Duncan leads Spurs over Celtics

Basketball Betting Lines

01/23/2007 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Duncan scored 21 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished out five assists to lead San Antonio over Boston, 93-89, at TD Banknorth Garden.

Duncan ended 7-of-17 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the line while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili each contributed 15 points for the Spurs, who defeated Boston for the 18th straight time. The last time the Celtics beat San Antonio was on January 8, 1997.

Michael Finley and Francisco Elson donated 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench in the victory.

Delonte West poured in 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting and Al Jefferson recorded a double-double with 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who have dropped eight in a row and are 2-14 without Paul Pierce. The All-Star has been out since December 22 with a stress reaction in his left foot.

Ryan Gomes had 20 points and seven boards in defeat.

The Celtics led by as many as eight in the first quarter, but Brent Barry's three-pointer cut San Antonio's deficit to 22-20 with 1:05 left. Jefferson, though, responded with a jumper to put Boston on top 24-20.

The Spurs dominated the second with an 18-4 burst -- capped by a pair of Parker free throws -- to go up 38-28 with 5:40 remaining. Finley then ended the 30-point frame with a jump shot and San Antonio held a 50-38 advantage at halftime.

With just over three minutes left in the third, Finley drilled a jumper to give the Spurs a 73-50 advantage. Boston, though, fought back with a 13-4 run to close the frame trailing 77-63.

The Celtics then used a 13-0 scamper, led by West's seven points, to close within 85-82 at the 2:19 mark, but San Antonio answered with the next five points for an eight-point edge.

Boston made one final threat by pulling to 91-89 on West's jumper with 8.7 seconds to play, but Finley converted twice from the charity stripe to end the game.

Game Notes

San Antonio finished 48.6 percent from the floor while Boston shot 43.9 percent...The Spurs improved to 15-6 on the road this season...The Celtics fell to 4-15 at home.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

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