Raptors down Rockets

Basketball Betting Lines

03/01/2007 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points to lead a balanced Toronto attack as the Raptors downed Houston, 106-90, at the Toyota Center.

T.J. Ford added 16 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, who are now four games ahead of the idle New Jersey Nets. Kris Humphries also had 16 points and six rebounds, while Jose Calderon finished with 14 points and six assists.

"Today we moved the ball very good, so I had a lot of open looks," said Bargnani. "Some days your shot is good, some days it is not. Today was good."

Tracy McGrady returned after missing a game with flu-like symptoms to score 22 points for the Rockets, who lost for the fourth time in six games. Shane Battier tallied 16 points, while Rafer Alston contributed 12 points.

"I think we just have to re-commit ourselves for the remainder of the season," said McGrady. "I think we kind of got away from doing what makes us good. We're not rebounding, not defending, we're not doing the little things that make us a good team."

Toronto entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead and quickly put the game away.

A 10-0 run. featuring six points by Calderon, put the Raptors up by 19, 95-76, with just 7:18 left.

The Rockets never recovered and Toronto coasted to the finish line for the easy win.

The Raptors took a 27-21 advantage after the opening 12 minutes and took control of the game with a wonderful second quarter.

Toronto outscored the Rockets 40-26 in the frame to take a 20-point advantage at halftime, 67-47. Toronto shot a sizzling 80 percent in the second quarter and 69 percent in the half.

Houston rebounded a bit early in the third quarter. The Rockets opened the stanza with a 13-3 run, capped by a Battier three to draw within 10 points, 70-60, with a little over seven minutes left.

The two teams traded baskets from there and the Raptors took a 79-68 edge into the final frame.

Game Notes

Toronto is now 12-18 on the road...Houston is 20-9 at the Toyota Center this year...The Rockets never held a lead for the first time this year...The Raptors' bench outscored Houston, 61-32 in the game.

Vagescasinoonline Basketball Betting News

<< Martin and Bibby lead Kings past Bobcats
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Martin scored 36 points to lead Sacramento over Charlotte, 135-120, at ARCO Arena. Mike Bibby added 30 points and was 7-of-10 from beyond-the-arc for the Kings, who have won two of their past

<< Longhorns dodge Law to drop Aggies
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The long arm of the Law could only extend so far. Despite an inspired performance from their leader Acie Law IV, the seventh- ranked Texas A&M Aggies fell to No. 15 Texas, 98-96, in a classic double-

<< Melzer, Verdasco notch wins in Vegas
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer and fifth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco were among Wednesday's round-robin winners at the $416,000 Tennis Channel Open. Melzer opened his week with a 6-4,

<< Jones, Maryland down Duke
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maryland moved from the proverbial bubble to NCAA Tournament sleeper in a matter of four days, as Mike Jones scored 25 points in a 85-77 victory over 14th-ranked Duke. After struggling to find an id

<< Boozer, Jazz rout Grizzlies
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Boozer scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to an easy 104-88 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum. Matt Harpring added 25 points and Mehmet Okur chipp

Flames edge Wild in shootout >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarome Iginla scored the only goal of the shootout to lead the Calgary Flames over the Minnesota Wild, 2-1, at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Robyn Regehr scored for the Flames, winners of three straight

Dumont's goal sends Predators past Sharks >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.P. Dumont netted the game-winner in the fourth round of the shootout to lift the Nashville Predators past the San Jose Sharks, 4-3. After Ryane Clowe missed wide on San Jose's first attempt, Alexander

Kennedy tops crowded Johnnie Walker leaderboard >>
Phuket, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Brad Kennedy carded a seven- under-par 65 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Johnnie Walker Classic. There are 25 players within four shots of the Kennedy

Opening week in Arena Football >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The AFL on ESPN era kicks off this Sunday, March 4, with two marquee matchups at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ArenaBowl XX Champion Chicago Rush begin its first title defense after an improbable season-ending, six-ga

Smyth set to make Isles debut as club hosts Blues >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders' newest addition is set to take the ice for the first time when the playoff hopefuls entertain the St. Louis Blues tonight at Nassau Coliseum. The Isles pulled off one of the biggest and most shockin

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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 lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting