Sixers hand Bobcats 7th straight loss

Basketball Betting Lines

01/27/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobcats coach Paul Silas wasn't on the court Friday night to see his team lose a season-high seventh straight game.

Ejected during a timeout, he missed the last 2 1/2 quarters of another bleak loss.

Lou Williams scored 17 points, Jrue Holiday had 15 and the Philadelphia 76ers easily handled Charlotte, 89-72, leading wire-to-wire and by as many as 30 points.

Silas was ejected as the game got out of hand, tossed after receiving two technical fouls during a timeout in the second quarter while his team trailed by 21.

The Bobcats, who are an NBA-worst 3-17, continue to deal not only with the frustration of losing, but also with injuries to some of their best players.

Gerald Henderson returned Friday from a one-game absence because of a bruised lower back, scoring seven, but D.J. Augustin missed his third straight game with a toe injury and D.J. White sat with a left knee contusion.

Shorthanded, the Bobcats lost their fourth straight game by at least 10 points after staying within single digits in their previous three losses. They also had a six-game losing streak earlier in the season,

The Atlantic division-leading Sixers, meanwhile, avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Coming off an overtime loss to New Jersey on Wednesday, they opened with a 14-3 run sparked by Jodie Meeks' three-pointer and never looked back. Holiday scored the last seven points of the burst, including a three to cap it.

Meeks finished with 14 points for Philadelphia and Thaddeus Young had 10, while rookie Kemba Walker scored 14 to lead the Bobcats.

The Sixers held Charlotte to 21.1 percent shooting in the first quarter and had a 23-10 lead at the buzzer.

They continued to pour it on, scoring a season-high 36 points in the second quarter. Silas was ejected after the Bobcats took a timeout while trailing 46-25.

Meeks hit both technical free throws, ending an 18-4 run that pushed the lead from nine points to 23 with 4:48 remaining in the first half.

The Sixers led 59-37 at the break, shooting 56.1 percent in the first half, and carried a 26-point lead into the fourth quarter. They went ahead by as many as 30.

Game Notes

The home team has won the last five games in this series, and 19 of the last 22...The Bobcats have lost four of five and nine of their last 11 games at Philadelphia...The Sixers signed free-agent veteran center Francisco Elson earlier Friday to provide some depth at the position with Spencer Hawes (Achilles) and Nikola Vucevic (quad) missing time because of injuries. They are 2-1 on a seven-game homestand...The Bobcats return home to play Washington on Saturday.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

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Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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