Howard, Magic visit Deron and the Nets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic will try to continue their mastery of the New Jersey Nets when the two clubs clash tonight from the Prudential Center.

Orlando has won eight in a row and 12 of the past 13 matchups between the teams, and recorded a 94-78 victory at home back on Dec. 29 this season. Dwight Howard was a force in that one with 16 points and 24 rebounds for the Magic, who are unbeaten in the previous four games in the Garden State.

The Magic will resume their five-game road trip tonight and are coming off Monday's 93-90 triumph in Milwaukee thanks to another big night from Howard, who recorded 28 points and 16 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had 15 points and Hedu Turkoglu added 13 for Orlando, which is 1-1 on the trek and 9-6 away from home this season. Orlando improved to 9-3 this month.

"Both teams played hard, but we were just able to close it out," Howard said on the team's site. "We stayed with it and stayed together and got a good win."

Orlando will also visit the Hawks and Wizards on the road swing and sits five games behind Miami for the Southeast lead. In injury news for the Magic, guards Jason Richardson (chest/ribs) and Quentin Richardson (quad) are listed as questionable for tonight. Jason Richardson has missed the last two games and is averaging 12.2 points this season. Quentin Richardson played just 4:10 against the Bucks.

New Jersey will try to string back-to-back wins together for only the second time this season (Jan. 25-27) and has prevailed in two of three games since an eight-game losing streak.

Deron Williams and the Nets deciphered the bomb that is Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks with a 100-92 victory on Monday at Madison Square Garden. Williams lit up Lin and the New York defense for a season-high 38 points and knocked down a career-best eight three-pointers. Kris Humphries added a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds for New Jersey, which got 18 points from MarShon Brooks and 11 out of DeShawn Stevenson.

"We definitely had this one circled, you know I think the whole team did," said Williams. "I know I personally did 'cause it was stuck in my mind, you know, this [Linsanity] all started with me."

The Nets will try to halt a six-game home losing streak tonight and are just 3-12 at the Rock this season. After hosting Orlando, New Jersey will return to the road for a four-game trek against Dallas, Boston, Charlotte and Miami.

New Jersey announced this week that forward Shawne Williams will undergo surgery on February 22 to remove a bone fragment from his left foot. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Martin O'Malley and Nets team physician Dr. Riley Williams III at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. A timetable for Williams' return will be decided following the operation. The former first-round pick has appeared in 25 contests this season, starting six, and is averaging 4.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

Nets center Brook Lopez (foot) did not play at New York after making his season debut in a loss to Milwaukee on Sunday, scoring nine points in 22 minutes. He is probable for tonight and missed the first 32 games of the season because of a broken foot suffered in the preseason.

Humphries, however, will sit out tonight with a strained left calf.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

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