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03/12/2010 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson poured in 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter while dishing out six assists, as the Charlotte Bobcats continued their stellar play at home with a 106-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Bobcats have won four in a row as the host and improved to 24-8 at Time Warner Cable Arena, setting a franchise record for home victories in a season.
Gerald Wallace added 17 points and six rebounds before leaving right before halftime with a sprained left ankle. Boris Diaw ended with 16 points and five assists, while Tyson Chandler donated 13 points and nine boards off the bench.
Raymond Felton had a near triple-double with 10 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds for Charlotte, which has won five in a row for the first time since a six-game tear from January 9-20.
Baron Davis finished with 24 points, seven assists and five steals for the Clippers, who have dropped nine straight on the road to fall to 7-27 as the guest this season.
Rasual Butler chipped in 18 points, while Travis Outlaw and Drew Gooden each tallied 16 points. Chris Kaman added 13 points and 11 boards for Los Angeles, which has lost six in a row.
The Bobcats scored the final eight points of the first quarter to take a 31-23 lead.
Ahead 44-39 near the midway point of the second, Charlotte closed the half on a 17-6 run to create some breathing room. With 1.5 seconds remaining, Wallace stole the ball from Davis and went racing the other way for a layup. Davis pushed Wallace from behind on the attempted layup and was called for a flagrant foul type 1. Wallace sprained his left ankle on the play, but was able to make 1-of-2 from the line to give the Bobcats a 61-45 margin at the break.
Charlotte led by as many as 18 in the third and took an 80-68 advantage into the fourth.
Ahead 88-79 with eight minutes to go in the fourth, the Bobcats went on a brief 7-2 flurry. Jackson's trey had Charlotte in front 95-81 with five minutes to play.
The Clippers never got closer than seven the remainder of the way.
Game Notes
The Bobcats have won five of their last six meetings with the Clippers, although Los Angeles' only victory during that span was a 98-94 decision at the Staples Center on February 22...The Clippers haven't prevailed in an enemy arena since a 90-82 win over Chicago on February 2.
<< Monroe Doctrine: Hoyas dominate paint to reach Big East final
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Monroe dominated the paint with 23
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80-57 v
<< James returns, powers Cavs over Sixers
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the Philadelphia 76ers.
James, who missed the previous two games due to a mildly sp
<< Holloway leads Xavier over Dayton in A-10 quarterfinals
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrell Holloway led all scorers with 22
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Jordan Crawford added
<< Moore and Purdue down Northwestern in Big Ten quarters
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - E'Twaun Moore scored 28 points and JaJuan
Johnson added 22 with eight rebounds, as sixth-ranked Purdue defeated
Northwestern, 69-61, in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big Ten Conference
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Kovalchuk, Devils clip Pens to tighten Atlantic race >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk posted a goal and two assists and
Martin Brodeur stopped 34 shots as New Jersey clipped Pittsburgh, 3-1, at
Prudential Center.
Patrik Elias and Andy Greene also scored for the Devils, who hav
Collins, Kansas blow past Texas A&M in second half >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sherron Collins scored 26 points and dished
out six assists, and top-ranked Kansas used a big run late in the second half
to post a 79-66 victory over No. 23 Texas A&M in the semifinals of the Big 12
Tou
Prospal, Rangers down sliding Thrashers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vinny Prospal had two goals and an assist as
the New York Rangers took a 5-2 decision over the Atlanta Thrashers in a
battle between playoff contenders.
Marian Gaborik had a goal and two assists while
Pierce leads Celtics in rout of Pacers >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce scored 20 to lead a balanced attack,
and the Boston Celtics got back to their winning ways with a 122-103 rout of
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Rajon Rondo added 16 points and 11 assists for the Celt
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
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