NBA's best meets worst as Cavs host Nets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The teams with the best and worst records in the NBA this season will go head-to-head at Quicken Loans Arena tonight, where the powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers put an 11-game win streak on the line against the downtrodden New Jersey Nets.

Cleveland's current surge, tied with Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers for the longest string of consecutive wins in the league in 2009-10, has given the championship hopefuls a 41-11 record for the season and a comfortable six-game advantage over Southeast Division leader Orlando for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs have a 1 1/2-game edge on the Lakers for the best mark in the NBA.

The Cavaliers kept up their winning ways with Saturday's 113-106 home verdict over the New York Knicks, with LeBron James once again leading the way. The reigning league MVP established a franchise-best with 35 first-half points to help Cleveland build a commanding 74-54 lead at intermission, and finished with 47 along with eight rebounds and eight assists.

"I was able to shoot the ball extremely well, but still get my teammates involved," said James, who was named the Eastern Conference's Player of the Week on Monday. "When I'm on fire, I can go for a lot of points, but getting my teammates involved is good for us in the long run."

Shaquille O'Neal chipped in 19 points and Anthony Parker scored 11 for the Cavaliers, who continue to win despite injuries to two key members in Mo Williams and Delonte West.

West, who missed the last eight games due to a broken ring finger, did practice without incident on Monday and could be back in the lineup for tonight's matchup. Williams, who's second to James among Cleveland players in scoring (16.9 ppg) and assists (5.1 apg), hasn't played since January 19 because of a sprained left shoulder and is sidelined indefinitely.

The Cavs will be shooting for a 10th straight home victory tonight and are an NBA-best 22-3 at Quicken Loans Arena this season. In contrast, New Jersey is a woeful 1-26 on the road and has dropped 14 in a row since its lone triumph as the visitor, a 103-101 decision over Chicago on December 8.

The 4-46 Nets have also lost six straight games overall and 17 of its last 18 contests following Saturday's 99-92 defeat at Detroit. The team's latest loss was further marred by an injury to top player Devin Harris, who had to be helped off the court after colliding with teammate Jarvis Hayes in the game's final minute.

Harris, who put up a team-best 21 points and seven assists in the loss, was diagnosed with a sprained left shoulder and will be a game-time decision this evening. The 26-year-old missed nearly two weeks with a similar ailment last season.

This is my third sprained AC joint, so I just know how to brace it to make it feel better," Harris said after the game. "It's not as bad as the one I had last year."

Hayes bruised his left shin as a result of the incident and is expected to play tonight.

The Nets will be attempting to stop a stretch of six straight losses to the Cavaliers, with three of those defeats having taken place in Cleveland. The Cavs topped New Jersey by a 99-89 score at Quicken Loans Arena back on December 15.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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