Thunder kick off road trip in Charlotte

Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's still plenty of wiggle room left for the Oklahoma City Thunder to move up in the Western Conference standings. A lengthy winning streak usually helps, as the Thunder shoot for a sixth straight win tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats in the opener of a three-game road trip.

Oklahoma City is currently fifth in the conference standings and sits 3 1/2 games behind second-seeded Denver. Utah is only a game ahead in the fourth spot, while Dallas has a three-game edge for third.

The Thunder will also visit Toronto and Indiana on the trek and are 19-13 away from the Ford Center. They made it five consecutive victories with Sunday's 119-111 triumph versus the Jazz in the finale of a perfect homestand thanks to 30 points and 11 assists from Russell Westbrook. Kevin Durant scored 35 points and Jeff Green added 14 for Oklahoma City, which is 17-3 in its last 20 games.

"That was about as physical a basketball team as we're going to face," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of the Jazz. "It's great for our guys to experience it and compete against a very veteran, physical, playoff-tested team."

Brooks' squad shot a season-best 60.3 percent from the floor and made a season-high tying 44 field goals. Durant, who is second in the NBA with 29.8 ppg, has scored 30 or more points an NBA-best 37 times this season and the Thunder are 26-11 in that span.

Charlotte hopes to get back on track after having its season-high six-game winning streak cut short with Tuesday's 99-94 setback at Indiana.

Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw each scored 20 points for Charlotte, which is tied with Miami for the sixth seed in the conference. Stephen Graham notched a career-high 19 points, while Tyrus Thomas added 14 in defeat.

"We had a horrible second quarter...that just kind of set the tone. We got beat on the offensive boards early, we didn't move the ball and we didn't recognize when guys were open," said Charlotte coach Larry Brown.

Bobcats star forward Gerald Wallace missed a second straight game with an ankle injury, and is averaging 18.5 points per game. He is doubtful versus the Thunder. The Bobcats have won four in a row at home and are 24-8 in the Tar Heel State this season.

Oklahoma City is 19-6 versus the Eastern Conference this season and defeated Charlotte, 98-91, back on December 26 at the Ford Center. Durant poured in 30 points and Westbrook added 22 in that one.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.