Bulls draw closer to playoffs with thumping of Philadelphia

Basketball Betting Lines

04/09/2009 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon each scored 24 points as Chicago inched closer to a playoff berth with a 113-99 victory over slumping Philadelphia.

Derrick Rose added 16 points and eight assists, Brad Miller scored 15 points with six assists off the bench and John Salmons donated 14 points for the Bulls, who currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference and can clinch a playoff spot with a Charlotte loss on Friday night in Oklahoma City.

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 clamped down defensively and spurted out to a 29-22 lead after one quarter following a Miller jumper and Green reverse layup to conclude the scoring. The Bulls deep bench and renewed defensive intensity flipped the momentum in the second stanza.

The Sixers held three 10-point edges in the period, but the Bulls took a two- point lead at 48-46 following 10 straight points in just over two minutes. Rose's slam and transition layup off a turnover bookended a scoring stretch that also included a Miller hook shot and a pair of Gordon threes.

The teams went into the locker in a 50-50 dead heat.

Philadelphia scored seven of the first nine points out of the locker room for a 57-52 margin but the Bulls charged back with a 13-4 stretch that included seven straight points at one point. A Gordon three followed by four points from Thomas opened the 65-61 advantage.

Chicago kept its foot on the accelerator, using some long-distance shooting from Salmons then inside buckets from Joakim Noah and Thomas to hold a 74-65 edge with 3:07 left in the period. Thomas calmly sank four free throws later in the quarter to make the difference 78-67 and the Bulls took an 82-72 lead into the final 12 minutes of game action.

Chicago ramped up its energy even higher and extended an already double-digit lead to 20 points at 105-85 on a Rose jumper that capped off a 14-3 stretch. The Bulls never looked back from there.

Game Notes

The Bulls shot 52.4 percent from the floor and made all 19 of their free-throw attempts...The Sixers connected on 52.1 percent of their shots, but made only 16-of-27 free throws...The clubs split four meetings this season.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.