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Raptors hope to stay the course vs. JazzBasketball Betting Lines03/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A two-game winning streak has enhanced the Toronto Raptors' chances of reaching the playoffs, but the club will be facing a step up in competition when it starts a brief homestand with tonight's encounter with the formidable Utah Jazz. Toronto's postseason hopes took a hit after losing five straight games from March 7-14, but the team has won three of four since that skid to aid its cause. The Raptors enter tonight's play holding the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games ahead of Chicago and a half-game behind seventh-place Charlotte in the race. The Raptors return to the Air Canada Centre off a pair of important road wins, although those victories came against the NBA's two worst teams in New Jersey and Minnesota. After topping the Nets by a 100-90 count on Saturday, Toronto handed the reeling Timberwolves a 13th straight loss via a 106-100 decision Monday at the Target Center. Chris Bosh finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Raptors, who outscored Minnesota 32-23 in the third quarter to build a 10-point lead and held off their opponent the rest of the way. Six other Toronto players scored in double figures on the night, with the Raptors shooting a solid 49.4 percent from the field and outrebounding the T-Wolves by a 42-35 margin. "We outrebounded them and they only got eight offensive boards, so that was one of the things we wanted to do," Toronto head coach Jay Triano said. "[The Timberwolves] are a very good shooting team and shot the ball well in the fourth quarter." Andrea Bargnani compiled 19 points and seven rebounds for Toronto, with Antoine Wright and Sonny Weems each contributing 13 points off the bench to the winning effort. The Raptors now get to play their next two games up north, where the team has amassed a strong 23-11 record this season. However, they'll be taking on the Northwest Division's top two squads on the residency, with front-running Denver paying a visit on Friday after tonight's test from the Jazz. Utah comes in having won two straight and eight of its last 11 outings and has dominated the Raptors in recent years. The Jazz have prevailed in the last nine matchups between these teams, four of which have taken place in Toronto. The Jazz have lost three in a row on the road, however, as they begin a stretch of three consecutive away games this evening. Utah will also visit also-rans Indiana and Washington on the trek. Utah enters the trip off back-to-back blowout wins at home over New Orleans and Boston, using a strong second-half surge to deal the Atlantic Division- leading Celtics a 110-97 defeat on Monday. Down by five points at halftime, the Jazz outscored Boston 33-19 during the pivotal third quarter to forge ahead. Mehmet Okur scored 11 of his 14 points in the period, while all but one of Carlos Boozer's 19 points came over the final 24 minutes. "It was a tough first half, but in the second half it was a different ball game," Okur said. "We wanted to come out there and react right from the beginning, including myself. I wanted to be active on the defensive end and on the other end, my teammates just kept telling me to shoot the ball and I played like [I had] a lot of confidence." Utah also got big games out of C.J. Miles and Deron Williams, with Miles pouring in a team-best 23 points and Williams scoring 22 while dishing out 11 assists. The Jazz head to Toronto owning the fourth overall seed in the Western Conference with a 46-25 record and are one game back of the Nuggets for the Northwest's top spot.
<< Celtics back in Beantown to host Nuggets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of first-place teams will square off this evening at Boston's TD Garden, where the Atlantic Division-leading Celtics begin a long homestand with a showdown against a Denver Nuggets squad seeking to bounce back fr
<< Cavs visit Paul, Hornets
<< Kings kick off road trip against hapless Nets
<< Magic hope to inch closer to Southeast Division crown vs. Hawks
<< Bobcats open key homestand vs. woeful Wolves
Pacers, Wizards clash in Indy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Indiana Pacers will be shooting for their longest winning streak in four months, the Washington Wizards hope to avoid matching a franchise record for consecutive losses when these two teams square off tonight
Rangers try to solve Isles at MSG >>
Pens and Caps clash in D.C. >>
Report: Charge against Sapp dropped >>
Habs get reinforcements for battle in Buffalo >>
MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet. Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots. Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. |
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