Magic visit Heat in possible playoff preview

Basketball Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-state rivals square off in the shadow of South Beach Thursday when the Miami Heat play host to the playoff-bound Orlando Magic.

The Magic have been on a roll recently and are currently the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt as well as the leaders of the Southeast Division, four games ahead of Atlanta. Orlando also comes into tonight's game having clinched their fourth playoff berth in as many years after a host of teams lost on Tuesday.

The Heat, meanwhile, are battling for a playoff berth and currently are seventh in the East, 3 1/2 games over ninth place Chicago. If the Magic and Miami both stay in their current positions, the two teams would meet in the first round of the playoffs.

Last night in Orlando Vince Carter recorded 24 points and eight assists, leading the Magic in a 110-84 rout of the San Antonio Spurs in a matchup between the NBA's two hottest teams.

Both teams came in having won eight of nine, but it was the Magic who never trailed in a game they dominated from start to finish. Rashard Lewis added 20 points, while Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick each poured in 10.

Dwight Howard contributed with nine points and seven rebounds for the defending Eastern Conference champs, which has won three straight over San Antonio for the first time in franchise history.

"We can't be satisfied just getting to the playoffs at this point, with what we went through last year," Nelson said. "To have a taste of the championship, you want to win it. It's what we're playing for. We're not one of those teams that are happy all year and let's celebrate just because we made the playoffs. We're one of the teams that wants to win it, to have a legit chance."

Miami also played the Spurs in its most recent affair but came up on the losing end of a 88-76 decision on Tuesday. Manu Ginobili scored 22 points in that one to lead San Antonio.

Dwyane Wade poured in 28 points and had five assists for the Heat, who are now 3-1 on a six-game homestand and have won six of seven overall.

Jermaine O'Neal kicked in 13 points and Udonis Haslem 10. Miami was done in by a 38.5-percent showing from the floor.

"They came out shooting the ball well and playing well. Manu (Ginobili) made some big shots to make sure we didn't get back into the game," said Wade.

Orlando snapped a two-game losing streak to the Heat with a 96-80 in central Florida last month and has won 13 of the past 16 meetings in the series.

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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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