05/11/2008 - San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Duncan had a dominating performance with 22 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots, as the Spurs throttled the New Orleans Hornets, 100-80, evening their Western Conference semifinal series after four games.
Tony Parker contributed 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists for San Antonio, which is 5-0 at home in this year's playoffs. Manu Ginobili and Ime Udoka each scored 15, while Michael Finley came off the bench for 12 points.
The Spurs have never won a playoff series when they lost the first two games of the set, but they're now even headed back to New Orleans for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Conversely, the Hornets are 0-4 in the second round of the playoffs, having lost to New York (1993), Chicago (1998), Milwaukee (2001) and New Jersey (2002).
Chris Paul scored 23 for the Hornets, who shot 40.2 percent from the field, 11 percentage points less than the Spurs. Jannero Pargo scored 11 and David West added 10 for New Orleans.
West was just 4-of-15 from the field, while Peja Stojakovic struggled by scoring just six on 3-of-9 shooting for the Hornets.
Ahead by just a 24-22 margin after the first quarter, the Spurs started to pull away in the second. Ginobili and Udoka drilled early three-pointers for a 30-24 lead.
Parker's layup culminated a stretch of nine straight Spurs points for a 41-26 advantage nearly midway through the quarter, and it was 55-42 at the half. Parker and Duncan combined for 33 points on a spectacular 14-of-20 shooting.
Duncan played a big aggressive role throughout the game. The two-time league MVP drove to the basket early in the third, using his left hand to bank the ball off the glass and through. Duncan, who completed the three-point play after he was fouled by Tyson Chandler, tumbled into the photographer's row under the basket.
To complicate matters for the Hornets, the 7-foot-1 Chandler picked up his fifth foul with 8:39 left in the third quarter. It was on that play that Ginobili was fouled and he made both attempts for a 64-44 lead.
New Orleans didn't threaten from there, falling behind 85-61 after three periods and never got the lead under double digits. The Spurs were able to use their reserves for almost the entire fourth quarter.
Game Notes
San Antonio forward Robert Horry, in the postseason for his 16th time, has never lost in the first round of the playoffs. Sunday marked his 237th playoff game, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most all-time in league history...The Spurs held a 45-36 rebounding edge.
<< A's activate Harden from DL, starts against Texas
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics activated oft-injured
pitcher Rich Harden from the 15-day disabled list Sunday, in time to start the
team's series finale with the Texas Rangers.
Harden was roughed up by Texas lasting
<< Garcia pars in playoff to win Players
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergio Garcia parred the first
playoff hole, the famous island green at 17, to defeat Paul Goydos Sunday and
win The Players Championship.
The win was Garcia's seventh on the PGA Tour, but
<< Ibanez homers as Mariners snap skid
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raul Ibanez launched a monstrous go-ahead
two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners snapped a five-game losing streak with
a 6-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Ichiro Suzuki was 3-for-4 and scored twic
<< Knost rallies for first Nationwide victory
Fort Smith, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trailing by six strokes at the start of the
day, Colt Knost closed with a five-under 65 to come from behind and win the
Fort Smith Classic.
Knost, the 2007 U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links cha
NBA Playoff Capsules >>
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -Andrei Kirilenko blocked Kobe Bryant twice in overtime and converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 on Sunday, tying the Western Conference semifinals at 2-2.The
Phantom goal helps Finland edge USA at Worlds >>
Halifax, Nova Scotia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Finland scored three times in the
third period, including what turned out to be a phantom goal, to upend the
United States with a contentious 3-2 victory at the 2008 World Hockey
Champio
Twins hold on to beat Red Sox in homer-filled game >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Craig Monroe clubbed a pair of homers and
drove in four runs, and Minnesota held on for a 9-8 victory over the Boston
Red Sox, in the third installment of a four-game series.
Justin Morneau had three
Red Sox activate Cora >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Red Sox activated infielder Alex Cora
off the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday's 9-8 loss to the Twins.
Cora, who had been out since April 9 with a sore right elbow, had three hits
and started
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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The 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 Smith and 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 Bears in 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 back Deuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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