Hornets buzz into Windy City

Basketball Betting Lines

03/02/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls play the finale of a three-game homestand, as they welcome the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets tonight to the United Center.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the clubs. On December 1st, Andres Nocioni scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Chicago edged the Hornets, 111-108, at the Ford Center.

Nocioni is currently sidelined with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

The Hornets have lost two of their last three at Chicago. The Bulls have won two in a row in the series.

Chicago attempts to win back-to-back games this evening. Ben Gordon scored 22 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out six assists as the Bulls used a dominant third quarter to crush the Golden State Warriors, 113-83, at the United Center.

Thabo Sefolosha scored a career-high 19 points, while Adrian Griffin posted a career-high 17 points for the Bulls, who outscored the Warriors 33-11 in the third quarter for the decisive victory.

Tyrus Thomas tied a career-high with 14 points and Luol Deng contributed 13 points, five boards and six assists as Chicago put the brakes on a two-game skid and improved to 23-8 at home this season.

Forward P.J. Brown (bruised left knee) is questionable for tonight's game. Brown is averaging 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 51 games for Chicago this season.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City has won three of its last four games overall. Chris Paul posted 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Hornets got their sixth straight win at home with a 107-100 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at the Ford Center.

Devin Brown scored 19 points in the win over Atlanta for the Hornets. Tyson Chandler collected 18 points and 13 boards, while David West had 17 points and 14 boards in the victory.

The Hornets are just 9-19 on the road this season. They are scheduled to host the Utah Jazz on Sunday at the Ford Center.

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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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