Blazers take on Kings in Sacramento

Basketball Betting Lines

11/21/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers begin a quick two-game road trip Friday when they face the Sacramento Kings in Arco Arena.

Brandon Roy scored 20 points and Greg Oden had a successful regular season home debut, as the Blazers dominated the Chicago Bulls to the tune of 116-74 Wednesday at the Rose Garden.

The game marked the first meeting between the top pick in the 2008 and 2007 drafts. Oden, who was playing his first regular season home game one year and 144 days after he was picked in 2007, scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 17 1/2 minutes of action. Chicago's Derrick Rose was picked first in the most recent draft and shot just 1-of-8 for six points on the night.

Oden, who sat out his first season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee, received a standing ovation as he entered the game off the bench in the first quarter.

Joel Przybilla added 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Blazers, who have won six of eight. LaMarcus Aldridge posted 11 points in the victory.

The Kings were also successful in their last game as John Salmons led five Sacramento players in double figures with 29 points and six assists in the team's 105-96 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in the Big Easy on Wednesday.

Salmons hit a solid 13-of-18 from the floor for the Kings, who snapped a three-game skid as they continue to play without star guard Kevin Martin. Donte Greene, in his first career start, notched 15 points, and Beno Udrih chipped in 14 points and seven assists in the impressive victory.

Brad Miller added 14 points and eight boards for Sacramento, while Bobby Jackson came off the bench to score all eight of his points in the critical fourth quarter.

Martin has missed the past six games for Sacramento with an ankle injury and will be sidelined again tonight. Also, forward Mikki Moore is questionable with a sprained right ankle.

The Kings have won three straight over Portland and four of the last five contests between the two teams.

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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.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
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.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.