Howard, Anderson lead Magic over Heat

Basketball Betting Lines

02/08/2012 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Anderson scored 27 points, Dwight Howard added 25 and both players had double-doubles to lead the Orlando Magic to a 102-89 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

The Magic made 17 three-pointers and led wire-to-wire, going ahead by as many as 17 and fending off a couple of Miami runs to win for the fourth time in five games.

Anderson, who made five threes and scored 24 points in a big first half, added 11 rebounds and Howard pulled down a game-high 24. Orlando improved to 12-1 this season when scoring at least 100 points.

Dwyane Wade scored 33 points, including 18 in the second quarter, while LeBron James added 17 and 10 assists and Chris Bosh had 12 points and nine rebounds. The Heat had a three-game winning streak snapped and played the first of six in a row on the road.

Miami, down by 17 in the second quarter, got as close as one point in the first minute of the third and was within five midway through. But the Magic used a 12-0 run to push their lead back to 17 and carried a 77-61 advantage into the fourth.

It climbed to 19 twice early in the fourth. In a key series later on, after Miami pulled within nine, J.J. Redick missed two straight three-pointers for the Magic. But Howard rebounded the first and the second went out of bounds off the Heat.

Jameer Nelson, who scored 12, then knocked down a three from the left side and the Heat were never within single digits in the final three-plus minutes of the game.

One of Anderson's five first half three-pointers gave the Magic a 17-point lead at 44-27 in the second quarter. Later, the Heat closed the half on a 12-2 run to cut a 13-point deficit to three at halftime, 53-50.

Wade scored 18 of his 22 first half points in the second quarter and the Heat shot 70 percent in the frame. James added 15 points in the half while Howard had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Orlando.

Miami had a hard time keeping Howard away from the rim in the first quarter, when he had 10 boards. Twice he finished up someone's miss with a slam dunk in transition, giving the Magic a six-point lead both times. They were up 26-18 going into the second quarter.

Game Notes

Anderson ended 5-of-11 on three-pointers and the Magic were 17-of-42 as a team...The teams split four meetings in each of the last two seasons...The Heat will also play Washington, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Indiana and Cleveland on their road trip. They are just 7-5 away from home this season...Orlando is 1-1 on a three-game homestand and is in the midst of a stretch where it plays six of seven games inside its own building.

Wwclassifieds2000 Basketball Betting News

<< Cavaliers hang on to down Clippers
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In his first start of the season in place of the concussed Kyrie Irving, Ramon Sessions outplayed Chris Paul, scoring 24 points to go with 13 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Los Angeles

<< Lin shines again as Knicks down Wizards
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeremy Lin's amazing debut continued Wednesday as the undrafted point guard recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds as the New York Knicks downed the Washington Wizards, 107-93. Lin made his second car

<< Bucks pull away to beat Raptors
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Six Bucks scored in double figures, including Carlos Delfino's season-high 25 points, as Milwaukee knocked off the Toronto Raptors, 105-99, at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday. Linas Kleiza's free throws wit

<< Parker, Spurs get past 76ers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Parker exploded for 37 points to go with eight assists as the Spurs held off the 76ers, 100-90, at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday. Gary Neal added 18 points and Tim Duncan recorded a doubl

<< Boeheim passes Dean as Syracuse edges Georgetown
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kris Joseph scored a career-high 29 points and hit the game-winning shot in overtime, as No. 2 Syracuse downed No. 12 Georgetown, 64-61, on Wednesday. The Orange (24-1, 11-1 Big East) have won four st

Monroe leads Pistons over Nets >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Monroe had 20 points to go with 12 rebounds and four assists as the Detroit Pistons earned their second road win of the season with a 99-92 win over the New Jersey Nets. Jonas Jerebko scored 16 points to

Hurricanes roll past Tar Heels >>
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shenise Johnson scored 19 points and Riquna Williams netted 17 to pace No. 6 Miami-Florida as it defeated No. 22 North Carolina, 61-37, at BankUnited Center on Wednesday. The Hurricanes (21-3, 10

Boston College upsets No. 15 Florida State >>
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jordan Daniels netted a game-high 21 points to go with five assists as Boston College knocked off No. 15 Florida State, 64-60, on Wednesday. Matt Humphrey finished with 15 points and Ryan Anderso

Smith leads Hawks past Pacers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Smith had 28 points and 12 rebounds on Wednesday, leading the Hawks to a 97-87 win over the Pacers. Atlanta had lost three in a row, but got 20 points and eight assists from Joe Johnson, 17 points f

Kansas cruises past Baylor >>
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Withey scored a career-high 25 points as No. 7 Kansas rolled over sixth-ranked Baylor, 68-54, to take a share of first place in the Big 12. The teams entered the game in a tie for second place wit

Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your basketball sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.