Magic take on Cavs in central Florida

Basketball Betting Lines

02/03/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic try to string back-to-back wins together this evening when they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to town to wrap up a brief two-game homestand at Amway Center.

Orlando snapped its season-high four-game losing streak on Wednesday, as Dwight Howard posted 23 points and 18 rebounds to help the Magic to a 109-103 victory versus Washington. Ryan Anderson also scored 23 while J.J. Redick dropped in 21 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Magic, who won for only the second time in their last seven tries.

"We just wanted to come in and focus on getting a win," said Anderson. "It was a frustrating stretch of games, but we knew we had it in us to come back and get wins and tonight is a streak we want to start."

The 109 points were a good sign for a Magic club that had averaged a mere 76.0 points during the slide, while shooting just 39.4 percent. The offense has been hurt by the absence of point guard Jameer Nelson, who hasn't played since Jan. 27 because of a concussion.

"I think we need to look to the next game and bring the same effort and energy," said Anderson, who buried six three-pointers in Wednesday's win. "We didn't want to focus too much on that streak because that's a week we'd all like to forget. Those games we'd all like to forget about and we can move forward and get a win next game and just start a little run.

"This started our confidence, but we need to follow through with it."

Cleveland, meanwhile, comes into tonight's contest on the heels of a narrow 93-90 loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. The Cavs had beaten the Celtics on Sunday, but couldn't overcome a 22-point deficit that they cut to two with a minute remaining.

"We just couldn't finish it off," said rookie point guard Kyrie Irving. "They gave us their best shot and it came down to the final minutes. We've just got to keep our energy up for 48 minutes."

Anderson Varejao had 20 points and 20 rebounds -- 10 offensive -- but missed a pair of shots in the final minute. Irving had 13 of his 21 points in the final stanza, including an inconsequential three-pointer as time expired.

"They played so hard tonight, it was great to see," Cavs coach Byron Scott said of his team. "We just have to continue to play that hard."

Orlando has won six straight overall over the Cavs and eight of its last 10 in its building against them.

Lasvgas Basketball Betting News

<< Knicks and Celtics renew rivalry at TD Garden
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carmelo Anthony has battled with injuries and losing streaks since helping the New York Knicks defeat the Boston Celtics in a much- anticipated matchup on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden. Anthony scored 17 of his 37

<< Mavericks' Cuban, Carlisle fined by NBA
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and head coach Rick Carlisle were each fined by the NBA on Friday. Cuban was slapped with a $75,000 penalty and Carlisle was penalized $35,000. Carlisle's fine resulted

<< Rockets welcome Suns to Space City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets will try to halt a two-game slide when they welcome the Phoenix Suns to South Texas on Friday. After a poor start to the season, Houston crept near the top of the Southwest Division by winning nine o

<< Nets entertain improved Wolves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Improved play on the road has kept the Minnesota Timberwolves respectable this season and they'll try for a third straight victory as the guest tonight against the New Jersey Nets. Minnesota is 5-4 away from the Twin Citie

<< Jennings, Bucks visit lowly Pistons
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fear the deer. Opposing teams are beginning to build some trepidation for Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings too. Jennings and the resurgent Bucks will hit the road tonight to take on the lowly Detroit Pistons an

Belichick: No setbacks for Gronkowski >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told the media on Friday that tight end Rob Gronkowski had no setbacks after practicing on a limited basis Thursday. Gronkowski's left ankle ha

Welcome back: Sens finally return home to battle Isles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators hope their first home game in nearly three weeks can get them back in the win column, as the All-Star hosts welcome the New York Islanders for tonight's battle at Scotiabank Place. The Senators, who sta

Pacers roll into Big D >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The much-improved Pacers will shoot for a season-high fourth straight win Friday when they visit Big D to take on their former coach, Rick Carlisle, and the reigning NBA champion Mavericks. Indiana opened a br

Sliding Blackhawks make a stop in Calgary >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago has not gotten its club record-tying road trip off to the best of starts and a trip to Calgary may not be the remedy it is looking for. The Blackhawks try to avoid a season-high fifth straight loss overall and sev

Panthers hope to string together win streak vs. Jets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers will try to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-December when they host the Winnipeg Jets for tonight's clash at BankAtlantic Center. The Panthers lost their last game before the All-Sta

Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards