T'Wolves fend off Sixers to snap eight-game skid
Basketball Betting Lines
11/19/2008 -
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Jefferson led all scorers with 25
points, as the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped an eight-game losing streak with
a 102-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Craig Smith added 21 points off the bench for Minnesota, which picked up just
its second win of the season -- the Timberwolves won their opener against
Sacramento.
Mike Miller finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and made a
three-pointer with 30.4 seconds left that helped Minnesota to the win.
Andre Miller had 20 points and six assists to lead the Sixers, who had won
three in a row. Elton Brand finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while
Andre Iguodala added 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the loss.
The T'Wolves held the lead going into the fourth quarter, 76-65, but saw
Philadelphia trim its deficit to six points. Lou Williams had two layups, the
latter he turned into a three-point play, that made it an 82-76 contest.
Minnesota briefly restored its double-digit cushion, but the Sixers continued
to chip away and with 4:12 to play, Andre Miller drained a pair of free throws
to bring Philadelphia within 88-84.
Following a Minnesota miss, Iguodala took a fast-break pass, drove to the
hoop and made a circus layup from the right side to get the Sixers within two.
Jefferson then got a basket for the T'Wolves, but Iguodala continued to
hustle in the lane on the other end. He first tried a baseline layup, then
collected the rebound and nailed a short jumper while being fouled. The free
throw got Philadelphia within a point, and after the teams traded points --
Jefferson deposited a pair of layups -- Minnesota's lead stood at just 94-91
with 2 1/2 minutes left.
The teams were unsuccessful on their next possessions, and Iguodala got to the
line with 1 1/2 minutes on the clock. He made just one shot, but Smith made
only one for Minnesota.
The Sixers got the rebound off the miss on Smith's second shot, setting up
Andre Miller's jumper with 50.4 ticks left. But Mike Miller canned a wide-open
triple to put Minnesota ahead 98-94 with 30.4 seconds remaining.
Brand got the rebound off an Iguodala missed three-pointer, and got a fadeaway
jumper to fall with 18.4 left. But the Sixers, still down two, were forced to
foul. Randy Foye and Corey Brewer each made two free throws in the remaining
time to seal Minnesota's win.
The Sixers were up 19-6 on an Iguodala triple midway through the first. But
the T'Wolves came back with a 12-2 run, and had a 27-24 deficit at the end of
the stanza.
Minnesota edged in front in a mostly back-and-forth second quarter, and was
ahead 56-52 going to intermission. The T'Wolves then opened up their lead with
a nine-point burst shortly into the third quarter and were ahead 67-56 midway
through.
Game Notes
Iguodala made just 1-of-6 three-point attempts, as the Sixers finished 1-
for-11 behind the arc for a 9.1 percent success rate. Philadelphia, though,
did shoot 47.1 percent overall...Minnesota shot 51.4 percent from the
field...Foye finished with 10 points and six assists for the T'Wolves, while
Ryan Gomes had 14 points...Thaddeus Young contributed 15 points for the
Sixers.
<< Hawks' Horford misses game against the Wizards
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Hawks center/forward Al Horford didn't
play in Wednesday's 91-87 win over the Washington Wizards due to a sprained
right ankle.
Horford hurt the ankle against the Pacers on Tuesday and is listed as day-
<< Ball State stays perfect with win over Central Michigan
Mount Pleasant, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nate Davis threw four touchdowns and
MiQuale Lewis rushed for 177 yards as the 14th-ranked Ball State Cardinals
stayed perfect on the season with a 31-24 decision over Central Michigan in an
excitin
<< Burrows scores twice as Canucks double up Rangers
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Burrows had two goals and Vancouver
doubled up the New York Rangers, 6-3, at Madison Square Garden.
Kyle Wellwood, Ryan Johnson, Pavol Demitra and Daniel Sedin also scored for
the Canucks, who
<< Salmons, Kings have big fourth quarter to beat Hornets
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Salmons led five Kings in double
figures with 29 points and six assists in Sacramento's 105-96 victory over the
New Orleans Hornets.
Salmons hit a solid 13-of-18 from the floor for the King
<< Clippers crush Thunder
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kaman led a balanced attack with 25
points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Oklahoma
City Thunder, 108-88, in a battle of the league's two worst teams.
With a combined
Terry leads Mavs past hobbled Rockets >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Terry scored 31 points, and Dirk Nowitzki
added 24 points and 12 rebounds to pace Dallas to a 96-86 victory over the
injury-riddled Houston Rockets.
Jason Kidd contributed eight points, nine rebound
Kobasew and Chara lead fierce Bruins rally to down Sabres >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chuck Kobasew and Zdeno Chara both scored twice,
as the red-hot Boston Bruins scored the last five goals and defeated the
Buffalo Sabres, 7-4, at TD Banknorth Garden.
Marc Savard registered a goal and thre
Raptors overcome Wade's 40-point night win in over Heat >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrea Bargnani scored a season-high 25 points,
leading the Toronto Raptors over the Miami Heat, 101-95, in a tough road test
at American Airlines Arena.
Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal both posted double-doubl
Jazz top Bucks to extend home win streak; Boozer exits early >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. Miles scored 25 points to lead Utah
to a 105-94 comeback win over the Milwaukee Bucks, as the Jazz won their 14th
straight home game going back to last season.
Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 11
NCAA denies Stepheson's waiver petition >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA has denied forward Alex
Stepheson's waiver petition for immediate eligibility to compete for Southern
California.
Stepheson, who transferred this fall from North Carolina, will not be e
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
New York Giants betting lines
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Dallas Cowboys betting lines
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
Oakland Raiders betting lines
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
|