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Granger, Pacers hold off PistonsBasketball Betting Lines03/19/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Granger returned to the lineup and poured in 29 points to go with six assists, as the Indiana Pacers held off the Detroit Pistons, 106-102, in a Central Division battle from Conseco Fieldhouse. Granger, who sat out Wednesday's loss to the Cavaliers after taking an elbow to the cheek a night earlier, helped the Pacers beat the Pistons for a fifth straight game. Troy Murphy donated 20 points and eight rebounds, while Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush chipped in 15 points apiece for the victors. Rodney Stuckey also had a big game in his return to action, scoring 25 points off the bench. Stuckey had missed the last six games after collapsing on the bench during a March 5 game at Cleveland. Ben Gordon finished with 17 points, seven boards, and six assists for the Pistons, who have dropped 11 of their past 13 contests. DaJuan Summers had 12 points in defeat. Trailing 94-80 near the midway point of the fourth, the Pistons scored 15 consecutive points to go in front. Summers tallied eight points during the burst, including a long jumper to make it 95-94 with under three minutes to play. After each team missed a shot, Earl Watson made a driving layup to put Indiana ahead by one, 96-95, with 2:04 remaining. Stuckey then missed a jumper before Granger was fouled on a three-point shot. Granger made all three free throws to make it 99-95 with 1:25 to go. Following two missed shots from Stuckey, Watson made 1-of-2 from the line to extend Indiana's margin to 102-95 with 42.2 seconds left. The Pistons never got closer than four the rest of the way. A Granger jumper and Rush trey gave the Pacers a quick 5-0 edge. And it was all Indiana from there, as the home team ripped off 12 straight points moments later to build a 21-6 margin with about 4 1/2 minutes left. The score was 33-18 after 12 minutes of action. Charlie Villanueva's deuce had Detroit within eight, 37-29, with 8 1/2 minutes to play until halftime. However, the Pacers responded with an ensuing 23-8 run. Granger's slam capped the burst, making it a 60-37 contest. Indiana led 62-41 at the break and held an 87-70 margin following three periods. Game Notes The Pacers were without guard T.J. Ford (groin)...Ben Wallace also made his return to the lineup on Friday. Wallace, who hadn't played in the last eight games due to a sore right knee, ended with seven rebounds for the Pistons...Indiana shot 53.7 percent from the field, while Detroit made 43.4 percent of its shots.
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Online Sportsbook Football BettingColts give the ‘D’ its dueThe 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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