It’s Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and what better way to celebrate than to win a fistful of Lincolns? The nation’s best sports handicapper Joe Duffy of GodsTips and superstar Stevie Vincent are both unleashing on tonight’s card. One need to be a disciple of Charles Darwin to see the future of handicapping has evolved and it’s name is Stevie Vincent.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Celtics look to beat the Mavericks down in Texas, UCLA meets Arizona State, and the PGA hits the links at Pebble Beach.

Tipping Off in the NBA

The NBA closes out the first half of their season on Thursday night with their last three games before the All-Star Break. Highlighting that slate is a clash between the Celtics and Mavericks in Dallas. Those two teams last met on January 25, when Boston cruised to a 124-100 home win as a 9-point favorite. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett both had 23 points for the Celtics in that win. Jason Terry had a team-high 27 points in the loss for the Mavericks, but he’s out with a hand injury.

That game completes the night’s TNT doubleheader; the first contest will see Dwyane Wade and the Heat travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls. The Heat had no trouble with the Bulls back on December 26, picking up a 90-77 win at home. The third matchup of the night has Golden State playing host to the Trail Blazers.

Dayton 500 Odds

Listen to MRN Radio for all the updates on the Daytona 500. The betting odds will be updated as NASCAR Radio updates the info.

Sports Headlines

MLB abomination of a Commissioner Bud Selig now says he is seeing which way the wind blows and may consider a suspension on Alex Rodriquez…Roberto Alomar claims a lawsuit against him is “all lies”. Where have we heard that before…Ken Griffey Jr. is reportedly ready to sign with the Seattle Mariners…The St. Louis Cardinals have resigned Rick Ankiel before the deadline for arbitration…Elgin Baylor, indisputably one of the most incompetent executives in sports history is claiming he was fired after 22 years of ineptitude because he’s black and old.

Best Betting Event

The Vegas bookmakers are literally bracing for one of the most feared plays by sportsbooks in the world. The founder of forensic sports handicapping Stevie Vincent is a stunning 7-0 since October with CHAIRMAN’S CLUB plays and it 82 percent all-time. Get another right now on tonight’s collegiate basketball card. Click now to purchase The Great One entire card for $40.

March to Madness

There is one ranked matchup on the college hoops schedule for Thursday, with No. 11 UCLA on the road against No. 18 Arizona State. The Bruins blasted Notre Dame 89-63 last time out to improve to 19-4 SU and 12-10 ATS on the season. The Sun Devils are at 18-5 SU and 12-7 ATS; they beat Oregon State last game.

Four other ranked teams are in action on Thursday, with No. 5 Louisville looking to be the latest team to get past the Fighting Irish; those two teams will meet in South Bend. As well, No. 19 Gonzaga will travel to McKeon Pavilion to meet formerly-ranked St. Mary’s, No. 21 Utah State will try to stay in the polls with a win over Idaho, and No. 22 Illinois will take on Northwestern in a Big Ten clash.

A Trip Around the Rink

The Flyers return to the ice on Thursday night at home against the Senators. Philadelphia is coming off back-to-back wins over the Bruins and Thrashers on the weekend, and they’re now at 28-15-9 on the season. Philly and Ottawa have already met twice this season, with the Sens winning 4-1 in November and the Flyers returning the favor by picking up a 6-4 victory at home in late December.

There’s a Southeast Division battle between the Panthers and Hurricanes in Carolina on Thursday night, while Minnesota will be looking to upset the Red Wings in Detroit. As well, it’s Toronto at Tampa Bay, St. Louis at Nashville, and Vancouver at Phoenix, with the Flames continuing their California swing in L.A.

Rounding Out the Slate

The PGA Tour hits Pebble Beach on Thursday morning to get the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am underway. Phil Mickelson is pegged as the 8/1 Vegas favorite to win the tournament despite his struggles of the past few weeks, with Padraig Harrington just behind him on the list at 10/1 odds. Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, and Kenny Perry round out the top five; they’re all at 15/1 to get the victory.

Finally, the Sprint Cup Series stages its Gatorade Duel events on Thursday to decide the starting grid for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin will have the poles for Thursday’s two races, which will start at 2:00pm ET.

Other Betting Odds

We expect the BetUs Sportsbook and Sports Betting Sportsbook to shortly come out with betting odds on both Dancing With the Stars and American Idol. Chelsie Hightower headlines the dancers. Felicia Barton seems to be the most controversial finalist on Idol. Joanna Pacitti has been disqualified…Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore are the latest celebs to announce their engagement…Joaquin Phoenix on David Letterman is tonight’s must-watch TV…Rihanna tells police it’s not the first time her boyfriend Chris Brown abused here.