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02/14/2012 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caron Butler was welcomed by a standing ovation when he accepted his NBA championship ring Monday night, but the Clippers forward received a bigger hand from the American Airlines Center crowd when he missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer in the final seconds.
The errant try allowed the Mavericks to secure a 96-92 win behind five double- digit scorers and stifling defense in the fourth quarter.
Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 22 points, while Shawn Marion added 16 points in Dallas' fourth straight win.
"We held it together and kept our poise. ...It was defense that got us over the hump," Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'm real proud of our guys because this was a very tough game."
Butler finished with 23 points and eight rebounds, and Blake Griffin added 20 points and seven boards for Los Angeles, which finished up a 4-2 road trip.
The Clippers committed nine turnovers in the final frame and went scoreless for nearly five minutes. They were on top 83-79 following a pair of Chris Paul free throws with 7:03 remaining before the cold stretch began.
Griffin missed seven consecutive free throws before finally hitting one with 2:15 remaining to end Dallas' 7-0 run.
Jason Kidd found Jason Terry underneath for an easy layup at the other end to extend Dallas' lead to 88-84, and Nowitzki added two free throws following a Griffin turnover.
Griffin ended LA's seven-minute field goal drought with a dunk while being fouled and made the free throw to cut the deficit to three.
Kenyon Martin made it 90-89 on a driving bucket with one minute remaining, but Nowitzki answered with a rainbow jumper and two free throws.
Paul followed with a three-pointer with 17.8 seconds showing, then stole Kidd's inbounds pass before setting up Butler on the right side.
Butler was 5-of-9 from long distance before hitting all iron as time wound down. Delonte West corralled the rebound and sank two free throws to clinch the victory.
"I got my feet up under me, followed through, it was a routine shot, just fell a little short. It would have been a great ending to the game," Butler said of his attempt.
Brendan Haywood scored all 10 of his points in the first quarter, carrying the Mavs to a 27-19 lead they did not relinquish until the third frame.
An evenly-played second ended with Dallas holding a 55-47 advantage, and the Clippers reeled off a 12-2 run midway through the third to take a 67-64 lead. LA led 76-74 entering the fourth.
Game Notes
Butler did not play for Dallas in the playoffs last season after suffering a knee injury in January...Paul logged 16 points and nine assists...Vince Carter and West each netted 10 points for the Mavs, who scored 22 points off 21 turnovers...LA won the battle on the glass, 50-36...The Clippers snapped a 10- game losing streak to Dallas last month. These teams meet again in Dallas on April 2. The Clippers have lost 10 straight in Dallas, last tasting victory there on April 19, 2006.
<< Arnold's OT strike gives BC Beanpot title
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bill Arnold's tally with 6.4 seconds remaining
in overtime sent Boston College to a 3-2 victory over Boston University to
claim the championship of the 60th annual Beanpot at TD Garden.
Arnold accepted a
<< No. 4 Kansas tops Kansas State
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyshawn Taylor totaled 20 points, five
rebounds and five assists as No. 4 Kansas got past Kansas State, 59-53,
at Bramlage Coliseum.
Jeff Withey added 18 points with 11 rebounds for the Jayhawk
<< Pavelski picks up 4 points as Sharks top Caps
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Pavelski totaled four points on two
goals and two assists as San Jose dealt Washington a 5-3 defeat at Verizon
Center.
Patrick Marleau contributed a pair of goals and Brent Burns also scored
<< Hornets beat Jazz, snap eight-game skid
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kaman had 27 points and 13 rebounds
and the New Orleans Hornets overcame a late Utah rally to down the Jazz,
86-80, on Monday.
Gustavo Ayon netted 13 points to go with nine rebounds and three
Lee leads Warriors over Suns >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Lee finished with 28 points and 12
rebounds and the Warriors snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Suns
with a 102-96 victory.
Monta Ellis chipped in 18 points and Klay Thompson netted 10
Canucks edge Coyotes in lengthy shootout >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Kesler scored the game-winning goal in
the sixth round of the shootout as the Vancouver Canucks edged the Phoenix
Coyotes, 2-1, at Rogers Arena.
Kesler moved in slowly and fired a quick wrist sho
Anderson passes first-round test in San Jose >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson outlasted Grigor
Dimitrov of Bulgaria, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) in first-round action at the
SAP Open on Monday.
Dimitrov cruised in the first set before losing a second-set t
Hornets' Gordon sidelined six weeks after surgery >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon is
expected to be sidelined for six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee
surgery on Tuesday.
The Hornets said the procedure was performed "to clean up his r
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.
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