Sports betting

The Total for the Dallas Mavericks at Minnesota Timberwolves game is listed at 207 and the two could be headed for an Under.

In the Mavs’ last 10 visits to the Target Center, the Under has cashed nine times and in the last 20 games overall between the two, the Total has gone Under 14 times.

The T-wolves are 7-point ‘dogs and in their last 12 home games, they are 9-3 ATS.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers try to improve on their 6-1 ATS run in their last seven visits to Orlando. Currently the Magic are a 2-point home favorite for this 2:30 PM (ET) tip-off match. These two have combined for a record of 1 Over and 6 Unders in their last seven meetings. The Over/Under line is 194.

Early betting action at the sportsbook has 68% of the action on the home team Magic.
You can check all the NBA Odds

Seeing as the defending champion North Carolina Tar Heels are unranked, there isn’t as much intrigue to their road game vs. Duke on Saturday.

The No. 4 Blue Devils, however, are currently tied with the No. 23 Maryland Terrapins for the ACC lead and with the season winding down, a win could be crucial.

The Tar Heels could cover, as Duke is only 2-9 against the spread in the last 11 games hosting North Carolina.

Furthermore, UNC is 6-3 straight up and ATS in their last nine overall games against the Blue Devils.

Two of the Western Conference’s highest-scoring teams meet tonight when the Utah Jazz visit the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix is a 1-point home fave and the Total is set at 214.

While the Suns are only 3-6 straight up the last nine times they’ve hosted the Jazz, they are 7-2 against the spread.

In Phoenix’s last 20 games when favored by 2-points or less, it is 16-4 SU and 15-5 ATS while Utah has taken 10 Unders in its last 12 when ‘dogged by 2-points or less.

Updated March 4, 2010

With a game against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, the Chicago Bulls will have guard Derrick Rose but won’t have center Joakim Noah.

Chicago is a 5-point home fave and the Total is set at 203.5.

Rose was suffering from a sore knee and missed the Bulls’ practices on Tuesday and Wednesday and according to the Chicago Tribune, Noah will miss three weeks with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Noah has been suffering from the injury since the middle of January has missed nine games in the past month.

After hitting his knee against Indiana Pacer Earl Watson on Saturday night, Rose again had a knee-on-knee collision with Atlanta’s Mike Bibby in the Bulls’ 116-92 loss to the Hawks on Monday — Chicago was a 1-point underdog.

“I’m kind of sore, but it’s just regular injuries,” explained Rose postgame.

“We bumped knees again, and this time he really hit the kneecap.”

A notable upset took place in the ACC last night in a game between the No. 23 Maryland Terrapins and the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils.

The Terps were 1.5-point home underdogs and they defeated the Blue Devils 79-72 — the final score went Over the Total of 147.

The win ups Maryland’s conference record to 12-3, tied with Duke for the ACC lead.

A big battle is brewing in the Big 12 as the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks host intrastate and conference rival, the No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats.

The Jayhawks are 8-point home faves and the Total is set at 150.

In the last nine overall games between the two, Kansas has the edge with a record of 6-3 against the spread with five-straight Overs.

While the Jayhawks are 11-0 SU in their last 11 home games, they are only 3-8 ATS.

In the Wildcats’ last eight road games, they are 6-2 ATS.

The Boston Celtics play the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills tonight, favored by 5-points with an Over/Under of 189.

The two teams seem to like the Under.

In the last 20 overall games between the two, the Under has cashed 15 times while the Over only has five times.

In Boston’s last 10 trips to the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Total has gone Under nine times and has cashed seven-straight contests.

In Detroit’s last 10 games when listed as an underdog of 6-points or less, it has gone Under nine times.

In the Celtics’ last seven when favored by 6-points or less, they have gone below the Total six times.

The St. John’s Red Storm are on the road to play the newly anointed No. 1 Syracuse Orange.

St. John’s is a massive 14-point road ‘dog and the Total is set at 136.5 and while it is only 1-8 straight up in its last nine overall games against Syracuse, it is 6-3 against the spread at the same time.

Better yet, the Red Storm is 8-1 ATS in its last nine in Syracuse and is currently riding an eight-game winning streak at the Carrier Dome.

St. John’s is also 6-3 ATS in its last nine road games.

Updated Mar. 1, 2010 @ 11:57 am PST

Suffering from a right thumb injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Shaquille O’Neal successfully underwent surgery to repair the damage today.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he will miss about eight weeks or the rest of the regular season and part of the playoffs.

“The doctors were very pleased with the surgery this morning,” said Cleveland GM Danny Ferry via a statement.

“He will be in a splint for the next two weeks. From there he starts the process of physical therapy so that he can be at full strength and back on the court during the playoffs.”

O’Neal suffered the injury in Cleveland’s game against Boston Thursday night — a 108-88 win.

The Cavs play the New York Knicks tonight and are listed as big 11.5-point home faves with an Over/Under of 212.5.

Cleveland has struggled in its last nine home games against the Knicks however, going 2-7 against the spread.