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Spurs top Thunder; Durant held under 25Basketball Betting Lines02/24/2010 - San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manu Ginobili poured in 26 points and had nine rebounds off the bench, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a hard-fought 95-87 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Kevin Durant's incredible streak of 25-point games came to a screeching halt. Ginobili went 9-of-18 from the field and had 10 points in the fourth quarter, as the Spurs returned home following their annual rodeo road trip on which they went 4-4. Tim Duncan had 19 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, while George Hill added 16 points and five boards -- including two crucial offensive rebounds in the final two minutes. Durant, who had scored at least 25 points in 29 consecutive games, finished with only 21 points -- zero in the fourth quarter, and Oklahoma City lost for the second consecutive time after an impressive nine-game win streak. Jeff Green provided 19 points, while Russell Westbrook had 17 with seven assists and six rebounds in defeat. Thabo Sefolosha contributed 12 points and 13 boards for the Thunder, who had a five-game road win streak snapped. The Spurs led by one with under four minutes to play, and three-pointers by Hill and Ginobili sandwiched around two Westbrook free throws gave the hosts a 92-87 lead with two minutes to go in the game. After Westbrook missed a 16-footer for Oklahoma City on the next possession, the Spurs held the ball for nearly a minute thanks to two consecutive offensive rebounds. Hill grabbed a Ginobili miss and also came down with the rebound after Richard Jefferson missed a pair of free throws with 1:07 left. Ginobili was then fouled and made two shots at the line to extend the lead to seven with under a minute left, and San Antonio held on from there. Durant scored 11 points in the opening quarter, and the Thunder held a 27-23 lead after the first 12 minutes. Oklahoma City remained in front by two with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half, but the Spurs scored 14 of the second quarter's final 20 points. Roger Mason's three-pointer had San Antonio ahead by a 48-42 score at the break. After Keith Bogans drained a three to open the second half and give the Spurs a nine-point lead, Nenad Krstic scored seven consecutive points to pull the Thunder within two. From there, neither team held more than a four-point edge for the remainder of the third quarter, and San Antonio was in front 68-67 heading to the fourth. The teams played close for a majority of the fourth quarter, and Jefferson's three-point play with just under four minutes left put the Spurs ahead by a point, 86-85. Game Notes The Thunder are 17-12 on the road, while San Antonio is 20-10 at home...The Spurs lead the season series, 2-1...Tony Parker returned from a hip injury for the Spurs and scored four points in nearly 26 minutes...Westbrook scored 13 points in the fourth quarter.
<< Deng helps Bulls stay on the rise, down Pacers
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luol Deng poured in 31 points to go along with nine rebounds and four blocks, as resurgent Chicago continued its late February climb with a 120-110 victory over Indiana. The Bulls, now winners in fiv
<< Howard highlights Orlando's victory in Houston
<< No. 3 Purdue survives on Grant jumper
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BYU stops SDSU; showdown with Lobos on tap >>
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmer Fredette scored a game-high 26 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to help 13th-ranked BYU to an 82-68 win over the San Diego State Aztecs at the Marriott Center. Jackson Emery f
No. 21 Texas drops Oklahoma State in Big 12 tussle >>
Boozer powers Jazz to win over Bobcats >>
Nebraska remains unbeaten, wins Big 12 title with rout of Oklahoma >>
Dunn, Baylor hold off late charge by Texas A&M >>
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance. Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it? If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.) Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa). In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech. Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down. (Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28) If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you. Atlantic Coast Conference Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
Work left to do: Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's. Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win). Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT. For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Football BettingNFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago. Thursday, August 21 NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37 NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007 In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points. Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season): * SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp. Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled. Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too. That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm. Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds. CHICAGO -3 (-120) ** The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond! Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds . |
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