Spurs surge past short-handed Suns, take 3-2 series lead

Basketball Betting Lines

05/17/2007 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bruce Bowen hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 36.4 seconds left, and the Spurs took advantage of the Amare Stoudemire suspension to beat the Phoenix Suns, 88-85, in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Manu Ginobili had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Tim Duncan had 21 points and 12 boards for the Spurs, who took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven set and can advance to the conference finals with a victory in Game 6 Friday at San Antonio.

Shawn Marion was big offensively for the Suns with 24 points and 17 rebounds, but Phoenix blew a 16-point lead in the second quarter and couldn't come out on top despite holding the Spurs to 33 first-half points. Steve Nash had 19 points and 12 assists in a losing effort.

However, the Spurs are one win away from their third trip to the conference finals in five years, and a possible meeting with the Utah Jazz.

Both teams were shorthanded for the game, but the Suns were without their top scorer and rebounder due to a one-game suspension. On Tuesday, the NBA suspended Phoenix forwards Stoudemire and Boris Diaw one game apiece and Spurs forward Robert Horry for two games. The penalties came as the result of a flagrant foul call on Horry, who delivered a forearm to Nash with 18.2 seconds left in Monday's 104-98 Phoenix victory at San Antonio.

The Spurs used a 17-6 run to end the game. They trailed 79-71 with 5:18 left after a layup from James Jones, but San Antonio eventually tied it at 81 on a pair of Duncan free throws with 1:55 left.

Duncan came up with a key block and Ginobili a steal with just over a minute left. Ginobili gave the ball back to the Suns on a bad pass, but Marion missed a turnaround jumper.

The Spurs then went ahead for good as Bowen nailed a three from the right corner.

Marion missed a three, but two Duncan missed foul shots kept Phoenix in the game. However, Nash missed a three.

Nash did have two free throws to get the Suns within a point with 11.7 seconds left, but Ginobili made two at the charity stripe. Nash then missed another shot from beyond the arc, and Michael Finley nailed two foul shots with 5.5 seconds left to make it 88-83, effectively sealing the win.

Raja Bell made a layup with 1.6 seconds to go, but the Spurs successfully inbounded the ball to run out the clock.

Finley had 13 points and Tony Parker 11 for the Spurs, while Kurt Thomas had 15 points and 12 boards for Phoenix.

The Suns used a make-shift lineup to replace Stoudemire, who is averaging 23.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Raja Bell started at forward with Marion, while Leandro Barbosa joined Nash in the backcourt, and Thomas started at center.

The Suns scored 16 straight points for a 24-11 lead in the opening quarter and were ahead 24-13 going into the second. San Antonio went 4-of-18 from the field in the opening 12 minutes and Marion was off to a fabulous start with 11 points and seven boards. However, he had just four points in the second half.

Although Phoenix led by 11 at the half, the Suns lost an opportunity to pull away in the second. A layup by Barbosa moved the lead to 40-24 with 2:47 left in the half, but the Spurs were still within striking distance at the break, thanks to shoddy shooting by the home team.

Phoenix was 17-of-40 shooting in the first half, while the Spurs were 13-of-39, and San Antonio capitalized on its chance in the third, drawing within 46-42 on a Duncan layup inside of nine minutes left in the period.

Phoenix moved to a double-digit lead later in the quarter and was ahead 62-56 going into the fourth after Ginobili hit a three in the closing seconds.

Thomas made two free throws for a 67-56 lead with 10:24 left, but San Antonio rallied with a 10-2 run, with Ginobili and Bowen hitting threes.

Game Notes

The 13 points represented the least for the Spurs in a quarter the entire season...The Spurs have won eight straight Game 5s in the playoffs,

Aaacyberbookie Basketball Betting News

<< Lackey, Angels blank Mariners
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lackey tossed four-hit ball over six innings and combined with a pair of relievers to lead the LA Angels of Anaheim to a shutout of the Seattle Mariners, 5-0, in the middle game of a three-game series

<< Royals rally past A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Shealy drove in the deciding run in the ninth, as the Kansas City Royals rallied for two runs in their final at-bat to edge the Oakland Athletics, 4-3, in the third matchup of a four-game series at McAfee

<< Sosa, Easley lead Mets past Cubs
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jorge Sosa allowed one hit over seven-plus innings and Damion Easley belted a two-run homer to power the New York Mets to an 8-1 win over the Cubs in the third contest of a four-game series. The start of

<< A true walk-off win for Padres
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Kouzmanoff drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning to send San Diego to a 3-2 win over Cincinnati in the final contest of three at Petco Park. With Bronson Arroyo still

<< Wang, Matsui help Yankees earn doubleheader split
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chien-Ming Wang pitched seven solid innings, yielding just one run, and Hideki Matsui went 3-for-5 with four RBI as the New York Yankees secured a doubleheader split with an 8-1 win at U.S. Cellular Field.

Betemit helps Dodgers edge Cardinals >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Betemit's three-run homer with two outs in the fifth led the Los Angeles Dodgers to 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the finale of a three-game set. Betemit, pinch-hitting for Ran

Red Wings aim for Game 4 win against Pronger-less Ducks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to grab a two-game lead in the Western Conference finals this evening, when they visit the Anaheim Ducks for Game 4 at the Honda Center. The Red Wings made a statement in Game 3 on Tuesday ni

Phillies' Howard set for rehab >>
Lakewood, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who has been sidelined with a left quadriceps strain, will begin a rehab assignment in the minors next week. Howard will begin a two-day rehab sti

Bulls, Pistons clash in Game 6 at the United Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls try to force a Games 7 against the Detroit Pistons in their Eastern Conference semifinals series, as the teams battle tonight at the United Center. After dropping the first three games of the series, Chi

Twins turn to Santana in hopes of averting sweep by Tribe >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Converted reliever Fausto Carmona looks for a second straight successful outing against Minnesota when the Cleveland Indians host the Twins today in the final installment of a three-game series at Jacobs Field.

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

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