Fernandez, Blazers beat Heat in Oden's return

Basketball Betting Lines

11/12/2008 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Fernandez logged 14 of his team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, as the Portland Trail Blazers welcomed back Greg Oden with a resounding 104-96 victory at Miami.

Oden made his return after missing six games with a right foot sprain sustained in the season-opener. The seven-footer was a non-factor offensively in 16 minutes of play, finishing with three points, two rebounds and a pair of blocks while sitting the bench for most of the fourth quarter.

Brandon Roy contributed 22 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 14 and added seven rebounds for Portland, which has won four straight.

Dwyane Wade deposited 36 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Miami, which had won its first three home games of the year. Michael Beasley scored 14 points but failed to score in the final 20 minutes of the Heat's second loss in three contests.

With the score tied, 79-79, at the nine-minute mark of the fourth, the Blazers buckled down defensively and started hitting their outside shots. A Fernandez three-pointer and a three-point play by Aldridge highlighted an 11-2 run to put Portland ahead for good.

Wade nearly brought the Heat back single-handedly, and his emphatic two-hand dunk with 40 seconds left made it a 98-94 game. But on the ensuing Blazers possession, Roy drove the lane and kicked it out to a wide open Steve Blake, who banged home a three-point dagger from the corner to seal the game with 17.1 seconds remaining.

Portland came out and moved the ball effectively en route to taking a 27-19 lead at the end of one period. But Wade and Beasley score 19 of the Heat's 28 second-quarter points to carry Miami back to a 50-47 deficit at the break.

Miami got the better end of a back-and-forth third quarter and held a slim 75-73 edge going into the pivotal fourth.

Game Notes

Wade has scored 30-plus points in four straight games...Miami's Udonis Haslem led all players with 11 rebounds...Heat forward Shawn Marion (groin) and guards Marcus Banks (groin) and Shaun Livingston (knee) did not play in the loss... Oden's only field goal -- and first of his career -- came on a uncontested dunk with less than a minute to play in the first quarter...Portland has won three straight against Miami.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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