Division leaders clash in Big D when OKC visits Mavs

Basketball Betting Lines

02/01/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the top teams in the Western Conference square off in Big D tonight when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the reigning NBA champion Mavericks.

After a dismal 1-4 start to the season the Mavs have started to hit their stride, winning a third straight game and improving to 14-8 on the season Monday in Phoenix.

Veteran Delonte West drained five of Dallas' season-high 14 three-pointers en route to 25 points in that one as the Mavericks thumped the Steve Nash-less Suns, 122-99, at US Airways Center.

"We caught a break with Nash not playing. I don't think you can overlook that as a big factor in the game," Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said.

Vince Carter also had five treys and finished with 21 points while Shawn Marion had 20 points and five rebounds for the Mavs, who have now defeated the Suns eight consecutive times and lead the Southwest Division by a game over San Antonio.

In his second game back since sitting out four contests to rest a balky knee and work on conditioning Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 points.

"We place a high standard on our play," Carlisle said. "And when you get off to an abysmal start like we did, it's painful. But we've climbed out of that and we've got to understand that just because we're winning and playing well now, there's nothing guaranteed and we've gotta keep working at it."

Veteran point guard Jason Kidd is expected to miss his third straight game tonight with a strained right calf but the athletic Roddy Beaubois has stepped it up in his absence, netting 14.7 points and 7.0 assists over his past three contests.

The Northwest Division-leading Thunder, who also pace the entire Western Conference with a 16-4 mark, lost for the first time in five games on Monday in LA when Chris Paul scored 26 points and dished out 14 assists as the Clippers jumped out early and rolled past Oklahoma City, 112-100, at Staples Center.

Kevin Durant scored a game-high 36 points on 14-of-23 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook stuffed the stat sheet with 31 points with five steals, four assists and four rebounds for the Thunder. Daequan Cook added 12 off the bench for Oklahoma City, which fell to 8-3 as the visitor this season.

"This is our first bad game in 20," coach Scott Brooks told the Thunder's website. "That's the bottom line, we had a bad game. One of the things that this team does well that I'm proud of is they bounce back. You play 20 games, you have one bad game, I think any team in this league will live with that."

Dallas, of course, topped OKC in five games during last season's West finals on its way to the franchise's first NBA title. The clubs have also already met twice in 2011-12 with each team holding serve on its home floor.

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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com