to end poor history in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle of division leaders is set for tonight in Orlando, where the Denver Nuggets resume an eight-game road trip against the Magic at Amway Arena. The Northwest Division-leading Nuggets haven't had much success in Orlan

<< Blackhawks aim to rebound versus Thrashers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to get back in the win column tonight when they visit the lowly Atlanta Thrashers for an interconference matchup at Philips Arena. The Blackhawks had a three-game winning streak halted in a

<< Caps' Green tries to match scoring record vs. struggling Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Green will try to tie a NHL record as his first-place Washington Capitals visit the struggling New York Rangers for tonight's encounter at Madison Square Garden. Green has scored a goal in a club-record six straight g

Clemmensen, Devils host Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off his first shutout in nearly five years, Scott Clemmensen will lead the first-place New Jersey Devils as they welcome the New York Islanders for tonight's Atlantic Division clash at Prudential Center. On Monday, C

Spurs shoot for another win over Raptors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to continue their dominance over the Toronto Raptors when the two clubs square off again Wednesday night at Air Canada Centre. San Antonio, which is currently 3-1 on an eight-game road trip,

Slumping Wizards limp into Charlotte >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards will try to put the brakes on a five-game road losing streak this evening, when they take on the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Washington will also close out a brief two-game road swi

Avs cap road trip in St. Paul >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado goaltender Andrew Raycroft will try tonight for his first win in over a month, as the Avalanche close out a three-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. With the Avalanche playing on back

Knicks to end rough road trip against Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks are still searching for their first win this month and will close out a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. New York has lost its first five games of Febru

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards