Clippers host Kings in LA

Basketball Betting Lines

02/20/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at the bottom of the barrel in the Western Conference collide tonight in Hollywood, as the Los Angeles Clippers try to stop a six-game slide versus the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center.

The Clippers, who sent guard Sebastian Telfair to Cleveland and forward Al Thornton to Washington in a three-team deal before the trade deadline, suffered a 110-92 loss on Wednesday versus the Atlanta Hawks in the opener of a four-game homestand. Drew Gooden, who was acquired by the Wizards from Dallas in a deal last week, also went to the Clippers.

Chris Kaman had 21 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Clippers, who fell to 0-5 under new head coach Kim Hughes. Rasual Butler and Eric Gordon each scored 18 points, while Craig Smith had 15 points in defeat.

"We showed signs of playing the right way, but we shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers," said Clippers head coach Hughes, whose squad turned the ball over 22 times.

LA will also host Charlotte and Detroit, and is 14-12 at home this season. In injury news for the Clippers, veteran guard Baron Davis is questionable for Saturday's game with a sore back and did not play against the Hawks.

Meanwhile, the new-look Kings finalized a three-way trade this week that involved both New York and Houston. The Knicks landed Tracy McGrady from the Rockets and Sacramento's Sergio Rodriguez, while Houston gets forwards Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries from the Knicks, as well as a protected 2012 first- round pick. From Sacramento, Houston gets guard Kevin Martin and forward/center Hilton Armstrong. The Kings get guard Larry Hughes from New York and forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey from Houston.

Sacramento made it rookie Tyreke Evans' team and hopes to stop a two-game slide Saturday against the Clippers. The Kings opened a three-game road trip with Wednesday's embarrassing 130-98 loss at Golden State, as Evans finished with 17 points, 10 assists and five boards for the Kings, who have dropped 15 of their last 18 games.

Jason Thompson chipped in 17 points and 15 rebounds off the bench.

"I have a dentist appointment tomorrow, and if I go in without any anesthetics, it will probably feel better than I feel right now," Kings head coach Paul Westphal said after the loss. "They beat us 42-16 in the second quarter. The first quarter is what I expected for the game, but the second quarter killed us. We were embarrassed. The Warriors played great. They were fantastic. Everything they did tonight was great."

The Kings will also visit Phoenix and are 5-23 away from ARCO Arena.

Tonight's tilt between the Clippers and Kings is the first of four meetings this season. Sacramento won three of four matchups a year ago and is 19-6 in the previous 25 encounters in this series.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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