Clippers crush Thunder
Basketball Betting Lines
11/20/2008 -
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kaman led a balanced attack with 25
points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-88, in a battle of the league's two worst teams.
With a combined record of 2-19 coming into the contest, the Clippers and
Thunder had the two worst winning percentages in the NBA.
Cuttino Mobley added 23 points and seven steals for Los Angeles, which snapped
a three-game losing streak. Al Thornton added 20 points and seven rebounds in
the win. Marcus Camby and Baron Davis each had 14 points for the Clippers.
Kevin Durant had a team-high 18 points for the Thunder, who have now dropped
nine straight games since a win over Minnesota. Damien Wilkins scored 17
points, while Russell Westbrook came off the bench to score 10 points and dish
out four assists.
"We did a poor job getting in some sets," Thunder head coach P.J. Carlesimo
said. "Our transition defense was non-existant in the second half. We have to
do a heck of a lot better job."
Down three at halftime, Los Angeles started the third on a 16-8 spurt to seize
a 65-60 edge. Joe Smith's jumper pulled the Thunder to within three, but
the Clippers scored the next 12 points to take a 77-62 lead. LA outscored
Oklahoma City, 32-16, in the third quarter to take a commanding 81-68 lead to
the fourth.
The Clippers were able to maintain that lead until late in the final quarter,
when the visitors increased their advantage to 20, at 99-79, with about three
minutes to go. LA was able to cruise to the victory from there.
"We play well for spurts, (but) it's very frustrating," Smith said. "We gotta
come together. It's not about one individual. I mean, we gotta come together
and find a way to do it as a whole. We have good enough talent on this team
that if we do it the right way we can win games."
Durant and Green each scored seven in the first quarter, and Oklahoma City
led, 26-20, after the opening period.
Durant's monstrous dunk with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half finished off a 7-0
spurt that gave the Thunder their largest lead at 13. But the Clippers closed
on a 16-6 run, as Thornton's nine second quarter points helped close to within
three at halftime.
Game Notes
The Thunder shot 50 percent (5-of-10) from long range and 100 percent (23-
of-23) from the free throw line. They only shot 40 percent (30-of-75) from the
field overall...LA shot 47.4 percent (46-of-97) from the field...Oklahoma City
committed 20 turnovers, as compared to just 10 for the Clippers...Camby had
nine rebounds, and Davis had eight assists...Kaman had six assists...Oklahoma
City F Chris Wilcox returned after missing five games with a knee injury. In
13 1/2 minutes of action, he posted four points and four rebounds.
<< Ball State stays perfect with win over Central Michigan
Mount Pleasant, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nate Davis threw four touchdown
passes and MiQuale Lewis rushed for 177 yards as the 14th-ranked Ball State
Cardinals stayed perfect on the season with a 31-24 decision over Central
Michiga
<< NCAA denies Stepheson's waiver petition
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA has denied forward Alex
Stepheson's waiver petition for immediate eligibility to compete for Southern
California.
Stepheson, who transferred this fall from North Carolina, will not be e
<< Morgan, Michigan State defeat IPFW
Fort Wayne, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raymar Morgan scored 22 points and hauled in
six rebounds to lead fifth-ranked Michigan State past IPFW, 70-59.
Kalin Lucas added 17 points and doled out three assists for the Spartans
(2-0), who bega
<< No. 23 'Nova holds off Niagara
Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scottie Reynolds scored 19 points, including
a 9-of-10 foul shooting performance, as 23rd-ranked Villanova held off
Niagara, 77-62, in a Philly Hoop Group Classic matchup.
Corey Fisher added 15 poi
<< Burrows scores twice as Canucks double up Rangers
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Burrows had two goals and Vancouver
doubled up the New York Rangers, 6-3, at Madison Square Garden.
Kyle Wellwood, Ryan Johnson, Pavol Demitra and Daniel Sedin also scored for
the Canucks, who
Portland G Blake leaves game >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake left
Wednesday's 116-74 win over the Chicago Bulls after cutting his head on a
camera in the third quarter.
Blake dove for a loose ball out of bounds but
Ovechkin leads Caps past Ducks >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin registered a goal and three
assists, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 6-4, at Honda
Center.
David Steckel had a goal and an assist, while Michael Nylander collected
Oden successful in home debut; Blazers blitz Bulls >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy scored 20 points and Greg Oden had
a successful regular season home debut, as the Portland Trail Blazers
dominated the Chicago Bulls to the tune of 116-74 at the Rose Garden.
The game mar
Billups, Denver top Spurs for fourth straight win >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chauncey Billups scored 22 points, doled
out six assists and hauled in five rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets in a
91-81 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
"We've just come in every night focused
Rangers ship righty Loe to Japan >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have sold the rights to
right-handed pitcher Kameron Loe to the Fukuoka SouthBank Hawks of Japan's
Pacific League for an undisclosed amount.
Loe, the club's 20th round pick in 2002,
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 Nick Mangold (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. 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 Reggie Williams 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.
|
