Suns try to deal Lakers another blow in LA

Basketball Betting Lines

05/27/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns climbed off the canvas to punch the Los Angeles Lakers right in the mouth but if Alvin Gentry's club hopes to make it to the NBA Finals, they will have to find a way to win in Los Angeles.

The Suns take another swing tonight when they meet the Lakers in the pivotal Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

After being totally outclassed in the first two games of the series in LA, Phoenix responded by taking two straight in the desert. The Suns built on a 42-point, 11-rebound effort from Amare Stoudemire in Game 3 and Channing Frye broke out of his shooting slump and scored 14 points on Tuesday, as the Suns used strong bench play to even the set with a 115-106 Game 4 win.

Stoudemire had 21 points and eight rebounds in Game 4, while Steve Nash, who suffered a broken nose in the fourth quarter of the previous matchup, contributed 15 points and eight assists.

Frye came into the game 1-for-20 in the series and had missed his last 17 shots until knocking down a three-pointer midway through the second quarter. He went 4-of-8 from long distance and Phoenix's reserves outscored the Los Angeles bench players, 54-20. Leandro Barbosa had half of his 14 points in the last quarter. Jared Dudley added 11 points, while Goran Dragic contributed eight points and eight assists for the Phoenix reserves.

"The bench was fantastic," Nash said. "They made a lot of plays offensively, but defensively they were great in the zone. They scrambled. They were intelligent. They made good decisions. They were by far easily the difference tonight. We're just real proud and excited for them."

Phoenix's bench players accounted for all the points during a 14-2 run in the fourth quarter, turning a two-point deficit into a 10-point cushion with just over five minutes left.

"Dragic playing a pick-and-roll really hurt, couldn't stop it from getting into the lane and then started driving and kicking, and they made big shots on the kick outs," Lakers forward Pau Gasol said.

Kobe Bryant went 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, on the way to 38 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Lakers. Lamar Odom had 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, while Gasol also scored 15, but the Lakers lost the battle of the boards by a 51-36 count.

Bryant, who now has 4,785 career playoff points, passing Karl Malone (4,761) for fourth place on the NBA's all-time list, was far more concerned about LA's inability to lock things down at the defensive end.

"Our attention needs to be on the defensive end, period," Bryant said. "That's second-chance opportunities. Their bench came in and gave them a big boost in getting balls back and getting them extra possessions. We've got to cut that stuff out."

Despite the loss, the Lakers and head coach Phil Jackson still have history on their side as they take the floor tonight. Jackson's teams are 35-0 all-time when winning the first two games of a series and are 53-1 all-time when holding a series lead of any kind in the playoffs.

"It's going to be tough going to LA and trying to get Game 5," Stoudemire said. "We both know it. Both teams know how important this game is. We have to make sure we bring the intensity from the start and do what we did here at home if not better."

LA took three of four meetings vs. Phoenix in the regular season and won the Pacific Division by three games over the Suns.

In the postseason, the clubs have a long and storied history, meeting 11 times previously dating back to the 1969-70 season. The Lakers have won seven of those series but the Suns have rebounded to take four of the last five playoff sets between the two teams after dropping the first six. Phoenix has also taken the last two postseason matchups between the clubs, first round series in 2005-06 and '06-07.

LA and Phoenix have met twice previously in the Western Conference finals with the Lakers winning both, in 1984 and 1989.

Game 6 of the series will be back in Phoenix on Saturday.

Wwwottawasenators Basketball Betting News

<< Report: T'Wolves' Jefferson pleads guilty to DWI charge
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Al Jefferson pleaded guilty Thursday to fourth-degree driving while impaired, according to the Star Tribune. Jefferson was arrested February 28 near downtown Mi

<< Bayern signs Contento to two-year extension
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich rising star Diego Contento has signed a new two-year contract extension to tie him to the club until the summer of 2013. The 20-year-old defender became a regular member of coach Louis

<< Richmond sets home start times
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Richmond is set to usher in football at its $25 million Robins Stadium with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Elon on Sept. 18. The Spiders eliminated Elon from the FCS playoffs last season. Richmo

<< Sneijder has no plans to leave Inter Milan
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wesley Sneijder has dismissed rumors linking him with a shock return to former club Real Madrid. The Netherlands playmaker joined Inter Milan last summer after failing to hold down a starting place at the bi

<< Donald among co-leaders at Madrid Masters
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England's Luke Donald fired a seven-under 65 to tie Welshmen Jamie Donaldson and Rhys Davies for the first-round lead Thursday at the Madrid Masters. Donald caught fire at the end of his round, making an eagl

Red Wings sign 2007 first-round pick Smith >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings on Thursday signed defenseman Brendan Smith to a three-year, entry-level contract. Smith, taken 27th overall by Detroit in the 2007 draft, was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award l

Friday return for Borel at Churchill Downs >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel will return to the races on Friday at Churchill Downs after being off his mounts with an eye infection. The condition has kept the Louisiana native away from ri

Astros to skip Norris' next start >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros will skip Bud Norris' next scheduled start after learning that the righty had biceps tendinitis in his right arm. No announcement has been made as to who will replace Norris in the rot

Broncos' Stokley sidelined by shoulder injury >>
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -Wide receiver Brandon Stokley was held out of Thursday's passing camp practice by the Denver Broncos, the latest workout he's missed because of a shoulder injury.Coach Josh McDaniels says Stokley has missed several of the team

Howard, Tillman elected to college Hall of Fame >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Desmond Howard scored two of the most memorable touchdowns in the storied history of Michigan football and struck the pose that Heisman contenders have been mimicking since.Barry Alvarez resurrected a Wisconsin program that looked hop

Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

Bet NFL Sports Lines

Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.

For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.

Football Betting Sportsbook Accepts Credit Cards

Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.

As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.

Bet 2010 Super Bowl Odds

The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.

Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).

But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.

Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.

Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1

Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2

New York Giants - 9 - 2

Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).

Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.

So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.

And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.

They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.

Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.

But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.

Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.

Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.

Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.

Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?

Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.

In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.

Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.

Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.

The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.

The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.

RSS Sports Betting Odds Feeds

Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.