04/09/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors have hit a snag and will try to right the ship when they open a two-game homestand tonight versus the Milwaukee Bucks at the Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors will also welcome the New Jersey Nets to town, and are 22-16 as the host this season. They have lost two in a row at home.
Toronto has dropped three straight overall, including Saturday's 99-90 loss to the Nets at the Izod Center. Rasho Nesterovic finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who had already clinched a spot in the postseason, but failed to pick up ground in the East.
The Raptors are seventh in the conference standings, and sit two games behind Washington for the fifth spot and a game back of No. 6 Philadelphia.
Milwaukee has dropped three in a row, and will open a two-game road trip on Wednesday against Toronto and Boston. The Bucks are 7-31 as the visitor this season, and have lost nine of 10 and 16 of their last 18 road games.
In Tuesday's 107-104 overtime setback versus the Boston Celtics at the Bradley Center, Michael Redd scored 25 points and Andrew Bogut recorded his fifth straight double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Desmond Mason ended with 14 points in defeat.
Bucks guard Maurice Williams is questionable against Toronto with an abdominal strain.
The 2007-08 season series between Milwaukee and Toronto is tied at a game apiece. The Raptors have won two of three and four of the last six matchups with the Bucks, who are 10-3 in their last 13 games at the Air Canada Centre.
<< Calipari named coach of the year
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Memphis men's head basketball
coach John Calipari was named the 2007-08 Naismith National Coach of the Year
by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club on Wednesday.
The announcement comes on the heels of th
<< Diamondbacks' Jackson leaves game with injured hand
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Conor
Jackson left Wednesday's game with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being hit by
a pitch in the fourth inning.
Jackson, hitting .333 on the young season, was pl
<< A&M freshman Jordan will test NBA Draft waters
College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas A&M University center
DeAndre Jordan announced Wednesday that he will submit his name into the 2008
NBA Draft, but will not sign with an agent.
Jordan, a 7-foot, 255-pounder fr
<< Chakvetadze, Mauresmo reach third round in Florida
Amelia Island, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze
and former world No. 1 French star Amelie Mauresmo were second-round winners
Wednesday at the $600,000 Bausch & Lomb Championships.
Chakvetadze charged past
Sabbatini wins Par-Three Tournament >>
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South African Rory Sabbatini captured the Par-
Three Tournament at the Masters on Wednesday with a five-under-par 22.
Sabbatini, who sank a long birdie putt on his final hole, finished one clear
of Wood
Rays place OF Floyd on DL >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays placed designated
hitter/outfielder Cliff Floyd on the 15-day disabled list with a medial
meniscus tear in his right knee on Wednesday, a day after pitcher Matt Garza
headed
Napoli grand as Angels crush Tribe >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Napoli's second-inning grand slam was
the first of four long balls for the Angels, who slugged their way to a 9-5
victory over Cleveland in an afternoon matinee.
Vladimir Guerrero connected on a
Revs add draft pick Britner to roster >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution announced on
Wednesday that defender Matthew Britner has signed a Major League Soccer
contract to play for the Revs. Britner, a native of Canada, will also occupy
one of
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.