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01/25/2012 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The biggest match to this point at the 2012 Australian Open will occur Thursday (3:30 a.m. et) when former world No. 1s Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer lock horns in a semifinal showdown at Rod Laver Arena, as the two all-time greats will renew arguably the greatest rivalry in modern tennis.
The 25-year-old Nadal and 30-year-old Federer will meet for a 27th time on the ATP World Tour, with the gritty Spaniard leading the all-time series, 17-9. Nadal is 7-2 in their Grand Slam matchups, including wins in their last four such encounters.
Nadal outdueled his great rival in five sets in the 2009 Aussie Open finale.
The second-seeded Nadal and No. 3 seed Federer are in the same half of the draw at a major for the first time since 2005. The two superstars have met in a men's record eight major finals, with Nadal going 6-2.
Nadal is a 10-time major champ and the reigning French Open titlist. Federer, who will appear in his 30th Grand Slam semifinal, is a men's record 16-time Grand Slam winner, including a men's Open Era record-tying four Aussie championships.
Federer, who hasn't won a Grand Slam event since titling here in Melbourne two years ago, has yet to drop a set at this latest Aussie fortnight and will appear in his ninth straight Aussie semi on Thursday.
The Nadal-Federer winner will meet Friday's Novak Djokovic-Andy Murray victor in Sunday's lucrative final here. Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have combined to win seven of the last eight Aussie Open championships.
<< First takes on worst in OKC as Thunder face Hornets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Western Conference's best team hosts the worst tonight,
as the Oklahoma City Thunder entertain the New Orleans Hornets at Chesapeake
Energy Arena.
Oklahoma City has the best record in the conference at 14-3, while the
<< Central heavyweights clash as Bulls host Pacers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While one key component to the Chicago Bulls returned to
action, another is still on the mend. Derrick Rose looks to lead his team to
victory when the Luol Deng-less Bulls continue a four-game homestand tonight
versus the Ind
<< Struggling Pistons host LeBron, Heat
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With or without Dwyane Wade tonight the Miami Heat should
have no trouble with the host Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Wade has missed five straight games with a sprained ankle and eight overall
this season
<< Sixers and Nets meet at WFC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers try to continue their home dominance
this evening when they welcome the New Jersey Nets to the Wells Fargo Center.
The Sixers reside atop the Atlantic Division thanks in part to their strong
play in
Hawks and Spurs square off in San Antonio >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Antonio has been nearly unstoppable at home and hopes
to continue that trend tonight when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Alamo City.
The Spurs had won their first nine games at home until dropping an 88-86
decision to Sac
Weary Blazers end stretch against Warriors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers will shoot for their third win
in as many nights when they pay a visit to the Golden State Warriors.
The Blazers topped Sacramento in Rip City on Monday before disposing of
Memphis, 97-
Lakers, Clippers continue LA rivalry >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Lakers will play the host tonight against
the Clippers when the two Staples Center inhabitants meet for the second time
this season.
The Clips got the best of the Lakers, 102-94, back on Jan. 14 when t
Nuggets conclude trek in Sacramento >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver will try to finish off a five-game road trip in
perfect fashion for the first time in the franchise's NBA history when it
faces off with the Sacramento Kings tonight.
The Nuggets have already topped Mil
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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