Durant, Thunder try and even series vs. Lakers

Basketball Betting Lines

04/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The upstart Oklahoma City Thunder hope to deadlock their Western Conference quarterfinals series with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers tonight.

The Thunder got back in the set on Thursday when Kevin Durant scored 29 points and pulled down 19 rebounds, pacing Oklahoma City to a 101-96 win over the Lakers in Game 3.

On a night Oklahoma City's Scott Brooks was handed the award as the league's top head coach, the Thunder garnered their first playoff win as a franchise since moving from Seattle. The last postseason triumph came in 2005 when the SuperSonics played San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals.

Russell Westbrook tallied 27 points and eight rebounds in the win. He and Durant combined for 22 of Oklahoma City's final 23 points, and the Thunder defense held superstar Kobe Bryant to 2-of-10 shooting in the last period.

Durant had a lot to do with that, guarding Bryant for most of that fourth quarter.

"He missed some shots he'd normally hit," Durant said. "I was praying they'd bounce off the rim. I just tried to play my hardest, use my length to disturb his shot. My teammates did a great job helping me out."

James Harden scored 18 points off the bench for the eighth-seeded Thunder.

Bryant had 24 points and eight assists, but went just 10-of-29 from the field for the defending champs, who still hold a 2-1 series lead. Pau Gasol ended with 17 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out. Derek Fisher also scored 17 for the Lakers, who went 10-of-31 from beyond the arc.

Despite the loss, Bryant (4,465) passed the legendary Jerry West (4,457) for first on the Lakers' all-time playoff scoring list.

Andrew Bynum tallied 13 points and seven boards, while Ron Artest scored 11 in defeat as LA sent Oklahoma City to the foul line 34 times (27 makes), while the Lakers converted 10-of-12 at the charity stripe.

"The key factor is the free throws," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "They shot 41 percent, but we even shot better than they did. But you can't beat a team when you stick them on the line 34 times. That has to go with their aggressiveness."

Last Sunday's Game 1 marked Oklahoma City's return to the playoffs for the first time since the then-SuperSonics won the Northwest Division back in the 2004-05 campaign.

Since the NBA changed its playoff format in 1984, there have only been three occasions when a No. 8 seed has shocked a No. 1. The last time an eight topped a No. 1 was in 2007 when Golden State upended Dallas.

Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday back in LA.

Betosports Basketball Betting News

<< Hawks-Bucks series shifts to Milwaukee for Game 3
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks will try and take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals tonight when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks at Bradley Center. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 27 points on Tuesday, while Jo

<< Suns shoot for 3-1 lead on banged-up Blazers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers hope to bounce back from a pair of poor performances this afternoon as they attempt to even their Western Conference quarterfinals series with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns took a 2-1 edge in the se

<< Magic aim for commanding 3-0 series lead in Charlotte
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats return to the cozy confines of Time Warner Cable Arena for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals set with Orlando in search of the franchise's first ever postseason win. The Magic held serv

<< NHL rescinds instigator penalty to Bruins' Chara
TORONTO (AP) -Boston's Zdeno Chara will play in Game 6 against the Buffalo Sabres after the NHL rescinded an instigator penalty assessed to the Bruins' defenseman in a Game 5 loss.Chara was assessed a minor penalty for instigating, a major for fight

<< Fraser leads by one in Korea
Jeju Island, Korea (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Fraser carded a two-under 70 Saturday to grab a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Ballantine's Championship. Fraser, who will go for his second European Tour win on Sunday, com

Blue Jays, Rays continue set in Tampa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two rookie standouts from 2009 meet early in their sophomore seasons tonight when the Toronto Blue Jays visit the Tampa Bay Rays for the middle contest of a three-game series at Tropicana Field. Lefty Ricky Romero was 13-9

Orioles turn to rookie Matusz versus Red Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both of the Baltimore Orioles' wins this season have come with rookie Brian Matusz on the hill. The woeful O's hope that trend continues tonight when they continue their three-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Par

Tigers send Willis to the hill against Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dontrelle Willis' last major league win came at the expense of the Texas Rangers almost a year ago. Tonight he takes aim at his first victory of this season when the Detroit Tigers continue their four-game set with the Ranger

White Sox and Mariners get together again in Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox try to make it two straight wins this afternoon when they continue their three-game series with the Seattle Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox drew first blood in this series in dramatic f

Anderson aims for solid start as A's resume set with Indians >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Anderson tries to duplicate what Justin Duchscherer did in the opener when the Oakland Athletics play the middle test of their three-game series against the Cleveland Indians at the Coliseum. Duchscherer scattered fi

2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:

"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.