Jazz have what it takes to hold on in Northwest Division

Basketball Betting Lines

02/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah (35-17) is in first place in the Northwest Division, 8 1/2 games ahead of the second place Denver Nuggets. Led by All- Stars Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, the Nuggets will be primed to make a run at the Jazz.

The Jazz are 2-0 against Denver this season. The Nuggets are scheduled to host the Jazz on February 23rd at the Pepsi Center, while Utah will welcome Denver to EnergySolutions Arena on April 11th in the final meeting of the campaign between the clubs.

All-Star forward Carlos Boozer, who did not play in Sunday's All-Star Game at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, is still sidelined with a hairline fracture in his left leg. Boozer, who was injured on January 27th against the Hornets, leads the Jazz in scoring (22.1 ppg) and rebounding (11.8 rpg). He has recorded 33 double-doubles and has scored in double-digits in 41 times this season.

Utah is 6-1 without Boozer.

The Jazz try to continue their excellent season, as they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday at the Rose Garden. It is the first game back for both teams since the All-Star break.

Portland and the Jazz battle in the second of four meetings this season. On December 30th, Mehmet Okur scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Utah to a 96-86 home victory over the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers have lost five straight and 10 of their last 11 at Utah. The Jazz have won five in a row in the series. Portland will host Jazz on April 4th and will visit Utah on April 16th.

Utah enters Tuesday's contest on a six-game winning streak. On February 14th, Deron Williams scored a career-high 33 points and had 12 assists as the Jazz defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 99-98, at EnergySolutions Arena.

Okur, who played in his first All-Star Game on Sunday, finished with 22 points in the win over Cleveland for the Jazz, while Andrei Kirilenko added 10 for Utah, which has won 11 of its last 14 games overall.

The Jazz are a respectable 14-11 on the road this season. They will visit Anthony and the Nuggets on Friday at the Pepsi Center.

Wwwgoldenpalacecasino Basketball Betting News

<< Martin comes up big both on track and off
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Martin won the 2007 Daytona 500. Sure, he didn't get the trophy, the huge check or drenched by champagne in Victory Lane, but that doesn't change the fact that he won the race. In typical N

<< Line of Scrimmage: Norv Turner - Bad Things Happen in Threes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They're rejoicing in Denver, Kansas City, and Oakland right about now. Norv Turner is an NFL head coach for the third time, having taken over for Marty Schottenheimer in San Diego, and the rest of the AFC

<< Lightning try to rebound against Panthers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Tampa Bay Lightning will attempt to avenge a weekend loss to the Florida Panthers when the Southeast Division rivals complete a home-and-home series tonight at St. Pete Times Forum. Florida got the upper ha

<< Rangers, Devils open home-and-home series in New Jersey
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils begin an important home-and-home series this evening, with the first of the consecutive meetings to take place at Continental Airlines Arena. These two games carry importance for

<< Habs entertain Caps in encounter between struggling clubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to post back-to-back wins for the first time in a month as they welcome the Washington Capitals for tonight's showdown at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens ended a six-game losing stre

Cowboys sign Gurode to six-year deal >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys signed offensive lineman Andre Gurode to a six-year contract on Tuesday. Gurode started all 17 games last season for the Cowboys and was added to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement f

76ers still alive for lottery >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All it takes is a dollar and a dream for a select few to strike it rich in the lottery. But in order for the Philadelphia 76ers to start raking in the loot, they have to bag the rest of the 2006-07 season and start ev

Celtics send Ray to D-League >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics assigned rookie guard Allan Ray to their NBA Development League affiliate in Austin. Ray is the team's first assignment to the NBA Development League this season and the 19th NBA pla

Leopold out four weeks for Avs >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jordan Leopold will be sidelined approximately four weeks with a fractured wrist. Leopold, who will undergo surgery, suffered the injury during the third period of Colorado's 7-

Pennsylvania Derby purse increased to $1 million >>
Bensalem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Park Racetrack has announced that its premier event, the Pennsylvania Derby, will now have a purse of $1 million. The announcement was made in a press release on Tuesday. "There's somethi

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.