Mavs aim to push win streak to 13 vs. Nets

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03/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA's worst team takes on its hottest when the New Jersey Nets meet the Dallas Mavericks in Big D tonight.

Despite playing short-handed the Mavs earned their 12th straight victory on Monday in Minneapolis when Shawn Marion posted 29 points to go with 14 rebounds, pacing Dallas in a 125-112 decision over the lowly Timberwolves.

Dirk Nowitzki and Caron Butler added 24 and 23 points, respectively, for the Mavericks, who are in the midst of their longest winning streak in three seasons and are now second in the Western Conference, three games behind the LA Lakers. Dallas last ripped off 13 straight victories during a franchise- best 17-game run from January 27-March 11, 2007. Nowitzki, meanwhile, is now just seven points behind Hall of Famer George Gervin for 30th on the all-time NBA scoring list with 20,701 total points.

Jason Kidd ended with 12 points and 10 assists for the victors, who continued their stellar play despite toiling without high-scoring guard Jason Terry (facial surgery) along with big men Brendan Haywood (back) and Erick Dampier (dislocated finger) in the Twin Cities. Also, one of Terry's replacement in the backcourt, J.J. Barea, left Monday's contest with a sprained ankle.

"When someone is down, someone else picks them up," Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said of his team's cohesiveness. "When you get on a roll like this those things have to happen."

Barea and Haywood are listed as questionable for tonight as Dallas opens a four-game homestand but Terry and Dampier will be out until later this month.

The Nets, meanwhile, are playing out the string hoping to avoid becoming the worst team in NBA history. New Jersey needs to secure three wins in its final 19 contests to surpass the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who finished that season with a miserable 9-73 record.

The Nets fell to 7-56 on the season Monday in Memphis when Rudy Gay and Mike Conley each scored 21 points to push the Grizzlies past New Jersey, 107-101.

Courtney Lee led all scorers with 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting, and Devin Harris netted 28 points and five assists for the Nets, who were coming off a win over the Knicks and still haven't won two in row this season. Rookie Terrence Williams added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists off the bench.

"We don't like giving teams the head starts we've been giving," Harris said. "Once we correct that, it will be easier to contend in the fourth quarter."

The Nets are a hapless 1-22 against the Western Conference this season and just 4-28 on the road as they try to avoid a home-and-home season sweep at the hands of the Mavs. Dallas last swept the season series in 2006-07.

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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.


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.

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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, 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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