Washington Hosts Atlanta Hawks on Saturday Night

The Washington Wizards will host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

The Wizards have not had a 2010 to remember. Coming off a loss to Orlando on Wednesday, the Wizards face the Celtics on Friday, before returning home to test themselves against the number two team in the Southeast. As their season winds down, coach Flip Saunders once again saw his team blow another chance for their first three game winning streak in two years. The Wizards’ last three-game winning streak came April 4-9, 2008. They will carry either a win over Boston or a two game losing skid into their bout with Atlanta.

The Hawks are another story entirely. Atlanta has been having a rough go as of late, disappointing sportsbook cappers and fans of NBA betting, playing below their expected level and feeling the effects of a long season. The Hawks are .500 in their last ten games going into their match with the Raptors on Friday. Failing some total failure on the part of the Hawks, they should pick up a win. The Hawks are a better team than the Raptors when the Raps are healthy, and the Raps are definitely not healthy at present.

Missing Chris Bosh, the Raptors will battle hard, but will ultimately be unable to do much against the Hawks. Looking at NBA odds, it should be noted that the Raps are also missing Hedeo Turkoglu, who took an unintentional head butt from Boston's Tony Allen on Wednesday. Indeed, the injury-weary Raptors should provide a confidence builder at home for Atlanta - the Hawks are 32-7 at Philips Arena.

Atlanta winning over Washington is certainly not a foregone conclusion, however. The Hawks have scored just 94.3 points per game over their last nine outings. This figure is well below their season average. They've topped 100 points just once in their last ten. Regardless, the Hawks continue to by dynamite at home, having won 10 straight at Philips Arena.

At the precipice of a 50-win season - their first since 1997-98, fans of sports betting know that Atlanta is also in a fierce race for the East's Number 3 seed. Wins against Toronto on Friday and Washington on Saturday could do wonders for the team. Given the points the Raptors and Wizards have allowed in recent outings, both teams present valuable opportunities for the Hawks to set things right. However, the Hawks will have to be wary they don't fall apart like they did against the Pistons earlier this week. Atlanta blew a nine point lead in that game, and were out-scored 25-16 in the fourth quarter. A loss to the Raptors on Friday would mean three straight losses for Atlanta since their season high four game skid at the beginning of January.

All Eyes on Tiger In His Return To Augusta

April 8-11 will see the return of the world's finest golfer to his sport.

After being besieged by a sex scandal of almost Royal proportions, Tiger Woods returns to professional golf following a five month hiatus. While the scandal continues to draw headlines, the worst of it appears largely to have blown over. However, neither Masters odds makers nor media pundits expected a quiet return to Augusta for Tiger.

A perennial sportsbook favorite, Tiger Woods is expected to do big things at the tournament this year, despite the fact he is coming off such a long layoff. It is important to understand that such a long layoff is cryptonite for most golfers. Woods has been out of competition the nearly five months since the media firestorm erupted around his slow-motion car crash, and revealed his infidelities and marital woes.

While it is true that many are pointing to the time off and sex scandal as being nagging distractions that will keep Woods from dominating in his return, sports book pundits are largely pointing to his established history of dominance. In 2008, Woods won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines coming off a two-month layoff due to knee surgery. The golf prodigy played the tournament in obvious pain from a stress fracture, yet still managed to trounce his competition, and take the top spot overall. He spent the rest of the year recovering from his injury. However, in 2006, Woods took time to deal with the death of his father and earliest mentor in the sport that became his profession. Upon his return, he missed the cut to compete in the U.S. Open.

When you look at the reasons for the layoff, and the stress and uncertainty facing the man, sportsbooks couldn't be surprised by a stumble in his return performance at the Masters. Most onlookers, however, are prognosticating a more triumphant return. In the weeks leading up to the tournament, colleagues including Arjun Atwal, and vanguards of the sport like Jack Nicklaus have come out in support of Woods. Nicklaus once claimed that Woods would win ten green jackets, and, when recently asked, announced his confidence in Tiger's ability to shock the world.

Another vanguard of the sport and inventor of one of the finest beverages to ever be enjoyed on a golf course, Arnold Palmer, had some advice for Woods vis-a-vis the media: Open up. It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, the media has on Woods during actual tournament play.

Regardless of how Woods does in Augusta, most fans of sports betting believe that the top golfer will be able to return to his dominating form, regardless of what plays out in his personal life. The practice rounds, taking place this week, should give spectators some idea of what they can expect from Woods at Augusta this year.

Manchester United - Suffering in the Final Stretch of the Champions League Betting

Cristiano Ronaldo wins in Madrid, Carlos Tevez at Manchester City and Wayne Rooney injured, one suffering starless Manchester United in the final stretch of the soccer betting season.

The defeats against Bayern and Chelsea have put before the uphill fight for the title of European Champions League Odds and Premier League Betting for the "Red Devils", who could recover the injured Rooney to go up against Bayern on Wednesday 2 -1 against the return of the quarter-finals of the top European competition.

A recovery could lead to lightning Rooney play against the Germans on the soccer betting odds game.

"Wayne Rooney believes he has a chance to play against Bayern," said today the newspaper "The Sunday Mirror."

Officially, the attacker will be three weeks sidelined by ankle injury that occurred on Tuesday in Munich.

The striker, author of 34 goals in 40 games and star of United, was on Saturday and without crutches stands and watching his team lose 2-1 at home by Chelsea in a duel core by the English League Betting title , for now the "blues" are favorites with two points ahead of missing only five games.

According to the "Mirror" Rooney "intensive treatment expected to allow him to play one time against the Germans, even as a substitute."

The newspaper quotes a source of United: "It is with the idea of 'bring me a bandage and send me to the field'."

Against Chelsea, Manchester showed that misses its star, especially after losing to other heavenly bodies in attack as Ronaldo and Tevez in the test, to which the manager, Alex Ferguson, not replaced.

Michael Owen, as usual, is injured, so the only reference in attack are the Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov and 18 years old Italian Federico Macheda.

Ferguson came to the defense of the controversial Berbatov in the United did not reach the level that was still at Tottenham, club to which the "Red Devils" was bought by a high price.

"I think that 80 percent of the fans is in your favor. Most who appreciate its quality, but everyone has their favorites. And if we sign someone for a lot of money and does not score 50 goals a season, then whenever is concerned voices. "

Ferguson also said the club's website the "great talent" Macheda, once overcome a serious injury, scored the goal unproductive United on Saturday.

The Scottish manager recognized the superiority of Chelsea, who led English title favorite, and then blamed the referee, who allowed the second goal of the "blues" in the clear offside.

Many analysts blame him having signed no substitute for Ronaldo or Tevez level and the lack of stars, which otherwise has opened the door to Rooney to operate after passing an initial focus that until last year occupied the Portuguese Ronaldo.

Now Rooney is the only "crack" and without him his team suffers, hence to accelerate their recovery for a final sprint uphill season for United.