Mavs aim to push win streak to 14 vs. Knicks

Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Dallas Mavericks will try to stretch their season-high winning streak to 14 games tonight when they resume a four-game homestand against the woeful New York Knicks.

Dallas kept its longest winning streak of the season intact with a 96-87 victory in the opener of its residency against New Jersey on Wednesday, as All-Star Jason Kidd racked up 20 points and nine assists.

Caron Butler added 18 points for the Mavericks, who tied Cleveland for the NBA's longest winning streak this season. Rodrigue Beaubois donated 16 points, while Dirk Nowitzki was held to just 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting.

"This is a really good basketball team at home," said Nets coach Kiki Vandeweghe. "You've got to play a perfect game to beat them here."

Dallas, which is now just three games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the top spot in the West, is now just four wins shy of equaling the franchise record run set in 2006-07 season.

"We're not thinking about the streak. We just want to get better every game. We want to win every game," Kidd told the Mavs' Web site.

The Knicks, meanwhile, fell to 0-2 on a five-game road trip last night in Memphis when ex-Knick Zach Randolph had 24 points and 11 rebounds, as the Grizzlies held on to take a 119-112 victory over New York.

Bill Walker had 21 points off the bench to pace the Knicks, who have lost four of their last five overall. Fellow reserves Toney Douglas and Al Harrington had 19 and 15 points, respectively, while David Lee ended with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

"Toney Douglas came in and did a great job, Bill Walker. You can't play the game without energy and hustle. You just can't do it," Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They came in and gave us that little bit...after we were down so many, it's hard to make it up."

New York has dropped eight straight and 15 of 16 to the Mavs, a record of futility that includes the biggest rout in Dallas franchise history, a 128-78 drubbing at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 24. Meanwhile, the Knicks haven't won in Big D this century, last recording a win in north Texas on Dec. 16 1999.

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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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