11/20/2008 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy scored 20 points and Greg Oden had a successful regular season home debut, as the Portland Trail Blazers dominated the Chicago Bulls to the tune of 116-74 at the Rose Garden.
The game marked the first meeting between the top pick in the 2008 and 2007 drafts. Oden, who was playing his first regular season home game one year and 144 days after he was picked in 2007, scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 17 1/2 minutes of action. Chicago's Derrick Rose was picked first in the most recent draft and shot just 1-of-8 for six points on the night.
"We're becoming dominant at home," said Blazers forward Channing Frye said of the team's 4-0 home record while being interviewed by teammates Roy and Martell Webster. "We've got to continue to establish our game, like running the ball and playing unselfish. Tonight everyone was scoring. Chicago tried to play good d. We took them out of their stuff early and kept putting pressure on them."
Oden, who sat out his first season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee, received a standing ovation as he entered the game off the bench in the first quarter. He came into the game averaging 15.3 points in his last three games after totaling three points in his first two contests. The seven- footer poured in a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday night's win over Golden State.
"I think it started with our defense and shadowing Rose," Blazers head coach Nate McMillan said. "That seemed to disrupt their offense. With the kind schedule we've had, and the close games we've had, we like to have a game like that."
Joel Przybilla added 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Blazers, who have won six of eight. LaMarcus Aldridge posted 11 points in the victory.
"Overall I thought we just came out and were all about business," McMillan said. "From start to finish, this was our best game of the season. We got aggressive from the start, got our rhythm and hit our shots."
Andres Nocioni came off the bench to score 13 for the Bulls, who have lost four of six. Drew Gooden and Ben Gordon each scored 11 points, while Larry Hughes posted eight points for Chicago.
"They jumped on us early," said Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro. "They put a little pressure on us and got us out of it a little bit. Their big guys just controlled the paint on us. We got in foul trouble early. From the tip, they controlled the tempo of the game. We had too many turnovers and we got back on our heels. The list can go on and on. It was just one of those games where we could never get anything going. Give Portland a lot of credit."
Steve Blake scored five early points for the Blazers, who took a 12-1 lead to open the game. Portland extended its lead to 25-7 with just over four minutes left on Oden's emphatic dunk -- his first points at the Rose Garden in the regular season.
"We just came out from the jump and they applied a lot of pressure defensively," Gordon said. "We couldnt get anything going. We could just never get over that hump. It seemed like the game was over before it even started the way we came out tonight."
The Blazers finished the first quarter up 34-13, as the Bulls missed 10 of their last 12 field goal attempts while shooting a paltry 25 percent overall (5-for-20) for the quarter.
The Portland lead eventually grew to 30, and the hosts carried a 62-37 into halftime. Roy led all scorers in the half with 12, while Oden had nine points and seven rebounds.
The Blazers led by as many as 36 in the third quarter thanks to a 14-0 run and were in front 88-57 going into the fourth. Portland started out the fourth on a 14-2 spurt, leading by 47 at one point in the rout.
Game Notes
Portland has beaten Chicago three straight times...The Blazers dominated the paint, outrebounding the Bulls, 49-33...Blake had 10 points and five assists before leaving with a gash on his head after hitting a camera in the third quarter...Chicago moved to 0-2 on a seven-game road trip that started with a 116-109 loss to the Lakers Tuesday night...Every Portland player scored at least one point...The Blazers' largest margin of victory was 50, when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 129-79, on November 21, 1982.
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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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