Lakers hold off Nuggets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew Bynum had 22 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, helping the Los Angeles Lakers hold off the Denver Nuggets, 93-89.

Kobe Bryant added 20 points and nine assists for the Lakers, who have won three in a row. Bryant shot just 7-of-23 from the floor, including a 1-of-4 performance from beyond the arc.

Pau Gasol donated 13 points and 17 boards for Los Angeles, which improved to 3-7 on the road this season. Andrew Goudelock also had 13 points.

Al Harrington ended with 24 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who have lost three of four. Andre Miller and Ty Lawson chipped in with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

To make matters worse, Denver lost starting center Timofey Mozgov to a sprained left ankle. With about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, Mozgov came down awkwardly on his left ankle after making a layup. He was not able to put pressure on his left foot, but X-rays came back negative.

Bryant's three-pointer with 7:23 to play gave the Lakers an 80-72 lead.

But Denver responded with an 11-4 run to make things interesting down the stretch. Harrington made a pair of three-pointers around Bynum's slam to cut the gap to 84-83 with 4:23 left.

Metta World Peace made a much-needed trey from the corner to give the Lakers an 87-83 margin.

Still ahead by four moments later, Bryant turned the ball over. Lawson failed to make a three-pointer at the other end.

Denver was still alive after Los Angeles missed three shots. Nene's layup cut the gap to 89-87 with 1:40 to go.

Derek Fisher came up with a big shot at the other end, making a 21-foot shot from the corner.

Lawson's steal of Gasol led to Nene's slam with 28.6 seconds remaining, making it 91-89.

At the other end, Bryant found Bynum open under the hoop. But instead of going up strong, Bynum tried for a layup. Nene was able to block the shot. Upon review, it was determined the ball went out off Los Angeles.

Harrington's three-pointer bounced off the rim in the final second. Matt Barnes made two free throws with 0.2 seconds left to seal the win for the Lakers.

Los Angeles led by as many as 11 in the first half and took a 44-41 lead into the locker room.

Denver started the second half on an 8-2 surge to take the lead. But the Lakers stormed right back and led for the remainder of the third period. It was a 72-68 game heading to the fourth.

Game Notes

The Lakers have taken two of three from the Nuggets this season...Los Angeles started a season-high six-game road trip on Friday...Fisher had 10 points...Nene had 12 points for Denver.

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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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