Late surge lifts Pacers over Bulls

Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Murphy recorded 27 points and 14 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers held on for a 98-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Still playing without leading scorer Danny Granger, who is out with a foot injury, the Pacers overcame a 40.0 percent shooting effort for their third win in four games.

T.J. Ford provided 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Jarrett Jack and Marquis Daniels each had 16 points in the win.

Indiana was very proficient from beyond the arc, shooting 8-for-15 for the game.

Ben Gordon shot 12-of-20 for a game-high 28 points for the Bulls, who had won three of four coming into the contest. Tyrus Thomas added 16 points, while Luol Deng had 13 in the loss.

Several new Chicago players got in the game Sunday, as John Salmons scored 12 points in 25 minutes of action after coming over from Sacramento before the trading deadline. Brad Miller was also acquired from the Kings and posted six points and 10 rebounds, while Tim Thomas, who came from the Knicks, had five points in the loss.

Indiana led, 75-74, heading to the fourth, and Thomas' jumper to start the frame put the Bulls in front by one after trailing in the third by as many as 14.

The Pacers experienced a long shooting drought in the second half, which allowed Chicago's resurgence. Indiana went without a field goal from the 5:46 mark of the third to 6:43 left in the fourth, when Murphy tied the game at 80-80 with a three-pointer.

The basket woke up Indiana's offense, though, as the team made four of its next five shots to take an 89-86 lead on Jeff Foster's layup with 3 1/2 minutes left.

The teams traded baskets, and Ford hit a leaning bank shot to give the Pacers a 93-88 advantage with 1:23 on the clock. Ford came up with a steal and a layup on the ensuing Bulls possession for a seven-point lead, and Indiana held on from there.

Gordon was the leading scorer in the first with 11 points, and the two teams played to a 27-27 tie after the opening 12 minutes.

After a back-and-forth second quarter, Indiana held a 52-51 halftime lead despite Gordon's 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

The Pacers opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run, as Daniels' three gave the hosts a 61-53 lead in the early minutes. After Thomas cut the Bulls' deficit to six following a timeout, Indiana scored eight straight points to go ahead, 69-55, on Maceo Baston's basket.

Chicago responded with a 15-2 run, reducing its gap to only one, 71-70, on a couple free throws from Salmons. After the third quarter, Indiana held a slight 75-74 edge.

Game Notes

The season series is tied, 1-1...Indiana improved to 17-11 at home, while Chicago fell to 10-20 on the road...Joakim Noah provided five points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, while Roy Hibbert had six points and seven rebounds for the Pacers...Chicago shot 43.0 percent from the field overall, and 6-of-15 from three-point range.

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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.

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