Cavs hope to clinch top seed in East vs. Sixers

Basketball Betting Lines

04/10/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland takes its quest for the NBA's best record to the City of Brotherly Love tonight as the Cavaliers visit the reeling Philadelphia 76ers.

The Cavs also hope to secure homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs with a triumph tonight or a Boston loss against the Miami Heat.

Most recently Cleveland improved to 63-15 this season and remained four games ahead of Boston for the top spot in the East with four games to play after a 98-86 win over the woeful Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Additionally, the Cavaliers hold a one-half game advantage over the Los Angeles Lakers (63-16) for the NBA's best record, although Phil Jackson's club holds the tiebreaker.

LeBron James finished with 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds against the Wizards.

Mo Williams added 14 points for Cleveland, which improved to 38-1 at Quicken Loans Arena this season, setting a franchise record for home wins. The Cavaliers lost their only game as the host on February 8 against the Lakers, and have since won 15 in a row at home.

Delonte West had 13 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas ended with 13 rebounds and seven points in the win, the Cavaliers' second in a row. Cleveland also saw the return of center Ben Wallace, who hadn't played since February 26 because of a fractured right fibula and finished with seven points.

The Sixers, meanwhile, find themselves mired in an inopportune slump and lost their third straight game in Chicago on Thursday when Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon each scored 24 points as the Bulls inched closer to a playoff berth with a 113-99 victory over Philadelphia.

Andre Miller led the Sixers with 20 points, Andre Iguodala added 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and Lou Williams gave instant offense off the bench with 16 points. The Sixers have already made the playoffs but have lost three straight and five of eight overall.

Philadelphia trails fifth-place Miami by one game in the East, and lead seventh-place Chicago by 1 1/2 and eighth-place Detroit by two.

Cleveland has taken four straight games over the Sixers, including a pair this season.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.