Spurs hang on to beat Pistons

Basketball Betting Lines

02/14/2012 - Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Duncan had 18 points and 13 rebounds, as the Spurs hung on for a 99-95 win over the Pistons on Tuesday.

Tony Parker scored eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter for the Spurs, who won their eighth straight and improved to 4-0 on their annual Rodeo Road Trip.

The Pistons trailed by 16 in the third quarter, but battled back to grab an 85-83 lead late in the fourth. They couldn't hang on, however, and dropped their second straight game.

Rodney Stuckey had 23 points and eight assists for Detroit, which had won a season-high four in a row before its recent slide. Tayshaun Prince added 18 points.

Despite the loss, Detroit's Ben Wallace celebrated a milestone, appearing in his 1,055th career game -- a record for an undrafted NBA player.

Kawhi Leonard opened the fourth with a three-pointer, giving the Spurs a 77-62 lead. But Wallace answered with a jumper, triggering a 16-2 Pistons run, which pulled the home team within one.

Late in the shot clock, Wallace hit the seventh three-pointer of his career to make it 79-70. Rodney Stuckey then converted a three-point play in between a baseline jumper and a trey from Jonas Jerebko and the Pistons trailed 79-78.

They took the lead, 85-83, on Brandon Knight's runout three-point play minutes later and Stuckey followed with a free throw for a three-point advantage.

Duncan, though, answered with four straight to put the Spurs back on top.

It was 91-91 when Parker took over. He began with a driving layup and, after Stuckey made 1-of-2 free throws, hit a running floater for a 95-92 lead with 27 seconds to play.

Ben Gordon then missed on a fadeaway baseline jumper out of a Detroit timeout and compounded the miss with a technical foul. Parker, who had already been fouled by Knight, made three straight free throws to put the game away.

Despite the loss, the Pistons competed intently. They were down 32-22 after one, but opened the second with a 12-3 run to make it 35-34. It was 49-44 in favor of San Antonio at the half and the margin stretched to 74-58 late in the third before Detroit began its late surge.

Game Notes

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili had one point on 0-of-4 shooting and seven assists in his second game back from a fractured left hand, which had kept him our for 22 contests...San Antonio will also visit the Raptors, Clippers, Jazz, Blazers and Nuggets on its nearly 8,000-mile trek...Wallace surpassed Avery Johnson for most NBA games played by an undrafted player.

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

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.”

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