11/20/2008 - Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. Miles scored 25 points to lead Utah to a 105-94 comeback win over the Milwaukee Bucks, as the Jazz won their 14th straight home game going back to last season.
Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 11 rebounds, but left the game in the fourth quarter with a strained left quad tendon. Ronnie Price and Andrei Kirilenko each had 16 points for the Jazz, who beat Milwaukee for the eighth straight time. Kirilenko also had seven rebounds, five steals and four blocks.
Ronnie Brewer ended with 12 points for the Jazz, winners of back-to-back games overall since a three-game skid.
Richard Jefferson scored 25 points, and Andrew Bogut contributed 16 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for the Bucks, who lost their third straight contest.
Ramon Sessions sank a layup for a 76-70 Milwaukee lead in the final minute of the third, but the Jazz had the final two buckets of the quarter - on a Brewer jam and a Boozer layup.
The Jazz then used a 13-3 run during the fourth quarter to take control. Austin Croshere hit a three-pointer for an 83-82 Milwaukee edge with nearly eight minutes left, but then came the game-changing flurry, started by a pair of Boozer layups and finished by a Miles three-ball with 2:34 remaining for 95-86 difference.
Boozer was hurt during the final quarter while going up for a rebound. His knee buckled and Boozer was then lifted for Mehmet Okur. Boozer will have an MRI on Thursday.
Utah is already shorthanded with injuries to guards Deron Williams (ankle) and Brevin Knight (groin), and center Jarron Collins (elbow).
Utah led 26-16 after one quarter and pushed that margin to 45-30 midway through the second, but the Bucks finished the half on a 23-6 spurt to grab a two-point edge.
Milwaukee continued to pull away early in the third, surging to a double-digit advantage at 66-56 on a pair of Bogut free throws with nearly eight minutes left in the period.
Game Notes
Charlie Bell and Sessions each scored 15 points for Milwaukee...The Jazz forced 17 turnovers, leading to 22 points...Utah shot 51.4 percent from the field, compared to 44.4 percent for the Bucks.
<< Kobasew and Chara lead fierce Bruins rally to down Sabres
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chuck Kobasew and Zdeno Chara both scored twice,
as the red-hot Boston Bruins scored the last five goals and defeated the
Buffalo Sabres, 7-4, at TD Banknorth Garden.
Marc Savard registered a goal and thre
<< Terry leads Mavs past hobbled Rockets
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Terry scored 31 points, and Dirk Nowitzki
added 24 points and 12 rebounds to pace Dallas to a 96-86 victory over the
injury-riddled Houston Rockets.
Jason Kidd contributed eight points, nine rebound
<< T'Wolves fend off Sixers to snap eight-game skid
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Jefferson led all scorers with 25
points, as the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped an eight-game losing streak with
a 102-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Craig Smith added 21 points off the benc
<< Hawks' Horford misses game against the Wizards
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Hawks center/forward Al Horford didn't
play in Wednesday's 91-87 win over the Washington Wizards due to a sprained
right ankle.
Horford hurt the ankle against the Pacers on Tuesday and is listed as day-
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
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
Boozer injured in win over Bucks >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer suffered
a strained left quad tendon during Wednesday's 105-94 win over the Milwaukee
Bucks.
Boozer, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds, left the game in the four
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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