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02/27/2007 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce scored 28 points, spearheading a key fourth-quarter run, as the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the undermanned Houston Rockets, 77-72, at the Toyota Center.
Pierce scored seven of his points during a 13-0 run late in the fourth quarter, as Boston took its first lead of the game and eventually ended its four-game losing streak. Delonte West added 16 points and Al Jefferson also had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Celtics, who took advantage of the Rockets playing without Tracy McGrady.
"It was a good win even though our offense shot 34 percent from the field," Pierce said. "We're trying to play better basketball and to play hard as a team and to grind out the rest of the season. We need to keep doing it on a consistent basis."
McGrady missed the game with flu-like symptoms and his absence was evident in a lackluster offensive effort. Bonzi Wells, starting in place of McGrady, scored 27 points and Juwan Howard had 12 points for Houston, which has lost three of five.
"I don't think you're ever surprised about anything," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said after his team blew a big lead in the final quarter. "I think it's certainly disappointing, but I think there's disappointment any time you feel like you could have gone harder."
After trailing for the entire contest and falling behind by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, Boston began to rally. Down 68-60, the Celtics ran off 13 straight points to take their first lead of the night. Pierce's turnaround jumper with 2:22 left tied the game at 68-68. West then converted a breakaway layup for Boston's first lead, 70-68, with 1:24 on the clock. Pierce then capped the run with a turnaround three-pointer over Shane Battier as the shot clock expired with 25.9 seconds left for a 73-68 edge.
The Rockets shot just 32 percent for the game, hitting only 1-of-22 three- pointers.
Houston led this contest from the start, scoring the first seven points and going into the second with a 22-14 lead. The advantage shrunk to 35-29 at halftime, but the Rockets began to pull away late in the third quarter.
Ahead 49-44, the Rockets bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 13-5 run to go ahead by double figures. Houston led 53-44 going into the fourth and Jake Tsakalidis' three-point play with just under nine minutes left ended the run for a 62-49 lead.
Game Notes
This was the first of two meetings this season between these two clubs...Houston also continues to play without center Yao Ming...These two teams have split the season series each of the last three years...Houston fell to 20-8 at home...Boston improved to 9-21 on the road.
<< Selanne, Ducks sink Sharks
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Teemu Selanne scored the game-winning goal to
give the Anaheim Ducks an important 3-2 win in a Pacific Division battle
against the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion.
Dustin Penner scored twice while Ryan G
<< Sonics slam Blazers
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rashard Lewis scored 29 points and grabbed
seven rebounds as the Seattle SuperSonics routed the Portland Trail Blazers
97-73.
Ray Allen added 16 points, 10 boards and six assists for Seattle, whi
<< Owens, Mountaineers snap Cardinals 21-game home winning streak
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LaQuita Owens deposited a career-high 30
points, including seven in overtime as West Virginia stunned 20th-ranked
Louisville 76-71 at Freedom Hall.
Olayinka Sanni added 21 points for the Mounta
<< Howard helps Magic overcome Bulls
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard scored 21 points and grabbed 16
rebounds to overcome 11 turnovers, as the Orlando Magic bested the Chicago
Bulls, 94-87, at the United Center.
Jameer Nelson added 18 points for Orlando, w
Moose, Bulldogs tighten North Division Race >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It may still be cold outside, but its
getting hotter in the North, where two points separate the divisions top
three teams as the American Hockey Leagues 2006-07 season sees February give
way to March.
The
Twins sign P Crain to three-year deal >>
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins agreed to terms with
pitcher Jesse Crain on a three-year contract through the 2009 season.
The 25-year-old Crain went 4-5 with a 3.52 earned run average and one save in
68 appearanc
Report: Livingston's season over >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Clippers guard Shaun Livingston
will reportedly miss the remainder of the season because of a severe knee
injury suffered Monday night.
Livingston dislocated his left knee early in the
League-leading Cougars head to Colorado Springs >>
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The BYU Cougars own sole possession
of first place in the Mountain West Conference standings, and are set
for a much-anticipated matchup with the 25th-ranked Air Force Falcons
this e
The 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
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
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
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
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) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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