Celtics, Knickerbockers square off in Beantown

Basketball Betting Lines

02/28/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics try to make it two straight wins this evening when they host the division-rival New York Knicks at TD Banknorth Garden.

Boston hasn't won consecutive games since ripping off five straight wins from December 9 - 16 this season. The Celtics ended a four-game losing streak with Monday's 77-72 victory over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

Paul Pierce recorded 28 points to help take advantage of a Tracy McGrady-less Houston squad. Pierce scored seven of his points during a 13-0 run late in the fourth quarter for the Celtics, who won for just the second time over their past 22 contests.

Delonte West added 16 points and Al Jefferson had 16 points and 17 rebounds for Boston, which will return home where it is just 5-21 this season. The Celtics are last in the Atlantic, while New York is 5 1/2 games off the lead.

New York has alternated wins and losses over its last nine games, and posted a 99-93 triumph over Miami on Monday at Madison Square Garden.

Stephon Marbury scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Knicks to their second win in three games. Eddy Curry added 28 points and 11 rebounds for New York, which won for the third time in five outings since the All-Star break.

The Knicks, who are still alive for a playoff spot, have lost their last three games on the road and are 10-19 away from the Big Apple this season.

On the injury front for New York, forward David Lee (ankle) is questionable for Wednesday's game, while guard Steve Francis (knee) is doubtful against the Celtics.

Wednesday's showdown between Boston and New York is the fourth and final meeting of the regular season. The Celtics lead the 2006-07 series by a 2-1 count and have won five of seven and nine of the last 12 meetings.

New York has won two straight after losing its last three in Beantown.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

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 MySportsbook.com’s “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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