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02/22/2009 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant notched a game-high 28 points and dished out seven assists to help the Los Angeles Lakers stave off a hungry Minnesota Timberwolves squad with a 111-108 triumph at the Target Center.
Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom scored 25 points each, with Odom adding 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won four straight games and 11 of 12 overall. Los Angeles has also beaten the T'Wolves seven consecutive times and is a league- best 46-10 on the year.
Sebastian Telfair and Ryan Gomes scored 20 points apiece for the T'Wolves, who have dropped two straight and seven of eight overall. Randy Foye and Mike Miller scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, while Craig Smith totaled 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
Telfair's layup brought the T'Wolves within 106-105 with 76 seconds left to play.
Then, following squandered possessions by both teams, Bryant missed a three from the left elbow but Odom grabbed the rebound. He quickly put back a layup to give LA a 108-105 advantage with 20.5 ticks remaining.
On Minnesota's ensuing possession Gomes had an open look from the top of the arc, but threw up an air ball. Bryant grabbed the board and was fouled with 14.1 seconds showing before hitting 1-of-2 for a four-point lead.
The T'Wolves came down and Foye nailed a three-pointer with 9.2 seconds left to make it a one-point game. Bryant was immediately fouled on LA's next inbounds pass and hit both shots for a 111-108.
Minnesota still had about seven seconds to get a shot off but Foye's bid was off the mark and the Lakers hung on for the victory.
"I think we had a lot of momentum down the stretch," Foye said. "They're a great team, a championship team, and they came in here today and took it to us. You have to give them credit."
The Lakers took a 29-26 lead after the first quarter and were on top 54-50 at the break.
The teams traded baskets and the lead through most of the third before the Lakers took a 76-70 advantage with 3 1/2 minutes left.
However, Smith's layup with 19.4 ticks remaining closed out a 10-2 T'Wolves run that gave the home team an 80-78 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
Foye's layup and Rodney Carney's dunk opened an 89-84 Minnesota lead with 8:38 left in the game.
"They were on fire as a team and they played really well," said Odom. "We didn't play well enough to stop them, but luckily we still won."
Josh Powell answered with a pair of jumpers and Odom hit two free throws to give the Lakers a brief 90-89 lead.
Up by one point moments later, Derek Fisher nailed a three with 1:44 left to make it 104-100.
Game Notes
The T'Wolves lost their sixth straight home game...LA shot 52.4 percent from the field and 74.1 percent from the charity stripe...Minnesota hit at a 50 percent clip from the floor and 73.7 percent at the foul line...The Lakers are 20-6 on the road this season...Minnesota is 8-19 as the host.
<< No. 9 Duke survives scare from eighth-ranked Wake Forest
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer each notched
career-highs with 35 and 30 points, respectively, and No. 9 Duke survived a
huge comeback effort from eighth-ranked Wake Forest to pick up a much-needed
101-91
<< California Dreamin': Kenseth wins second Cup race in a row
Fontana, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Kenseth is perfect so far in the early
2009 Sprint Cup Series season. Kenseth, winner of last weekend's Daytona 500,
picked up his second-consecutive victory by taking Sunday's Auto Club 500 at
Auto Club Spee
<< Harding's big night leads Wild past Blackhawks
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Harding turned in a superlative effort
between the pipes, making a career-high 44 saves, and Peter Olvecky's first
career goal was the game-winner, as Minnesota escaped with a 2-1 win over
Chicago
<< Blake dishes out 14 first-quarter assists, Blazers destroy Clippers
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LaMarcus Aldridge tallied a season-high 28
points and 10 rebounds, and Steve Blake tied an NBA record with 14 first-
quarter assists to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to their eighth consecutive
home wi
Leafs win in OT, keep Rangers on the skids >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Niklas Hagman scored on the power play three
minutes into overtime, lifting the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-2 win over the
New York Rangers in the opener of a home-and-home set at Madison Square
Garden.
No. 14 Arizona State holds off surging Wildcats >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Harden had 18 points and nine rebounds to
help No. 14 Arizona State edge Pac-10 rival Arizona, 70-68, at Wells-Fargo
Arena.
Rihards Kuksiks donated 17 points for the Sun Devils (21-5, 10-4 Pac-10), w
Warriors' Ellis sidelined at least one week >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis will be
sidelined 1-to-2 weeks because of stiffness in his surgically repaired left
ankle, the team announced Sunday.
Ellis, who missed the first 43 games of the sea
Report: Harrison asks for release from Colts >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a stunning move Sunday, future Hall of
Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison has reportedly asked for his release from
the Indianapolis Colts.
A report on NFL.com said that after Harrison and the Colts
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 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.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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