Surging Magic continue push towards postseason, visit Wizards

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03/13/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The lowly Washington Wizards will continue playing out the string tonight when they host Eastern Conference power Orlando.

The Wizards lost their sixth straight game last night in Auburn Hills when Will Bynum provided a spark with a career- best 20 assists, helping the Detroit Pistons beat Washington, 101-87.

Andray Blatche led all scorers with 23 points to go with 10 rebounds to lead the Wizards, who have also dropped six straight to the Pistons. Al Thornton racked up 16 points and six boards and Randy Foye added 11 points with eight assists.

"It's tough because you do have guys that are going out there and competing," said Wizards coach Flip Saunders. "Mental mistakes are leading to stupid, mental mistakes and what happens is they emotionally wear you down, especially, as you well know, we don't have a big margin of error with our guys."

The Magic, meanwhile, continue to roll and lead the Southeast Division by four games over Atlanta after Vince Carter scored 23 points on Thursday as Orlando nearly doubled-up Chicago in the first half en route to a 111-82 drubbing of the Bulls at Amway Arena.

Most of Orlando's starters played limited minutes due to the game being a 32- point blowout by halftime.

Matt Barnes ended with 14 points, Brandon Bass had 13 with eight rebounds and Dwight Howard 12 and six for the Magic, who shot 55.1 percent from the field to cruise to their seventh straight win.

"Our defense has really picked up," Howard admitted. "Hopefully we'll continue to do that. And also stay humble while doing that.

A triumph tonight would give Orlando eight straight wins for the first time since April of 2006, but Washington has surprisingly won two straight in the series after dropping the previous five meetings.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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