Blazers entertain Nuggets at Rose Garden

Basketball Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Northwest Division rivals meet in Rip City on Saturday when the Jekyll and Hyde Portland Trail Blazers entertain the well-rounded Denver Nuggets at the Rose Garden.

The Blazers have been two different teams this season depending on where the games are being played. Portland fell to a miserable 3-9 on the road after Thursday's 95-92 setback at Sacramento.

Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford both missed three-pointers for the Blazers in the final 10 seconds of that one to seal the win for the lowly Kings.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds for Portland, which has lost two of three overall and four straight as the visitor. Felton finished with 15 points and 10 assists.

"We've had every opportunity the last (couple) road games and we're finding ways to lose it," Crawford said.

Portland is a sizzling 10-1 as the host. On the injury front for the Blazers, forward Nicolas Batum missed his second straight game against the Kings with a bone bruise on his left knee. He is listed as questionable for tonight

The Nuggets look to bounce back from last night's 93-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Pepsi Center when they invade the Rose City.

Al Harrington ended with 24 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who have lost three of four since a six-game winning streak. Andre Miller and Ty Lawson chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively, in a losing cause.

Harrington's three-pointer bounced off the rim in the final second.

"For an end of the game situation against a good defensive team he got a fair release," Denver head coach George Karl said. "I wouldn't call it a great shot. I'd like better, I would have liked to have gone quicker. I would have liked to have gone to the rim in four or five seconds. [Derek] Fisher has been there a lot of times. He made a good defensive play and Ty didn't give it a second attempt. The play before that broke open very well and the last play didn't open very well."

To make matters worse, Denver lost starting center Timofey Mozgov to a sprained left ankle. With about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, Mozgov came down awkwardly on his left ankle after making a layup. He was not able to put pressure on his left foot, but X-rays came back negative. Mozgov is expected to sit out tonight's game.

Danilo Gallinari had six points in less than 29 minutes against the Lakers and is questionable tonight with blurred vision in his left eye. He leads Denver with 17.0 points per game.

After visiting the Blazers Saturday, the Nuggets, who are 8-4 as the guest, will return to the Rocky Mountains for a three-game homestand versus the Rockets, Mavericks and Warriors.

Portland has won two straight over Denver overall and four consecutive in Rip City, including a 111-102 win on Dec. 29 this season.

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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

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

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.