Suns ease past Kings

Basketball Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jared Dudley had 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns eased past the Sacramento Kings, 98-84, at Power Balance Pavilion.

Steve Nash missed the second quarter after taking a shot to the face from Sacramento's Isaiah Thomas late in the first quarter as Thomas' arm flailed into Nash's head after running into a pick set by Marcin Gortat.

Nash, though, returned in the second half after getting four stitches in his lip and finished the game with four points and 15 assists in the Suns' fourth win in five games.

DeMarcus Cousins netted 26 points and Marcus Thornton dropped in 21 for the Kings, losers of two of their past three.

Phoenix opened the game with back-to-back baskets by Channing Frye and Grant Hill and never looked back, leading for the entire 48 minutes.

"Obviously, it was a great win for us. This team has been playing great basketball," Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said. "For us to play from start to finish like we did, I thought it was really good."

The Kings kept it close over the first four minutes of the game until an 8-2 spurt, capped by Dudley's three-point play, put the Suns ahead, 20-11, with five minutes left in the first.

Sacramento could not get closer than five for the remainder of the first and a pair of Michael Redd free throws gave Phoenix a 31-24 lead after one.

The Suns stretched their lead to double-digits early in the second without their starting point guard and kept the Kings at arm's length in a back-and- forth frame en route to a 53-44 halftime advantage.

Nash then returned for the third quarter and dished out six assists as Phoenix shot 11-for-18 from the floor, closing the quarter with a 10-6 swing that included six points from Gortat and three assists from Nash as the Suns took a 75-60 lead into the final stanza.

Phoenix held at least a 13-point lead for the entire fourth quarter.

"They play well as a team," Kings forward Chuck Hayes said about the Suns. "Everybody plays with their man, they play their strengths, nobody tries anything extra and they actually play really hard."

Game Notes

Suns rookie forward Markieff Morris recorded a career-high 18 points...Sacramento had won three straight home games entering Saturday. They Kings have not won four consecutive home games since November 25-December 2, 2009...Both teams struggled from long range, as the Suns shot 8-for-23 from three-point land and the Kings made 8-of-21 shots from beyond the arc.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

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