Gentry's Suns welcome Celtics to town

Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Suns interim head coach Alvin Gentry is off to a hot start in the desert and will try to guide the team to a fourth consecutive win tonight versus the Boston Celtics at US Airways Center.

Gentry is 3-0 since taking over for Terry Porter and the Suns have responded in a big way by scoring no less than 140 points in each of the last three games. Gentry won his debut on Tuesday in a 140-100 pounding of the Clippers before a 142-119 victory the following night in the back end of a home-and- home series.

The Suns then recorded a 140-118 triumph versus Oklahoma City on Friday in the opener of a three-game homestand, as Leandro Barbosa scored a career-high 41 points in the absence of All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire underwent successful eye surgery on Friday to repair a partially detached retina and he's expected to miss about eight weeks. Stoudemire is averaging 21.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 53 games this season.

Jason Richardson had a season-high 34 points for the Suns, who are 16-10 as the host this season. The win also allowed Gentry to become just the second coach in franchise history to begin his tenure 3-0, joining Scott Skiles, who started his career in Phoenix with a team-record four straight wins.

Shaquille O'Neal ended with 22 points and nine boards for the Suns, who have won three in a row overall and four straight at home. They will also host the Charlotte Bobcats on the current residency.

Meanwhile, the Celtics will continue a six-game road trip Sunday and are 2-1 on the trek after suffering a 90-85 loss at Utah on Thursday. Star center Kevin Garnett suffered a strained right knee while going up for a basket in the closing minutes of the first half and immediately limped off the floor and into the locker room. Garnett scored eight points in limited action and is reportedly expected to miss the next two to three weeks due to a posterior muscle strain of his right knee. In 53 games this season, Garnett is averaging 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds.

Paul Pierce scored 20 points and grabbed nine boards, while Rajon Rondo added 15 points and seven assists for the C's, who will also visit the Nuggets and Clippers, and are 20-8 away from Beantown this season. Kendrick Perkins and Ray Allen added 12 points apiece in defeat.

The Celtics defeated the Suns, 104-87, on January 19 this season at TD Banknorth Garden, but Phoenix has won 10 of the last 14 meetings. Boston has lost three straight after winning its last two trips to the desert.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

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