Sixers shoot for season-high 5th straight win vs. Wolves

Basketball Betting Lines

02/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Minnesota and Philadelphia got together the Sixers blew a 20-point lead en route to an overtime loss. The 76ers will try to maintain any sort of advantage tonight, when they try to extend their season high winning streak to five games versus the Timberwolves at the Wachovia Center.

The 108-103 overtime setback at the Target Center back on January 18 lifted Minnesota to a 5-2 mark in the past seven matchups in this series. The Sixers, however, have won two in a row and six of eight matchups between the teams in the City of Brotherly Love.

Philadelphia made it four straight wins with Saturday's 102-95 victory at Houston, as Andre Iguodala ended with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and hit a big three-pointer down the stretch to lead the way. Thaddeus Young netted a team-high 17 points, while Willie Green and Elton Brand chipped in 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the Sixers, who will try to stop a two-game slide as the host Tuesday.

"We're in a good groove. Hopefully we can bottle it up," Sixers guard Lou Williams said.

Williams, who had nine points in the victory, is questionable for tonight's game due to a sinus infection. Veteran guard Allen Iverson is also questionable because one of his children is ill and has missed three consecutive games for the 76ers, who are 8-16 as the host and 12-9 since opening the campaign with a 7-22 mark.

Minnesota is also riding a four-game winning streak and has scored 100 or more points in each of those contests. In Saturday's 109-102 victory versus the Memphis Grizzlies in the Twin Cities, Ryan Gomes scored 26 points and Al Jefferson added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who last won four in a row during a five-game streak from January 2-10, 2009. Ramon Sessions contributed 19 points off the bench.

"We showed a different side of us tonight," Jefferson said. "I think we really surprised ourselves."

Corey Brewer had 17 points in the victory.

The T'Wolves sport a 4-21 road mark this season and shot 55.6 percent in Saturday's win. It was their second-highest percentage of the season and the fourth straight game they've reached the 50 percent mark.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.


FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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