Knicks square off with Nets at MSG

Basketball Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks will play their third game in as many nights when they entertain the local New Jersey Nets Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks have lost the first two of back-to-back-to-back contests and suffered a 91-89 loss in Boston last night. Carmelo Anthony ended with 26 points and six assists for the Knicks, who haven't won in Beantown since a 101-77 victory back on November 24, 2006. Tyson Chandler recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Amare Stoudemire added 16 points and 11 boards for New York, which has dropped 11 of its last 13 games to fall to 8-16 on the season.

"We need to find ways to be consistent all the way through the game. We're not there yet," Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni said.

New York will take a break after tonight's game and will get back to work Monday versus Utah in the Big Apple. The Knicks are 4-7 in front of their home crowd this season and are playing back-to-back-to-back games for the first time since Mar. 20-22, 1999, when they beat Boston and lost to both Toronto and Atlanta.

New Jersey has lost three of its last four games and dropped a 108-105 decision versus Minnesota last night. Wolves guard Luke Ridnour buried the go- ahead three-pointer with 1:23 remaining, while Anthony Morrow ended with a career-high 42 points and nailed eight three-pointers for the Nets, who went 1-1 on a two-game homestand and failed to build off a recent win over Detroit.

"He was just on fire. Our guys were finding him, setting great screens for him, he was letting it fly," Nets head coach Avery Johnson said of Morrow, who sat out Wednesdays win over the Pistons with a sore left ankle. "Every play that we drew up for him, he executed it perfectly. I think he was perfect and special tonight. It was a special performance."

The Nets shot 44.2 percent from the field and received 16 points and nine rebounds from Kris Humphries. Deron Williams tallied 12 points and matched a season-high with 14 assists in defeat, while Jordan Farmar added 14 points in a reserve role.

After visiting the Knicks, New Jersey will play two straight and four of five games in the Garden State. The Nets are 5-9 away from Newark.

New York won all four matchups with the Nets a season ago and is 11-5 in the past 16 meetings between the two Atlantic Division foes. The Nets have lost two straight and four of five trips to Madison Square Garden.

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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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