11/19/2008 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrea Bargnani scored a season-high 25 points, leading the Toronto Raptors over the Miami Heat, 101-95, in a tough road test at American Airlines Arena.
Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal both posted double-doubles, with Bosh recording 15 points and 11 rebounds while O'Neal had 16 points and 17 rebounds. Anthony Parker was a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc for 19 points for the Raptors, who have won two of three.
"Every time they took the lead, we came right back and got the timely stops," said Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell. "(Bargnani) and (O'Neal) were just huge for us, and then (Parker) in the second half. We just kept telling (Parker) to shoot the basketball. The guys off the bench gave us some big points."
The Raptors shot 9-of-13 from three-point range in the game, including an 8-for-8 mark to finish the game.
Dwyane Wade had a game-high 40 points and 11 assists for the Heat, who have lost three of five. Shawn Marion added a season-high 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Daequan Cook had 10 points in the loss.
"We are going to build on (the game)," Wade said. "Tonight we played a team that played well throughout the whole game and hit big shots. We kept fighting and had a chance. At the end of the day, the best team won tonight."
Down 10 headed into the final quarter, Miami started on a 17-6 burst to seize an 84-83 lead with just under nine minutes remaining. Marion and Chris Quinn combined to score 10 during the run.
But Parker hit Toronto's seventh consecutive three-point attempt to take back an 86-84 advantage. Parker hit a fadeaway shot to go up four, but Wade's three-pointer with four minutes to play pulled Miami within 92-89.
Jose Calderon, who missed the last two games with a strained right hamstring, made a crucial steal with just over a minute to go and put the Raptors up by five with a driving layup past Quinn and Marion with 1:09 left.
Wade made a jumper with 41 seconds left to pull Miami within four, but Cook's three-point attempt on the next possession was off, and Parker put the finishing touches on the game with a couple free throws with under 10 seconds left to put Toronto up 101-95.
"Well we didn't like the result, but I think people probably got their money's worth on that game," said Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra. "Going down the stretch, it got as electric as it could get."
Toronto jumped out to a 17-6 lead in the first six minutes, thanks to 10 early points from Bargnani. But Wade led the Heat back into it with nine points in the first, and Miami was only down two after the opening period.
The Raptors were able to increase their lead to nine in the beginning of the second, maintaining that advantage for most of the quarter. But Wade hit a jumper and a free throw in the last 20 seconds, and the Heat trailed only by four at the break.
Miami tied the game at 47 early in the third, but Toronto answered with an 8-0 run to regain the lead. The Raptors would increase their lead to as much as 17 thanks to the team's 6-for-6 shooting from three in the quarter and led 77-67 headed into the fourth.
Game Notes
Parker tied a team record for most three-pointers without a miss. It has happened two times in Toronto history, with the last being Mike James against Golden State on December 16, 2006...Calderon had eight points and seven assists...Miami shot just 7-of-23 from three-point range...Bargnani shot 3-of-4 from long range...Toronto leads the season series, 2-0, and has beaten the Heat six straight times...Wade set a career-high with five blocks.
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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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