11/21/2008 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Garnett made 8-of-12 field goals en route to scoring 17 points, as the Boston Celtics notched a 95-78 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was Garnett's first game back in Minnesota, as the long-time Timberwolves player missed the Celtics' contest there last season because of an abdominal strain.
Paul Pierce finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which has won four in a row and 10 of 11. Rajon Rondo added 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the win.
Al Jefferson scored 23 points to pace the Timberwolves, who were coming off just their second win of the season, one that snapped an eight-game slide. But Minnesota lost their ninth contest out of 10 after a 31.3-percent shooting effort, and whose only other double-digit scorer was Sebastian Telfair with 13 points.
Boston trailed at halftime, but erased its deficit with a Pierce jumper and Garnett dunk in the first minute of the third quarter. The baskets were part of an 11-2 run to open the second half, which ended with a Rondo bucket for a 47-41 lead.
"We were rushing things offensively in the first half," Boston's Ray Allen said. "Still playing pretty good defense...keeping them from scoring."
The teams traded baskets until Boston ended the third on a 14-0 run. Rondo concluded the burst with a layup and long three-pointer in the waning seconds, as the Celtics took a 71-49 lead into the fourth.
"They turned it on," Minnesota's Kevin Love said. "We didn't hit them. They were aggressive."
After Minnesota opened the final stanza with six consecutive points, Boston countered with five of its own, going up 76-56 on a three-point play from Tony Allen, and the Celtics cruised to the finish from there.
In a back-and-forth first quarter, Brian Scalabrine made a three-pointer with half a minute left to put Boston ahead 22-21 going into the second.
But Minnesota opened the second quarter on an eight-point run, and led 29-22 after a Telfair jumper three minutes in. The T'Wolves continued to play in front and led 39-36 at halftime.
Game Notes
The T'Wolves, in addition to making just 26-of-83 field goals, were successful on just three of 15 three-point attempts. They made 23-of-27 free throws...Boston shot 49.3 percent (37-of-75) from the floor, but only 17-of-24 from the free throw line...Ray Allen had 11 points and six assists for Boston, while Tony Allen had 14 points and Leon Powe 10.
<< Flyers top Sabres as Biron blanks former club
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Biron stopped all 40 shots he saw
against his former team to post his first shutout of the season as the
Philadelphia Flyers downed the Buffalo Sabres, 3-0, at HSBC Arena.
Biron, who play
<< Staal records hat trick as 'Canes top Coyotes
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Staal snapped an eight-game goalless
drought with his fifth career hat trick, helping the Carolina Hurricanes to a
5-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes at RBC Center.
Ray Whitney added a pair of third
<< Hansbrough starts against UCSB
Santa Barbara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - North Carolina senior forward Tyler
Hansbrough, who missed the first two games of the season, started Friday night
when the top-ranked Tar Heels battled UC-Santa Barbara.
Hansbrough missed the firs
<< Lewis has the Magic in OT win over Pacers
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rashard Lewis scored 23 points, including
the final seven for Orlando in overtime, as the Magic edged the Indiana
Pacers, 100-98, for their fifth straight victory.
Lewis finished 9-of-12 from th
Stempniak leads Blues to OT win over Ducks >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lee Stempniak's goal 2:39 into overtime
lifted St. Louis over Anaheim, 3-2, at Scottrade Center.
Stempniak gained control of the puck near center ice, and once over the Ducks'
blue line, crossed to th
Mavs finally get first home win, top Grizzlies >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki had a game-high 25 points and
grabbed 10 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks got their first home win
of the season at the expense of the Memphis Grizzlies in a 91-76 victory at
America
UCLA's Aboya injures wrist >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UCLA forward/center Alfred Aboya injured his
left wrist in Friday's 77-60 win over Southern Illinois at the 2K Sports
Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
Aboya scored 22 points for the fourth-rank
Lecavalier gives Tocchet first win as Bolts down Preds >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vincent Lecavalier scored twice to lead Tampa Bay
over Nashville, 4-1, at St. Pete Times Forum.
Vinny Prospal and Mark Recchi also tallied for the Lightning, who gave interim
head coach Rick Tocchet his first win
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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