Hawks, Magic clash at Philips Arena

Basketball Betting Lines

02/23/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks have to be thrilled the All-Star break is right around the corner and they're one of the teams that could use the rest.

Heading into this weekend's break won't be easy, however, with the Southeast Division-rival Orlando Magic scheduled to invade Philips Arena tonight.

The Hawks are without leading scorer Joe Johnson through the All-Star break because of tendinitis in his left knee and he is averaging 7.6 points per game. Johnson was selected as a reserve for the East and was supposed to participate in the All-Star festivities. He was forced to leave Monday's loss at Chicago because of the injury.

Atlanta dropped its third straight game and eighth in 11 tries with last night's 99-82 setback to Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks in the finale of a five-game road trip (1-4) at Madison Square Garden. Jeff Teague scored a team- best 18 points, while Willie Green had 16 and Josh Smith added 13 for Atlanta, which shot 39.5 percent for the game and trailed 60-35 at halftime.

"I thought they did a good job of dictating the pace of the game early," Hawks head coach Larry Drew said about the Knicks. "We took a lot of ill-advised shots and we turned the basketball over, which you can't do on the road."

Marvin Williams had no points in 26:48 and returned from a one-game absence.

The Hawks will open a four-game homestand tonight that will carry them through the mid-season break. They will also host Golden State, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City and are 9-5 in the ATL this season.

In 31 of the 34 games this season for Orlando, All-Star center Dwight Howard has led the team in rebounding. Howard hopes to continue that lopsided trend against the rival Hawks and is coming off a 20-point, 17-rebound effort in last night's 108-91 victory in New Jersey.

Glen Davis scored 12 of his 16 points during a big run with Howard on the bench because of foul trouble and Ryan Anderson had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, winners of two straight and 10 of 13 games.

"We're playing great basketball. We have to keep it up, stay humble, stay focused and continue to push," said Howard, who owns 27 double-doubles on the season

"We're in a good position and we don't want to lose that position. We have to come back the second half and have a better second half."

Magic swingman Jason Richardson missed his third straight game with chest and rib problems and could be out through the All-Star break. Richardson is averaging 12.2 points in 26 games this season.

The Magic are 10-6 away from home and will visit Washington after the break to close out a five-game road trip (2-1).

Orlando dropped an 89-87 overtime decision to Atlanta at Amway Center on Feb. 10 this season and has lost four straight and five of the last six meetings in this series. The Magic have also suffered defeat in three straight and nine of their previous 13 contests in the Peach State.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.