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James steals the show; Cavs cut magic number with win over BucksBasketball Betting Lines03/31/2010 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James had another solid all-around effort with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and his steal in the final seconds preserved Cleveland's 101-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. James scored the go-ahead layup with 17.4 seconds remaining and the Cavaliers held on to win for the 16th time in 18 games. Mo Williams added 21 points for Cleveland, which has a magic number of two to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Antawn Jamison totaled 12 points and 12 rebounds, while J.J. Hickson scored 14 for the Cavs. John Salmons had 28 points and seven assists for the Bucks, who won their previous two games. Milwaukee remains entrenched in the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. Andrew Bogut chipped in 19 points and 12 rebounds. Williams drove along the left baseline, and then from under the basket, passed to a cutting James for the go-ahead bucket. The Bucks turned the ball over on the ensuing possession thanks to an overturned call due to instant replay. A bounce pass went to Salmons, but Hickson knocked it loose. Milwaukee was first awarded possession, but the call was changed when replays showed the ball hit off Salmons and went out of bounds with 13.3 seconds left. Two free throws by Williams extended the margin to 99-95 less than a second later, but Salmons banged in a three from the top of the arc with 8.6 on the clock for a 99-98 game. Williams went back to the line with eight seconds left and made the pair of attempts before the Bucks raced back up the court. Luke Ridnour tried a bounce pass to Ersan Ilyasova, but James picked off the ball and dribbled the other way to run out the clock. Salmons scored 11 in the first quarter to help Milwaukee grab a 30-29 edge after 12 minutes. It remained tight throughout the second with the Cavs taking a 52-50 lead at the half. The Cavaliers widened their lead to 10 points, at 77-67, on a James free throw in the final minute of the third quarter. Cleveland went to the fourth holding a 77-71 advantage. Game Notes Cavs forward Anderson Varejao sat out because of a sore left hamstring...Cleveland has won seven of the last eight meetings, and five in a row over the Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena...The Cavaliers own the NBA's best home record at 33-4...Delonte West had 12 points for the Cavs...Bucks guard Brandon Jennings had just five points on 2-of-9 shooting.
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East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Nash led the way with 24 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns extended their win streak to nine with a 116-105 victory over the New Jersey Nets. Nash went an efficient 9
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Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Johnson paced an Atlanta attack that started strong and never let up with 25 points, as the Hawks increased their own playoff stock and kept the Lakers' celebration on hold with a 109-92 victory
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Online Sportsbook Football BettingColts give the ‘D’ its dueThe 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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