Hawks host 76ers at Philips Arena

Basketball Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks will try to bounce back tonight versus the Philadelphia 76ers in the continuation of a four-game homestand.

Atlanta had won three straight and nine of 11 games until dropping a 96-77 decision to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Josh Smith led the Hawks with 11 points and both Joe Johnson and Ivan Johnson added 10 points in defeat.

"We've got to put up a little bit better fight than what we did in the paint" Smith said of his Hawks being beat 58-38 inside. "Hopefully everyone will learn from this game and correct it later on and just find a way not to have any let downs like that anymore."

Hawks forward Jason Collins left the game in the first quarter with a sprained left elbow and did not return. He is expected to miss Saturday's game. The Hawks, who were coming off a 4-1 road trip that left them tied with Miami for the Southeast Division lead, had their six-game home winning streak stopped and fell to 8-2 as the host this season.

The Hawks will also welcome the Suns and Pacers to Philips Arena, and now sit one game behind Miami for division supremacy.

Philadelphia is coming off Friday night's 99-79 loss to the Heat and completed a seven-game homestand with a 5-2 record. It had a four-game winning streak come to an end thanks to a poor fourth quarter versus Miami, as the Sixers were outscored by a 32-16 difference in the decisive period.

Thaddeus Young led five players in double-figure scoring with 16 points off the bench, while Jodie Meeks and Lou Williams netted 13 apiece for Philadelphia, which is still a dominant 12-3 as the host this season and made 39.5 percent of its shots. Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, in defeat.

"Those guys cranked it up a little on us and forced us into taking a few bad shots, but we did just go cold," Young said about the fourth quarter. "We have to find a way to make shots and we couldn't do it tonight."

The 76ers hope to improve on their 4-4 road ledger tonight. They defeated Atlanta, 90-76, on Jan. 20 at Wells Fargo Center behind a game-best 20 points from Young. Holiday added 16 points and 11 assists, while Elton Brand had 10 points with 16 rebounds for Philadelphia, which has won three straight against Atlanta.

Philadelphia has lost three of its last five visits to Philips Arena.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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