Murphy's tip-in beats buzzer as Pacers cool off Lakers
Basketball Betting Lines
12/03/2008 -
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Murphy's tip-in at the buzzer capped
Indiana's 16-point fourth-quarter come-from-behind win against the red-hot
Lakers in a thrilling 118-117 decision at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Danny Granger led the Pacers with 32 points, while Murphy finished with a
solid 16-point, 17-rebound effort for Indiana, which had lost two straight and
five of six coming into the game. T.J. Ford logged 21 points, while Rasho
Nesterovic and Marquis Daniels added 16 points each in the surprising win.
"A win is a win but this was special," Nesterovic said. "We were down a bunch
of points and were able to come back, stay in our game plan, execute making
open shots and getting some stops."
Kobe Bryant paced six Lakers in double digits with 28 points but it wasn't
enough to extend Los Angeles' win streak to eight games. Pau Gasol finished
with 20 points and nine boards, while Andrew Bynum chipped in 17 and nine
boards, but the Lakers lost for just the second time (14-2) this season.
The Pacers crept back after the break thanks to Daniels, who missed a dunk,
layup and tip-in on one possession but finished it off with a three-point play
and tied the game at 84-all with a layup at the three-minute mark.
After a pair of Granger free throws, however, the Lakers exploded for 17
straight points. In the span of a minute, Bynum threw down a dunk, Trevor
Ariza picked Granger's pocket and finished with a fast-break layup, Sasha
Vujacic nailed a three and Lamar Odom threw an alley-oop to Bynum for a
reverse stuff.
When the third quarter sounded, LA was ahead 101-86 and appeared to put it in
cruise control. The Pacers rattled off nine consecutive points to get within
striking distance in the early going of the frame.
Trailing 115-109, Nesterovic hit a jumper, Granger dropped in a three and
Daniels sunk a pair of free throws to take the lead with 1:16 remaining.
Bryant came down and hit a long jumper with 58.4 seconds left, and after Ford
and Bryant exchanged misses, the Pacers held for the last shot.
Holding the ball at the foul line, Nesterovic hit a cutting Daniels with time
winding down on the baseline. Daniels' reverse layup was off the mark, but
Murphy was in the right place and tipped the miss, as the ball rattled around
the rim before dropping through in dramatic fashion for the unlikely victors.
"I knew it was going in by the way it was bouncing on the rim," Bryant said.
"I was just hoping that it would fall straight through so that it would leave
us with at least a second or so to have the ball."
The Lakers led 30-28 after the first quarter and nine straight points from the
visitors at the end of the half helped the club take a 66-61 edge at the
break. Bryant capped the rally by driving the lane, throwing the ball off the
backboard and laying it in.
"What a great win for our team and our fans," Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien
said. "To beat those guys on a tip-in at the buzzer...what a great night.
That's special. I's a great, great feeling for everyone who is a Pacer."
Game Notes
The Lakers came in 5-0 away from home this season...Ariza scored 13 for LA,
which was outrebounded by a 50-41 margin...Ford also had eight assists for the
victors.
<< Briere returns to lineup for Flyers, but leaves against Bolts
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers forward Daniel
Briere returned to the lineup for Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa
Bay Lightning.
Briere missed the last nine and 14 of the previous 16 ga
<< Big fourth quarter helps Blazers knock off Knicks
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy scored 23 points and doled out
five assists to lead the streaking Portland Trail Blazers past the New York
Knicks, 104-97.
Rudy Fernandez added 18 points off the bench for the Blazers, w
<< Miller leads Sixers in OT win over Bulls
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Miller missed the game-winning three-
pointer in regulation but rebounded to score nine of his season-high 28 points
in overtime, as the Philadelphia 76ers erased a four-game slide with a
103-95
<< Billups, Nuggets crush Raptors
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chauncey Billups had 24 points and 14 assists,
and the Denver Nuggets crushed the Toronto Raptors, 132-93, at the Pepsi
Center.
Carmelo Anthony added 23 points and six rebounds, while Nene had 19 points
<< Mavs rally to overtake Clippers
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Barea's three-pointer with 50.2 seconds
to play led the Dallas Mavericks to a comeback 100-98 victory over the
Los Angeles Clippers to open up a season-long seven-game homestand.
Dirk Nowitzki
Lisin nets a pair as Coyotes rally past Kings >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Enver Lisin scored twice in the third period
to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Shane Doan also scored for the Coyotes, who have won three of their last four
games on the
Duke dominates Purdue in top-10 matchup >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Singler had 20 points and tied a
career-high with 12 rebounds, as fourth-ranked Duke topped No. 9 Purdue,
76-60, to remain unbeaten in the history of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Jon Scheyer
Stars win despite Avery's suspension >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fabian Brunnstrom's second-period tally proved
to be the game-winner, as the Dallas Stars defeated the Calgary Flames, 3-1,
at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Toby Petersen and Loui Eriksson also scored for the St
Iverson, Wallace lead Pistons past Spurs >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace scored 19
points apiece to lead the Detroit Pistons in an 89-77 comeback victory over
the San Antonio Spurs.
Richard Hamilton scored 16 points for the Pistons, who have
Burress officially out for the year >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants suspended wide
receiver Plaxico Burress four games and placed him on the reserve/non-football
injury list, officially ending his season.
"As we have said since Saturday mornin
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 Smith and 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 Bears in 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 back Deuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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