Pierce leads Celtics to halftime lead in Game 5

Basketball Betting Lines

06/13/2010 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce netted 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, helping Boston to a 45-39 halftime lead on the Los Angeles Lakers in the pivotal Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

The Celtics, coming off a series-tying 96-89 win on Thursday, are continuing their attempt for a second title in three years, having beaten the Lakers in six games in 2008.

The Lakers have won 14 straight playoff games when the series is tied, but will need to rally in the second half to continue that trend before the series heads back to Los Angeles for Game 6 Tuesday night.

The team that wins Game 5 in a best-of-seven series tied 2-2 is 130-26 in those series all-time.

Rajon Rondo played a big part in Boston's success in the first half with 10 points, but the Celtics have 11 turnovers at the break. They are shooting a sizzling 65.6 percent from the field.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 10 points, but LA is struggling at a 33.3 percent shooting clip.

Boston scored the game's first six points, but the Lakers netted the ensuing eight, capped by Andrew Bynum's bucket. He's playing despite having his right knee drained Friday.

The game remained tight through the end of the period with Pierce's jumper in the closing minute providing a 22-20 edge for Boston through 12 minutes.

Tony Allen's basket, just over three minutes into the second, provided a 30-22 cushion, but a pair of three-pointers by Ron Artest highlighted an 11-4 run later by the Lakers as they took a 37-36 edge.

The game turned ugly during that spurt. With 4:42 left in the first half, Kevin Garnett went up for a shot in the lane, but tumbled to the floor after being fouled by Artest. Rondo darted into the lane, shoved Artest and was whistled for a technical foul.

Bryant made the technical foul shot, but Garnett countered by sinking his two at the line. A three-ball by Artest and an inside basket from Bryant gave LA the one-point edge.

It didn't last long, as Pierce drained a three-pointer and a tip-in credited to Kendrick Perkins moved the Celtics to a 41-37 lead inside three minutes to go.

Pierce's jumper in the final minute represented the final points of the half.

Wwwmybookie Basketball Betting News

<< Young makes second homer a game-winner for D'Backs
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Young's second homer of the game, a two- run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning, rescued the Arizona bullpen and lifted the Diamondbacks to a 7-5 win over St. Louis in the rubber match of a three-g

<< Monday finish looms for State Farm Classic
Springfield, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - More weather problems on Sunday forced the State Farm Classic into a Monday finish at Panther Creek Country Club. The third round had also been delayed by thunderstorms and heavy rain. That round was f

<< Zenyatta makes history with Vanity win
Inglewood, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time champion mare Zenyatta remained undefeated with a third straight win in Sunday's $250,000 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park. The undefeated mare ran her career record to 17 straight wins. Owne

<< Mediate gets last spot in U.S. Open field
Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rocco Mediate, who had an epic playoff with Tiger Woods two years ago, was given the final spot in the field for the 110th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Mediate had been the first alternate and when no

<< Angels take all three in Freeway Series vs. Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hideki Matsui finished 3-for-4 with two RBI as the Angels held on to top the Dodgers, 6-5, in the finale of a three-game interleague series from Dodger Stadium. Bobby Abreu collected three hits, scored t

McNamee claims Clemens' foundation paid for drugs >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Brian McNamee told federal investigators that Roger Clemens' nonprofit organization paid him for his training services, including providing the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with performance-enhancing drugs, the New York Times repo

2010 Near No-Hitters >>
No-hit bids that were broken up in the ninth inning this season:June 13 - Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox; pinch hitter Juan Pierre no-out single up the middle, Cubs 1-0.June 2 - x-Armando Galarraga, Detroit vs. Cleveland; Jason Donald

Lakers-Celtics, Box >>
L.A. LAKERS (86)Artest 2-9 1-4 7, Gasol 5-12 2-3 12, Bynum 3-6 0-1 6, Fisher 2-9 5-5 9, Bryant 13-27 8-9 38, Odom 4-6 0-2 8, Farmar 0-4 1-2 1, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Vujacic 2-5 0-0 5, Walton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-78 17-26 86.BOSTON (92)Pierce 12-21 1-2

Gasol little more than a spectator to Kobe show >>
BOSTON (AP) -Pau Gasol finally got the ball with a chance to shoot, and Kevin Garnett sent it back at him.A few minutes later, the same thing happened.Gasol was little more than a spectator of the Kobe Bryant show in Game 5 of the NBA finals on Sund

Garnett's all-around game boosts Celtics >>
BOSTON (AP) -Kevin Garnett scored, rebounded and blocked shots.Steal the ball? He did that, too. Five times.Garnett's best all-around performance of the NBA finals lacked one memorable gesture. Boston's emotional leader didn't kiss the leprechaun sy

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.