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04/11/2009 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Grant Hill scored 19 points to lead the Phoenix Suns past the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-97, at the Target Center.
Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley added 16 points apiece for the Suns, who have won four of their last six games. Shaquille O'Neal chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Sebastian Telfair donated 21 points for Minnesota, which had its two-game winning streak snapped. Rodney Carney gave 17 points and Ryan Gomes 13 in defeat. Craig Smith had 11 points and Mike Miller 10 with nine boards and nine assists.
The Suns burned the T'Wolves to the tune of 31-8 after the first quarter and were up 57-43 at the break.
Minnesota got within 12 late in the third quarter on two free throws from Gomes, but Phoenix closed out the stanza with five straight points. Alando Tucker had a three-point play and Stromile Swift added a pair of free throws to make it 81-64 after three quarters.
Minnesota failed to pose a threat in the final frame.
Game Notes
Phoenix' Steve Nash ended with four points and seven assists and Robin Lopez had 11 boards and six points...The Suns closed out a four-game road trip at 2-2 and are 18-23 away from the desert this season...Phoenix will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign, and will close out the season with a two-game homestand versus the Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors...The Suns took the season series, 2-1...Minnesota will close out the season with a game at Dallas and then a home game against Sacramento...Phoenix had dropped 11 of its last 16 trips to the Twin Cities.
<< Terriers shock RedHawks to win men's national hockey title
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Cohen tallied with 8:13 remaining in
the first overtime as Boston University rallied from a late two-goal deficit
to defeat Miami-Ohio, 4-3, in the NCAA men's hockey national championship at
Verizon
<< Red Bulls, Dynamo battle to scoreless draw
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Red Bulls and Houston Dynamo
entered Week 4 of the Major League Soccer season with identical 0-2-1 records
despite playing each other in the 2008 MLS Cup semifinals.
After battling to a phys
<< Armstrong helps Thrashers end season with win over Tampa
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Armstrong scored twice to lead the
Atlanta Thrashers past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-2, in a battle between two
teams eliminated from the playoffs at Philips Arena.
Eric Perrin, Ilya Kovalchuk,
<< Sabathia gets first win as a Yankee in win over Royals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia dazzled on the mound to get his
first win as a Yankee, as New York made short work of the Kansas City Royals,
6-1, in the second installment of a three-game set from Kauffman Stadium.
Sabathia
Carter leads Nets past Magic >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter led the Nets with 27
points and nine assists, as New Jersey topped an uninspired Orlando Magic
club, 103-93.
"I just kind of wanted to set the tone of how we wanted to play t
Howard and Phils double up Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard had a pair of hits and three runs
batted in, as the Phillies used some timely hitting and strong pitching to
defeat the Colorado Rockies, 8-4, at Coors Field.
Seven of Philadelphia's runs ca
Hudson haunts former team as Dodgers crush D'Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Orlando Hudson backed Eric Stults' spot-
start with a home run and three runs batted in, as the Dodgers upended the
Diamondbacks, 11-2, at Chase Field.
Stults (1-0), filling in for injured Opening
Federer marries longtime girlfriend >>
Basel, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Swiss tennis great Roger Federer
announced Saturday that he married his longtime girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec.
"Earlier today, in my hometown of Basel, surrounded by a small group of close
friends
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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