Bucks and Bulls clash in the Second City

Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose recently made his return to the hardwood following a five-game absence due to lower back spasms.

Rose and the Bulls will try to give the Central Division-rival Milwaukee Bucks a few spasms Wednesday, when the two teams collide tonight at the United Center. Rose had missed the previous five games (3-2) and delivered 23 points, six assists and five rebounds during Monday's 90-70 win over Atlanta.

"He brings a lot of confidence with him, he puts so much pressure on opposing teams and players that it opens up things for everybody," Bulls guard Ronnie Brewer said of Rose.

Carlos Boozer and Brewer scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, for the Bulls, who are 7-3 without Rose this season and have won eight of their last 10 games. Joakim Noah had five points and a game-high 16 rebounds, as Chicago improved to 3-1 on a six-game homestand and 12-2 in the Windy City. Mike James and John Lucas III combined for 17 points in 26 minutes of play.

The Bulls will close out the homestand after the All-Star break versus New Orleans on Feb. 28. Guard C.J. Watson left in the third quarter of Saturday's loss to New Jersey after taking a blow to the head and did not play versus the Hawks. Watson filled in nicely for Rose and is questionable for tonight.

Milwaukee will play four of its next five games on the road and is 6-11 away from the Bradley Center this season.

The Bucks have lost eight of their last 11 games overall, including Monday's 93-90 loss versus the Orlando Magic in Brew City. Ryan Anderson buried a three-pointer with 18.1 seconds left to give Orlando the lead for good, while Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 22 points and committed a big turnover late in the game. Ersan Ilyasova notched 15 points with 15 rebounds in defeat.

Larry Sanders finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and missed an easy layup in the paint in the closing moments of the game.

"We were probably one rebound away from winning the game," said Bucks head coach Scott Skiles, whose team has dropped six in a row at home. "We just couldn't get the rebound and Anderson drilled the shot."

Bucks forward Drew Gooden missed his third straight game with a wrist/knee ailment and is doubtful for tonight. He is averaging 12/7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season.

Milwaukee has lost the first two meetings with Chicago this season and will host the Bulls again on March 7. The Bulls have won six straight and nine of the past 12 meetings with the Bucks, who have lost three straight and 11 of their last 12 trips to the Second City.

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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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