Spurs need to put together some big winning streaks

Basketball Betting Lines

02/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs own a solid 36-18 record, but that is not good enough in the Southwest Division. Dallas, which is the defending Western Conference champion, is at the top of the division, 8 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Spurs.

San Antonio is 1-2 against the Mavericks this season. The Spurs are scheduled to visit Dallas on April 15th at American Airlines Center.

The Spurs go for their fourth straight win, when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at Philips Arena. It is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the squads. On December 31st, All-Star guard Tony Parker had 27 points and Manu Ginobili netted 18, as the Spurs defeated Atlanta, 95-81, at the AT&T Center.

San Antonio has won four of five and six of the last eight meetings in the series. The Spurs have dropped three of their last four at Atlanta.

Parker led a balanced San Antonio attack with 17 points, as the Spurs had no problem defeating the Denver Nuggets, 95-80, on Tuesday at the AT&T Center.

Ginobili added 14 points and All-Star forward Tim Duncan scored 12 for San Antonio, which overcame a horrendous 14-of-27 effort from the charity stripe. Bruce Bowen, Francisco Elson and Michael Finley all had nine points in a game that turned into a blowout in the third quarter, when the Spurs outscored the Nuggets, 30-10.

San Antonio has not allowed more than 82 points in its last three contests.

The Spurs are a solid 19-10 on the road this season. After Wednesday's contest, they return home for a three-game homestand. San Antonio will host Seattle, Toronto and Orlando on the upcoming stand.

Duncan leads the Spurs in scoring (20.3 ppg) and rebounding (10.3 rpg), while Parker, who is second on the club in scoring (18.9 ppg), has dished out a team-best 5.5 assists per game.

Wwwvisitalk Basketball Betting News

<< Warriors return from All-Star break to host Grizzlies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors play their first game back from the All-Star break, as they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies tonight to ORACLE Arena. Golden State went into the break on a winning note. On February 14th, Stephen J

<< Miami's Pat Riley returns to bench in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat welcome head coach Pat Riley back to the bench tonight when they travel to Houston to battle the Rockets at the Toyota Center. Riley announced before the Heat's 104-85 win over Portland last Tuesday he wo

<< Kobe, Lakers get back to work against Portland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All-Star Game MVP Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers return to the court tonight, as they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to the Staples Center. Bryant scored 31 points, dished out six assists and had six steals to

<< Celtics continue swing in Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Division-leading Phoenix Suns welcome the NBA-worst Boston Celtics tonight to US Airways Center. This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the squads. On December 8th, Shawn Marion poured i

<< Timberwolves open homestand vs. Bobcats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves hope home is where the heart is when the struggling club opens up a five-game homestand this evening against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Target Center. The Timberwolves have lost six of their l

Saskachewan Roughriders (CFL) >>
Signed running back Hakim Hill to a one-year plus an option contract.

Brandon Roy has a bright future in Portland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy is having a very solid rookie campaign for the Portland Trail Blazers, who are 23-32 and sit in fourth place in the Northwest Division. Roy, who is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, is

Angels agree to terms with Kendrick, four others >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim agreed to terms on contracts for this upcoming season with infielder Howie Kendrick and four other players on Wednesday. In his rookie season last year, Kendrick appear

Extra Point: Recruiting - A look back at the class of 2004 >>
Chattanooga, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Senseless. Useless. Waste of time. The list could go on and on, but the point remains the same. Theres nothing worse than trying to determine how 17 and 18-year-old athletes will progress over the next four or

Dolphins sign Holliday to four-year deal >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins announced on Wednesday the signing of veteran defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday to a four-year contract. Holliday started all 16 games last season for Miami and was a key component for a

NFL Football Betting


BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES

It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.

BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES

All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.

COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES

Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.

TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES

Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.

RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.

PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.

JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.

SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.

VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES

Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.

DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES

Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.

SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES

I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.

BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES

Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.

BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES

Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.

RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES

A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.

PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers

Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.