Pacers battle Grizzlies on Beale Street

Basketball Betting Lines

02/10/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The much-improved Indiana Pacers hope to salvage the back- end of a brief two-game road trip tonight when they square off with the Memphis Grizzlies on Beale Street.

Indiana is coming off a 97-98 loss in Atlanta on Wednesday. Danny Granger scored 21 points in that one to lead the Pacers, who had won five of six coming in.

David West and Tyler Hansbrough added 15 points apiece while Roy Hibbert, who was named to his first All-Star team on Thursday, finished with 10 and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who have dropped nine straight in the Peach State.

"Give Atlanta a lot of credit," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "They came out, having lost three in a row, with tremendous edge and took the fight to us. We fought like dogs in the second half to come back and compete and make it a game, but they were too much."

Memphis climbed back to the .500 mark on Wednesday and improved to 1-1 on a five-game residency with an 85-80 triumph over a Kevin Love-less Minnesota team.

Rudy Gay had 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals against the Timberwolves while Quincy Pondexter, starting in place of the injured Tony Allen, added a career-high 17 points and six boards for the Grizzlies, who snapped a three-game skid. Dante Cunningham and Marc Gasol each had 12 points.

"I just tried to continue being aggressive," Pondexter said. "After the last few games, I was real disappointed. I stayed aggressive and my teammates did a great job of finding me. You just have to be active on the floor, getting rebounds and doing a lot of the little things that help you be real productive in these types of games."

Allen, who is struggling with hip and knee injuries, remains doubtful for tonight's contest as Memphis tries to improve on an 8-4 mark at FedEx Forum.

The Pacers, who have not lost back-to-back games this season, have dropped four straight overall to the Grizz and three consecutive contests in the Volunteer State.

Cyberracecard Basketball Betting News

<< Red Wings shoot for 19th straight home win vs. Ducks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forgive the Red Wings if they are looking past the Ducks and towards this weekend when they could have a chance at matching the longest home winning streak in NHL history. After all, wins over Anaheim at Joe Louis Arena ar

<< Nets and Pistons finish home-and-home set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-year center Greg Monroe is starting to heat up for a Detroit Pistons team riding a season-high three-game winning streak and is aiming for his fourth straight double-double tonight versus the New Jersey Nets in the bac

<< Cavs and Bucks clash at the 'Q'
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving probably won't play again tonight after suffering a concussion earlier this week, but Ramon Sessions will be there to pick up the slack. Sessions filled in nicely for Irving the prev

<< Heat visit nation's capital to take on Wizards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After getting their six-game road trip off to a poor start, the Miami Heat will dust themselves off for tonight's showdown against the lowly Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. The Heat had won three straight and 11

<< Clippers resume road trip vs. 76ers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers will close out a seven-game stretch that head coach Doug Collins dubbed as "Death Row" when they entertain the upstart Los Angeles Clippers tonight from Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers are 4-2 on the

Mavs visit Love, Timberwolves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves will have Kevin Love back in the lineup tonight versus the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center after serving a two-game suspension for stomping on Houston's Luis Scola during the third quarter of Satu

Magic welcome Hawks to central Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic try to stay hot tonight when they welcome the Atlanta Hawks to the Amway Center. This, of course, is the first meeting between these Southeast Division rivals since Atlanta knocked the Magic out of last

Giggs to play another year at United >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that midfielder Ryan Giggs will return to the club for another season after signing a one-year contract extension. The 38-year-old Giggs m

Blazers, Hornets tangle in the Big Easy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland hopes a Western Conference-worst New Orleans team proves to be a bit of a tonic after the Blazers dropped consecutive games in Rip City. A controversial goaltending call on All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge al

Avs aim to close homestand with win over 'Canes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche recently put their longest skid of the season behind them and will try to close out a four-game homestand with another victory when they face the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at Pepsi Center. The Ava

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.