Hamilton carries Pistons to win over Warriors

Basketball Betting Lines

11/14/2008 - Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Hamilton scored a game-best 24 points to go along with six rebounds and seven assists, while Rasheed Wallace added two big treys down the stretch as part of a 19-point, 11-rebound line, as Detroit downed Golden State, 107-102.

Allen Iverson donated 23 points with nine assists and five rebounds, while Arron Afflalo collected 11 points off the bench for Detroit. Hamilton made 7- of-15 shots after shooting just 4-of-24 over the last two games.

Stephen Jackson, Andris Biedrins and C.J. Watson each scored 17 points and Kelenna Azubuike added 15 points in a balanced effort. Biedrins also pulled down 19 rebounds for the Warriors, who have lost three of four.

Golden State seized the lead early in the fourth behind an 8-0 stretch. A tip- in by Biedrins and an Azubuike jumper gave the Warriors an 89-86 lead before Wallace took over with back-to-back clutch shots.

After a three-point play by Afflalo cut the deficit to 91-90, Wallace buried a long-distance jumper off an Iverson assist. Again Iverson fed the big man wandering beyond the arc, and Wallace delivered with his second straight triple for a 96-92 edge with 3:00 to go. After a Biedrins free throw, Hamilton drained a jumper and Wallace beat the Warriors down the floor for a slam dunk and a 100-93 edge.

Detroit held on from there.

Golden State held a 23-21 advantage after the first stanza and a 53-46 lead at the half. The Warriors opened some breathing room early in the third quarter. Corey Maggette's jumper pushed the lead to 61-49 with 10:18 left in the period, and he made three consecutive free throws moments later for a 68-56 lead with 7:23 on the clock.

Detroit started clicking on all cylinders from there, embarking on a 24-5 stretch to end the quarter. The Warriors went three-plus minutes without a field goal, and Afflalo's trey cut the deficit to 69-63. The Pistons pushed through with 12 consecutive points to seize the lead in the latter stages of the period. Two Hamilton jumpers, three straight points from Tayshaun Prince and the final five off Afflalo's right hand gave the Pistons a 75-71 lead.

Wallace's layup off a beautiful feed from Iverson ended the third-quarter scoring with Detroit holding on to an 80-73 advantage.

Game Notes

Maggette, who entered the game with a strained left hamstring, battled his way through the contest with 13 points...Attendance 18,477.

Onlinesportsbookgambling Basketball Betting News


<< NCAA Top-25 Basketball Game Capsules
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Collison scored 16 points, including two clutch free throws late in the game, to lead the fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins to a 64-59 victory over the feisty Miami-Ohio RedHawks at Pauley Pavilion. Neither

<< Collison, Bruins hold off RedHawks
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Collison scored 16 points, including two clutch free throws late in the game, to lead the fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins to a 64-59 victory over the feisty Miami-Ohio RedHawks at Pauley Pavilion. Neither

<< Pavelski helps Sharks dominate Flames
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Pavelski registered two goals and an assist, as the San Jose Sharks trumped the Calgary Flames, 6-1, at HP Pavilion. Milan Michalek added two goals, while Rob Blake, Christian Ehrhoff an

<< Theus fined for comments
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA fined Sacramento Kings head coach Reggie Theus $25,000 on Thursday for comments he made about the officiating following a loss to Detroit on Tuesday. The league also fined the Kings $25,000 for

<< Raiders quarterbacks ailing in practice
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Raiders quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Andrew Walter both failed to fully participate in practice Thursday due to injury. Russell sat out last Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers with a k

Nuggets try to cool off Celtics in Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will wrap up a three-game homestand tonight versus the Denver Nuggets at TD Banknorth Garden. Boston is 8-1 on the season and has won six straight since its only loss of the season on November 1 at India

Surprising Knicks host Thunder at MSG >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Oklahoma City Thunder take their show to the road this evening for a showdown with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Oklahoma City has lost five in a row and is just 1-7 on the season following

Nets welcome high-flying Hawks to Izod Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The high-flying Atlanta Hawks will close out a four-game road trip this evening when they take on the New Jersey Nets in the opener of a home-and-home series at the Izod Center. Atlanta had won its first six games of the s

Wizards visit Heat in South Beach >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After finally reaching the win column, the Washington Wizards will take aim at their first road win of the season tonight against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena. Washington opened the 2008-09 campaign with five s

Bobcats welcome Jazz to Charlotte >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz are battling through a rough road trip and will try to get back on track tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Utah is just 1-2 so far on the swing and dropped a 95-87 decision to

2007 online football betting Preview

My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."

The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.

To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.

However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.

Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.

Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.

Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.

2007 College Football Betting Preview

There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.

The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.

So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.

USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.

USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.

Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.

That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.

The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"

The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.

Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.

Las Vegas Sports Lines

The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.

It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."

The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.

The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.

Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.

After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.

To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Problem with Bears?

Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.

"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."

Bet on NFL

Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.

Bet on NFL

Mysportsbook.com online online sportsbook accepts Visa & Mastercard