Balanced Magic beat Timberwolves by 13

Basketball Betting Lines

02/13/2012 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Richardson had 17 points and was one of six Magic players to score in double figures Monday as Orlando took down the Minnesota Timberwolves, 102-89.

Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick and Hedo Turkoglu finished with 14 points apiece and Ryan Anderson added 13 for the Magic, who have won six of their last eight games.

Dwight Howard scored 11 points to go with seven boards in the victory.

Kevin Love had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost four straight. The Wolves turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 17 Magic points.

The Magic used an early 12-4 run to build a 17-8 advantage midway through the first, but the Wolves fought back and Ricky Rubio's trey with 1.4 seconds left in the period pulled Minnesota within 29-26 after one.

Orlando reestablished its comfortable lead in the second after beginning the quarter on a 12-4 flurry. Earl Clark netted six points during the spurt. The Magic continued to hold a healthy margin for the remainder of the half and took a 55-44 advantage into the locker room.

Love had 10 points and eight rebounds to pace Minnesota in the first half while Orlando nailed 6-of-13 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Magic began the second half on a 14-5 push as Turkoglu's lob to Howard gave Orlando its largest lead of 20, 69-49, midway through the third frame. The hosts took a 79-66 advantage into the final quarter.

Minnesota rallied in the fourth and pulled within eight following a 10-2 run. J.J. Barea and Michael Beasley hit consecutive treys and Derrick Williams made a pair of foul shots to cap the spurt as the Wolves found themselves down 90-82 with 5:47 to play.

But back-to-back three-pointers by Redick and Nelson upped the margin back to double digits, and Orlando cruised the rest of the way.

Game Notes

The Magic are 13-1 when they score at least 100 points...Orlando was 12-of-30 from three-point range while Minnesota was just 6-of-21...Rubio had 11 points and eight assists.

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

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