Knicks and Celtics renew rivalry at TD Garden

Basketball Betting Lines

02/03/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carmelo Anthony has battled with injuries and losing streaks since helping the New York Knicks defeat the Boston Celtics in a much- anticipated matchup on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.

Anthony scored 17 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter for a New York squad which blew an early 17-point lead and managed to squeeze out a 106-104 triumph in the season opener for both clubs. 'Melo and the Knicks will take their swings at the Celtics again tonight, only this time they will head north to TD Garden, where New York has dropped its last nine games.

The Knicks haven't won in Beantown since a 101-77 victory back on Nov. 24, 2006 and are just 2-12 in the past 14 matchups at Boston. The Celtics had a healthy Rajon Rondo in the first meeting with New York on Dec. 25, as the speedy point guard registered 31 points, 13 assists and five rebounds. Rondo, however, is out indefinitely with a right wrist injury and has missed the past eight games, with the Celtics going 6-2 in that span.

New York hasn't enjoyed much success lately, losing 10 of 12 games, including Thursday's 105-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls at MSG in the first of three games in as many days. Amare Stoudemire, who scored 21 points in the first encounter with Boston, racked up 34 and 11 rebounds versus the Bulls, while Anthony pumped in 26 points and Landry Fields netted 17 in defeat.

"For the most part, we played extremely hard tonight," Anthony said on the team's website. "We've got to pat ourselves on the back for something. We can go and magnify the turnovers late in the second quarter; we still had a chance to win the basketball game."

The Knicks shot 48.9 percent for the game and are playing back-to-back-to-back games for the first time since Mar. 20-22, 1999, when they beat Boston and lost to both Toronto and Atlanta. The Knicks will host New Jersey on Saturday after their trip to Beantown and own a 4-7 mark as the guest this season.

As previously noted, the Celtics have won six of eight games without Rondo in the lineup and are 7-2 in their previous nine contests. They posted their second straight win with Wednesday's 100-64 decision over the Toronto Raptors, as Paul Pierce finished with 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Pierce explained somewhat how Boston has succeeded without its top floor general.

"We're just starting to play better and be more consistent at home," said Pierce, who is 60 points shy of tying Larry Bird (21,791) for second on the team's all-time scoring list. "When Rondo isn't in the game we've got to be more unselfish."

Ray Allen and Chris Wilcox both added 12 points for Boston, which opened a five-game homestand on a positive note and improved to 7-6 as the host. The Celtics led by as many as 40 points in the fourth quarter, shot 12-of-24 from beyond the three-point line and added 30 assists on 39 baskets.

Pierce missed the first three games of the season with a heel injury and didn't get a chance to face the Knicks on Christmas. In 47 career games against the Knicks, Pierce is averaging 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Pierce led the Celtics with a double-double effort in three games against New York last year, averaging 26.0 points and 10.0 rebounds.

The Celtics will also host the Grizzlies, Bobcats and Lakers on the residency.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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