Allen hits seven from beyond arc, gives Celtics lead at half

Basketball Betting Lines

06/06/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen made his first seven three-point shots in the first half on the way to an incredible 27-point effort, boosting the Celtics to a 54-48 advantage over the Los Angeles Lakers at halftime in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Allen's effort has already tied a single-game Finals record for most three- pointers in a game. He went 7-of-9 in the series-clinching Game 6 against the Lakers two years ago. Kenny Smith (HOU, 1995) and Scottie Pippen (CHI, 1997) are the others with seven three-pointers in one NBA Finals game.

The old record for most three-balls in one half of a Finals game is six, last done by Allen on June 17, 2008.

Boston is 8-for-11 from beyond the arc, while the Lakers are just 1-for-9, but Kobe Bryant has the defending NBA champions back in the game after Los Angeles trailed by as many as 14 points.

Andrew Bynum was one of the few bright spots for the Lakers in the first half with 11 points and four blocks. Bryant, who also has 11 points, three fewer than teammate Pau Gasol, made a couple of steals in the waning seconds, sinking a three-pointer on one of the attempts with 0.2 seconds left to account for the difference at the half. LA scored the final seven of the half.

Allen's performance is already a sharp contrast to his 12-point effort in the opener on Thursday, when the Lakers came away with a 102-89 victory. He had 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting in that game.

Boston's Kevin Garnett was forced to sit for a big portion of the first half after picking up two fouls less than three minutes into the game and his third with 8:09 left in the half.

Gasol's jumper provided the Lakers with a 21-20 lead with nearly four minutes left in the opening quarter, but Rasheed Wallace's three-ball gave Boston the lead and started a 9-1 spurt to end the period. He capped it with another jumper inside the final minute for the 29-22 advantage.

Allen's sharp long-distance shooting widened the gap in the second. He made four attempts from beyond the arc in less than a four-minute span for a 45-32 lead. Every time the Celtics seemed to get the ball in the post, Allen was open, and the 34-year-old kept sinking shot after shot. The 13-point lead was attained after a make from the left corner with under six minutes left.

Bynum went 1-of-2 at the foul line, but Pierce then drained two from the charity stripe for a 47-33 difference.

The Lakers were within 10 when Bryant was whistled for an offensive foul for lowering the shoulder into Allen with 3:20 left in the half. Allen was called for a similar infraction at the other end.

Allen's pull-up from the right wing went in for a 52-39 lead, making him 7-for-7 from long distance. He finally missed with about a minute left.

Bryant's late surge, combined with Boston's 18 personal fouls in the first half, allowed the Lakers back into the game.

Despite being behind at halftime, history is on the side of the Lakers. When Phil Jackson wins Game 1 of any playoff series, best-of-five or best-of-seven, his teams are 47-0, having gone 24-0 with Chicago and 23-0 with the Lakers. When Jackson's teams begin a series with a 2-0 lead, he is 36-0 all-time. And when holding a series lead of any kind, his squads are 54-1.

The Lakers also have a 12-game home-court winning streak in the playoffs.

There was a moment of silence prior to the singing of the national anthem to honor former UCLA coach John Wooden, who passed away Friday at the age of 99. Ex-UCLA players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton spoke about Wooden and the special qualities that made him one of the greatest coaches in the history of college basketball. Wooden coached the Bruins from 1948-1975 and claimed 10 national championships over a 12-season stretch, including a record seven straight from 1967 to 1973.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.