Rockets to host Grizzlies in key conference clash

Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a virtual must-win situation for a pair of Western Conference teams in desperation mode tonight as the Houston Rockets host the Memphis Grizzlies at the Toyota Center.

Historically the Grizzlies haven't had a lot of success in Houston and have fallen in their last seven trips to the city, including a 104-79 blowout loss back in November. However, Lionel Hollins' club has won seven straight on the road coming into tonight's contest, a franchise record.

Currently both clubs are on the outside looking in for the Western Conference playoff picture, with Memphis standing 4 1/2 games behind Portland for the eighth and final postseason spot and Houston five games behind of the Trail Blazers.

The Grizzlies gave their slim playoff hopes a boost last night in Memphis, where O.J. Mayo paced a balanced attack with 24 points and the Grizzlies withstood a spirited effort from a depleted Chicago Bulls squad to post a 104-97 win at FedEx Forum.

Mike Conley registered 19 points and 10 assists and Zach Randolph had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have won four of their last five games. Rudy Gay added a dozen points, and Hasheem Thabeet stepped up with 10 points and nine boards to tie career highs in both categories.

"O.J. [Mayo] hit some big shots for us, and we got a lot of fast break points," Gay said.

The Rockets also took a step in the right direction in their last outing, a thrilling 125-123 win over Denver on Monday. Aaron Brooks scored 31 points and drained the game-winning jumper with 2.9 seconds left to lift Houston in that one .

Kevin Martin added 29 points and Luis Scola, who had a career-high 44 points in a 116-108 win over New Jersey last Saturday, chipped in 23 to go with 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won three straight to tie a season-high.

"I just can't say enough about our team. They battled the whole night," said Houston coach Rick Adelman.

Football356 Basketball Betting News

<< Raptors return home to face Hawks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to hold on to a playoff berth that's beginning to slip away, the Toronto Raptors return to the Air Canada Centre this evening for an important matchup with an Atlanta Hawks team that figures to be without its lea

<< Road-weary Pacers try to fix issues in Cleveland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An Indiana Pacers team that's had its share of troubles on the road will face another tough challenge in tonight's visit to Quicken Loans Arena for a bout with the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers have lost eigh

<< Reeling Bulls visit powerhouse Mavs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have picked a bad time to start playing poorly and their chances of ending an eight-game slide don't look so promising with tonight's road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. The Bulls have also dropped

<< Basement brawl: Woeful Nets visit lowly Sixers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The bottom two teams of the Atlantic Division will go head- to-head for the final time of the 2009-10 campaign this evening at the Wachovia Center, where the homestanding 76ers aim for a season sweep of the dismal

<< Spurs finish Florida trip in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An intriguing interconference matchup is on tap tonight in central Florida, where the San Antonio Spurs take on the playoff-bound Orlando Magic at Amway Arena. San Antonio is still trying to solidify a postseason spot in t

Jazz seeking to extend Timberwolves' season-long misery >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a potential mismatch on the NBA docket, the Western Conference power Utah Jazz welcome the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves to Salt Lake City tonight. The Jazz, who are currently the fourth seed in the West, snapped a rare

Hornets resume important trip with bout against Warriors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets resume a five-game road trip in Oakland tonight, aiming for a season sweep of the woeful Golden State Warriors. New Orleans has already topped the Warriors three times this season and will be aimin

Scorching Bucks try to take down reeling Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Milwaukee Bucks aim for their longest winning streak in eight seasons tonight, when they face off with the reeling Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Bucks, who are kicking off a three-game road trip t

Nationals release Dukes >>
Kissimmee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have released outfielder Elijah Dukes. The team announced the news Wednesday in a brief release, which did not provide a reason for the move. Dukes, 25, was expecte

Reina close to inking new Liverpool contract >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina has confirmed that he is on the verge of penning a new contract with the Anfield- based club. The 27-year-old Spaniard is settled on Merseyside and is happy to com

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.