Mavs at 44-9 after edging Rockets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/16/2007 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks came back to topple the Houston Rockets, 80-77, to win their ninth straight game entering the All-Star break.

Jerry Stackhouse contributed 17 points off the bench for the Mavs, who have won 30 of 32. Josh Howard added 15 points and 11 boards for Dallas, which enters the break at a league-best 44-9.

Tracy McGrady scored 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who had won two straight entering the game. Juwan Howard scored 14 points for Houston, and Shane Battier added 11 points.

Houston had a chance to win the game, holding the ball with the shot-clock turned off, but Luther Head forced an off-balance jumper in the lane with just under five seconds left. Jason Terry collected the rebound and was fouled, hitting two free throws to put the Mavs up 80-77.

The Rockets still had 4.2 seconds left to hit a game-tying three, but Dallas trapped McGrady as he received the inbounds pass, and the Rockets could not get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.

Houston had led 77-74 with three minutes left, but could not score another point, and four points from Terry, including a pull-up jumper in the lane, put Dallas ahead 78-77 with 1:09 left.

Houston suffered through a cold spell in the third quarter, scoring only 12 points. Dallas capitalized on Houston's struggles to regain the lead, but only barely, entering the fourth quarter.

Despite an inability to hit shots from the field, a McGrady three boosted the Rockets lead to 55-46 with 4:25 left in the third. The Mavs finally heated up, though, ripping off a 12-0 run, capped by back-to-back threes by Stackhouse that put Dallas ahead 58-55 with 24 seconds left in the third. Juwan Howard hit a jumper in the waning seconds of the stanza, though, and the Mavs lead stood at 58-57 entering the final 12 minutes.

The Rockets struggled early, and the Mavs led 21-12 with 3:21 left in the quarter. A McGrady jumper fueled a 9-0 run to close the quarter, though, and the Rockets edged into a 23-21 lead heading into the second.

Houston held a 45-38 lead at the break.

Game Notes

Dallas won the season series between the clubs, 3-1...Dallas improved to 20-6 on the road this season, where they have won four straight...Both teams shot 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from behind the three-point line.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.