Four Raptors register double-doubles in win over Knicks

Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrea Bargnani scored a team-high 28 points and had 10 rebounds, while three other Raptors registered double-doubles as Toronto defeated the New York Knicks, 111-100, in the backend of a home-and- home set at Air Canada Centre.

Anthony Parker chipped in with 24 points, while Shawn Marion donated 16 points and 15 boards for the Raptors, who were embarrassed, dropping a 127-97 decision against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday. Despite snapping a two-game losing skid, Toronto has dropped eight of the last 11 overall.

Jose Calderon had 13 points and 11 assists, and Chris Bosh had a solid game with 11 points to go along with 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who have won nine straight against the Knicks at Air Canada Centre.

In was the first time four Raptors registered double-doubles since a triple-overtime loss against Sacramento on February 23, 2001.

Al Harrington led all scorers with 31 points for New York, which had a brief two-game winning streak halted. The Knicks have lost seven of nine overall.

David Lee recorded his 19th straight double-double, contributing 17 points and 15 rebounds for New York. Nate Robinson scored 18 points to go along with eight assists, while Chris Duhon had 17 points and seven helpers in defeat.

In the third quarter, the Raptors continued to hold the lead at 67-60 in the early stages, but New York would score eight straight. Following an ally-oop jam by Robinson, the visitors held a one-point edge with 5 1/2 minutes to go in the stanza.

Toronto would then pick up the tempo and close the quarter on a high note. Led by Parker, who scored 11 in a 15-6 run and the hosts held a 82-74 edge after three.

Kapono's five straight points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter put Toronto up by nine at 89-80.

Despite the Knicks closing to six after a Robinson layin with 6 1/2 minutes to go, Toronto responded with baskets from Marion and Calderon to make it a 100-90 game with 5:39 to play. New York would be unable to get within six points the rest of the way.

With things evened at 27-27 after one quarter, a Joey Graham dunk ignited the Raptors on a 12-0 run to start the second. Roko Ukic and Jason Kapono also accounted for six of the points with each knocking down a three-pointer.

However, the Knicks would string together a 19-7 spurt with the aid of four three-balls -- two by Duhon -- to tie the contest at 46 with 5:02 left in the opening half.

Both teams would trade baskets for the next few minutes, but a Marion hook shot and Bargnani layup would give Toronto a 57-53 lead heading into the break.

Game Notes

Toronto will host Minnesota on Tuesday, while the Knicks welcome Indiana to Madison Square Garden on Monday...The Raptors have won 13 of the last 18 meetings with New York...Toronto finished 51.2 percent from the floor, while the Knicks were 42.9 percent...Kapono had eight points, including making both three-point attempts.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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