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02/27/2009 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Horford pulled down a career-high 22 rebounds to go with 21 points to power Atlanta to a hard-fought 91-83 victory over Southeast Division rival Miami.
Joe Johnson erupted for 24 points and five assists, while Josh Smith and Marvin Williams posted 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Hawks, who were coming off a 2-4 road trip.
"It was a big game for us," Horford said. "I just wanted to come out and be aggressive. That's the way that I tried to play throughout the night."
Smith (personal) and point guard Mike Bibby (flu) both missed Atlanta's previous outing. Bibby played just 19 minutes Friday, going 0-for-7 from the floor with two assists.
Dwyane Wade finished with 21 points and 10 assists, while Michael Beasley chipped in 23 points for Miami, which failed to win back-to-back games in February, alternating wins and losses in its last nine outings.
Udonis Haslem logged 10 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.
After an eyesore of a first half for both clubs, the Hawks came out of the break and hit four of their first six shots. Horford's dunk gave Atlanta a 45-35 lead and the hosts held a 64-53 edge after three quarters.
Smith's tip-in and uncontested layup midway through the fourth made it a 77-65 game. Miami scored seven of the next nine points to inch closer, and after exchanging a pair of free throws, Johnson's baseline jumper as the shot clock expired gave Atlanta an 83-74 lead with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.
Beasley and Wade buckets -- the latter coming as a result of Horford's goaltending violation with 1:36 to go -- made it a two-possession game, 83-78.
Atlanta's Flip Murray then made 1-of-2 from the foul line and Beasley got Miami within 84-80 with a nice drive and finish in the lane.
Johnson was bailed out on the next possession as he was off-balanced in the lane and Wade was whistled for a personal foul. The All-Star guard made two freebies and Miami's Mario Chalmers missed a wide open three-point attempt in the corner with under a minute to play to essentially seal the game.
Neither offense was productive in the first quarter, which ended with the Hawks holding an underwhelming 19-15 edge. Things got uglier in the second, and Atlanta limped to a 36-32 halftime margin.
"It took us a long while to get to the tempo of the game," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Defensively we did not play with a real sense of urgency until the fourth quarter."
Game Notes
Atlanta leads the season series, 2-1...Murray ended with 12 points in the win...Jermaine O'Neal made just three of his 10 shots, logging eight points and 11 rebounds for Miami, which received 11 points from Daequan Cook.
<< Osgood wins after two-week layoff, Wings top Kings
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Osgood was nearly perfect in net,
stopping 30 shots, and Tomas Kopecky netted the game-winner early in the third
period, as the Detroit Red Wings edged the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1, at Joe
Louis A
<< Celtics best Pacers in Marbury's debut
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen scored a game-high 30 points to pace
the Celtics to a 104-99 win over the Indiana Pacers in Stephon Marbury's debut
with Boston.
Allen shot a blistering 11-of-16 from the field, as the Celtics won
<< Bills ink QB Fitzpatrick
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills filled their backup
quarterback role, signing free agent signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Fitzpatrick started 12 games for the Cincinnati Ben
<< Wizards work magic in front of Obama, down Bulls
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antawn Jamison scored a game-high 27 points
and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead eight double-digit scorers, as the lowly
Washington Wizards used a strong fourth quarter to hold on for a 113-90 win
over th
Report: Eagles to ship CB Sheppard to the Jets >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly
agreed to ship cornerback Lito Sheppard to the New York Jets in exchange for
two draft picks.
According to Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia, the Eagles wil
Report: Rams sign C Brown >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams reportedly bolstered their
offensive line Friday by signing free agent center Jason Brown.
According to the Miami Herald, Brown was one of the top centers available on
the market after st
Chandler helps Hornets sting Bucks >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyson Chandler provided the winning tip-in
with 3.3 seconds remaining, as New Orleans beat Milwaukee 95-94 despite
blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
David West had 28 points and
Roy, Portland crush Minnesota >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy scored 19 points and Rudy
Fernandez provided a spark off the bench with 18 points as the Portland Trail
Blazers downed a slumping Timberwolves squad, 102-82, at the Target Center.
LaMarcu
MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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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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