Bulls resume long trek in MSG against Knicks

Basketball Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have been struggling with consistency lately and look to gain a measure of balance tonight in a showdown with the New York Knicks from Madison Square Garden.

The Bulls, who are in the midst of a nine-game road trip, have alternated wins and losses over their previous six games and are 1-2 so far on the trek following last night's 98-82 loss at Philadelphia in which reigning MVP Derrick Rose posted 18 points and sat out much of the fourth quarter. C.J. Watson netted a game-best 20 points, while Kyle Korver, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson posted nine points apiece in defeat.

"They play hard. They play unselfishly. They don't make mistakes, so you need to be sharp," Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau said of the Sixers.

Rose entered the game averaging 34.3 points in his previous three. Chicago gave up 29 points on 17 turnovers and dropped to 9-5 outside the United Center this season. It will also visit the Bucks, Nets, Hornets, Bobcats and Celtics on the trek, and owns a 1 1/2-game lead over Indiana for Central Division supremacy.

The Bulls were without forward Luol Deng (wrist) and guard Richard Hamilton (groin/thigh) last night. Both are questionable against the Knicks.

New York has been a disappointment this season as evidenced by its 8-13 record, but was able to hand Detroit a lopsided 113-86 loss the last time out on Tuesday at MSG. Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points in his return to the lineup and had missed two straight games because of a serious of bumps and bruises.

Landry Fields had 18 points and hit four three-pointers for the Knicks, who had lost three straight and nine of 10 coming in. They shot 60 percent on the night.

"The ball movement was great tonight," said Knicks center Tyson Chandler, who recorded 17 points and eight rebounds. "Our energy, our willingness to pass, we just found the open man and it became contagious."

Amare Stoudemire added 15 points for a New York team in the midst of playing two straight and four of five games at home. The Knicks are 4-6 as the host and will visit Boston before returning home to play the Nets and Jazz. They will play three straight games starting tonight for the first time since March 20-22, 1999.

New York and Chicago will play the first of four matchups this season, and the Knicks took two of three meetings a year ago.

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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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.