Thunder kick off road trip in Charlotte

Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's still plenty of wiggle room left for the Oklahoma City Thunder to move up in the Western Conference standings. A lengthy winning streak usually helps, as the Thunder shoot for a sixth straight win tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats in the opener of a three-game road trip.

Oklahoma City is currently fifth in the conference standings and sits 3 1/2 games behind second-seeded Denver. Utah is only a game ahead in the fourth spot, while Dallas has a three-game edge for third.

The Thunder will also visit Toronto and Indiana on the trek and are 19-13 away from the Ford Center. They made it five consecutive victories with Sunday's 119-111 triumph versus the Jazz in the finale of a perfect homestand thanks to 30 points and 11 assists from Russell Westbrook. Kevin Durant scored 35 points and Jeff Green added 14 for Oklahoma City, which is 17-3 in its last 20 games.

"That was about as physical a basketball team as we're going to face," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of the Jazz. "It's great for our guys to experience it and compete against a very veteran, physical, playoff-tested team."

Brooks' squad shot a season-best 60.3 percent from the floor and made a season-high tying 44 field goals. Durant, who is second in the NBA with 29.8 ppg, has scored 30 or more points an NBA-best 37 times this season and the Thunder are 26-11 in that span.

Charlotte hopes to get back on track after having its season-high six-game winning streak cut short with Tuesday's 99-94 setback at Indiana.

Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw each scored 20 points for Charlotte, which is tied with Miami for the sixth seed in the conference. Stephen Graham notched a career-high 19 points, while Tyrus Thomas added 14 in defeat.

"We had a horrible second quarter...that just kind of set the tone. We got beat on the offensive boards early, we didn't move the ball and we didn't recognize when guys were open," said Charlotte coach Larry Brown.

Bobcats star forward Gerald Wallace missed a second straight game with an ankle injury, and is averaging 18.5 points per game. He is doubtful versus the Thunder. The Bobcats have won four in a row at home and are 24-8 in the Tar Heel State this season.

Oklahoma City is 19-6 versus the Eastern Conference this season and defeated Charlotte, 98-91, back on December 26 at the Ford Center. Durant poured in 30 points and Westbrook added 22 in that one.

Casinobaccarat Basketball Betting News

<< Redskins sign QB Grossman
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins have signed quarterback Rex Grossman. Grossman has seven years of NFL experience, and spent last season with Houston in a backup role. He played in one game, complet

<< Blackhawks limp into Honda Center to battle Ducks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago has had a hard enough time picking up victories in Anaheim without having injuries to worry about. Nonetheless, the Blackhawks could be without as many as four key skaters tonight when they visit the Honda Center to t

<< Avs attempt to extend win streak over Flames
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try for their fourth straight win overall as well as their seventh victory in a row over the Calgary Flames tonight when the two teams clash at Pepsi Center. The Avalanche's current winning stre

<< Devils try to extend domination of Penguins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A huge battle in the Atlantic Division race is on tap tonight in Newark, pitting the host New Jersey Devils against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Prudential Center. The Penguins, of course, are the defending Stanley Cup champ

<< Red Sox prospect Westmoreland has successful surgery
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland had successful brain surgery Tuesday. The procedure, which lasted five hours, removed a cavernous malformation that was diagnosed earlier this month after he ex

Knicks make a stop in Boston for St. Patrick's Day >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics are closing in on their third straight Atlantic Division title and will face another inferior opponent tonight on St. Patrick's Day against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Boston rebounded from a loss

Spurs finish Florida trip in Orlando >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An intriguing interconference matchup is on tap tonight in central Florida, where the San Antonio Spurs take on the playoff-bound Orlando Magic at Amway Arena. San Antonio is still trying to solidify a postseason spot in t

Basement brawl: Woeful Nets visit lowly Sixers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The bottom two teams of the Atlantic Division will go head- to-head for the final time of the 2009-10 campaign this evening at the Wachovia Center, where the homestanding 76ers aim for a season sweep of the dismal

Reeling Bulls visit powerhouse Mavs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have picked a bad time to start playing poorly and their chances of ending an eight-game slide don't look so promising with tonight's road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. The Bulls have also dropped

Road-weary Pacers try to fix issues in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An Indiana Pacers team that's had its share of troubles on the road will face another tough challenge in tonight's visit to Quicken Loans Arena for a bout with the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers have lost eigh

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.