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11/09/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks will put their unbeaten record to the test this evening, when they open a four-game road trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center.
The Hawks are 4-0 on the season and are coming off Friday's 110-92 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Philips Arena. Mike Bibby ended with 19 points, 12 assists and buried five three-pointers in the win for the Hawks, who are off to their best start since going 11-0 to open the 1997-98 campaign.
Joe Johnson posted 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the win. Atlanta's current winning streak has been against teams that reached the postseason a year ago. It will have a tough time without forward Josh Smith (ankle), who is out for the next two to four weeks after spraining his ankle against the Raptors.
Atlanta will also visit Chicago, Boston and New Jersey on the trek.
Oklahoma City is only 1-4 in its inaugural season and has dropped two in a row, including Friday's 104-97 road setback to the Utah Jazz.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant scored 24 points to lead the Thunder while Jeff Green added 22 points and Desmond Mason chipped in 18 off the bench in defeat. The Thunder are back at home where they own a 1-2 mark this season.
On the injury front for Oklahoma City, forward Joe Smith is questionable for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Atlanta and Seattle/Oklahoma City split two meetings a year ago while the Hawks have lost eight of the past nine matchups in this series.
<< Winless Clippers host Mavericks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers are still in search of their first
win of the 2008-09 season and will resume a five-game homestand this afternoon
versus the Dallas Mavericks at the Staples Center.
Los Angeles is 0-6 on the sea
<< Djokovic, Davydenko win Masters Cup openers
Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Russia's
Nikolay Davydenko were winners Sunday on the first day of play at the Tennis
Masters Cup.
The second-seeded Djokovic earned a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Argentina's Juan
Ma
<< Wilson leads heading into Monday finish in China
Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oliver Wilson carded a three-under 69 in
the third round Sunday and sits atop the leaderboard with the final round of
the HSBC Champions suspended due to darkness.
The Monday finish was caused by Frid
<< Shin cruises to huge win at Mizuno Classic
Shima Mie, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ji-Yai Shin fired a five-under 67 Sunday
to cruise to a six-stroke win at the Mizuno Classic.
Shin, who won the Women's British Open earlier this year, finished her second
LGPA Tour title at 15-under-pa
Kings, Warriors square off at ARCO Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sacramento Kings will resume their four-game homestand
tonight, when they host the Golden State Warriors at ARCO Arena.
The Kings dropped all four of their road games to open the 2008-09 campaign,
but have rebounde
Jazz take unbeaten mark into Big Apple >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The unbeaten Utah Jazz will kick off a five-game road
trip today, when they take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Jazz improved to 5-0 this season after posting a 104-97 victory over the
Oklahom
Raptors visit Bobcats down south >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors will try to get back on track this
afternoon when they square off with the Charlotte Bobcats down south.
The Raptors have lost two straight games after opening the season with three
straight vic
Unbeaten Lakers welcome Rockets to town >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The undefeated Los Angeles Lakers are well rested and will
host the Houston Rockets tonight in a battle between Western Conference
powerhouses at the Staples Center.
The Lakers are 4-0 on the season and haven't
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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