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02/15/2012 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Young dropped in a game-high 35 points as the Washington Wizards posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season with a 124-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
John Wall added 29 points and nine assists, while Jordan Crawford contributed 21 points off the bench in the Wizards' first win in Portland since March 28, 2005, snapping a six-game losing streak.
"It just felt good (tonight)," said Young. "Seeing my teammates excited and them hitting shots and us gelling off each other, I feel like we're turning into a good team. We just have to keep learning from it."
Nicolas Batum led the Blazers with 33 points and Gerald Wallace had 25 in Portland's fourth loss in five games. Marcus Camby recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds in Portland's first three-game losing streak at home since March 29- April 6, 2008.
Portland's leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge left the game less than two minutes into the first quarter with a left ankle sprain. After sinking a fadeaway jumper from the right elbow, he rolled his left ankle as he made his landing. He immediately fell to the floor and was looked at by team trainers before being helped into the locker room, where x-rays were negative.
The game's opening seven-plus minutes saw three lead changes and three ties until a 7-3 spurt by Portland put them ahead, 26-20, with just under two minutes left in the first quarter.
But the Wizards recorded the final eight points of the first and took a 28-26 advantage into the second on Jordan Crawford's tip-in inside the final second.
Jamal Crawford opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to put the Blazers back on top before Washington reeled off a 16-4 run to jump out to a 44-33 lead.
Portland managed to close the gap to six on two separate occasions in the remaining six minutes, but the Wizards responded each time with a three- pointer and held a 58-46 advantage at the break.
Washington held at least a seven-point lead in the third as the Wizards continued to quell any type of Portland run en route to a 91-82 lead after three.
That lead stretched to as much as 17 in the fourth quarter before an 8-0 swing by Portland cut the deficit to single digits, 108-99, with less than six minutes left in the game.
The Wizards answered with a 7-0 spurt to extend its lead back to 16 points, but another 8-0 run by the Blazers closed the gap to 115-107 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.
That would be as close as the Blazers would get, though, as a Young three- pointer followed by a JaVale McGee dunk extended the lead back to double digits with less than a minute to go in the game.
"They just outworked us," Blazers head coach Nate McMillan said. "Somewhere along the line, pride has to show up. We just looked like we were waiting for someone to rescue us, and we have to do that ourselves."
Game Notes
The Wizards improved to 2-16 against teams with winning records this season...McGee finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for Washington...Portland scored 28 points off 16 Washington turnovers...The Trail Blazers turned the ball over 11 times, resulting in 20 points by the Wizards...Washington outrebounded Portland, 43-31.
<< Flames stay hot against Toronto
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miikka Kiprusoff made 41 saves, backstopping
the Calgary Flames to a convincing 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at
Scotiabank Saddledome.
Calgary's top-line trio of Olli Jokinen, Alex Tanguay and J
<< Red Wings set home winning streak record
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings now hold the NHL record
for most consecutive home wins thanks to a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars at
Joe Louis Arena.
The last loss the Red Wings suffered in front of the home c
<< Afflalo helps Denver dominate Phoenix
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Afflalo scored 20 points on 7-for-11
shooting, and the Denver Nuggets led wire-to-wire as they knocked off the
Phoenix Suns, 109-92, at Pepsi Center on Tuesday.
Six Nuggets scored in double fi
<< Ohio State downs Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - William Buford had 24 points and Jared
Sullinger chipped in 23 as No. 6 Ohio State downed Minnesota, 78-68, at
Williams Arena on Tuesday.
Buford and Sullinger each added eight rebounds and De
Bulls' Thibodeau to coach East All-Stars >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau will
coach the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game later this month.
The Bulls (24-7) claimed a 121-115 victory over the Kings on Tuesday night to
clinch the con
Golf Course Review - The Greenbrier (Old White TPC) >>
White Sulphur Springs, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS AND STATS: Course
Architects: Charles Blair Macdonald, with Seth Raynor (1914), Lester George
(2001-06, restoration), PGA Tour Design along with McDonald and Sons (2010-11).
Year Opened: April
Baffert goes after another Southwest at Oaklawn >>
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trainer Bob Baffert has decided to start a
pair of three-year-olds in Oaklawn Park's Southwest Stakes on Monday led by a
Breeders' Cup race winner. The $250,000 mile race is part of the track's
Kentuck
Kings try to stop Lin-sanity from spreading in NYC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As the legend of Jeremy Lin grows, so does the confidence
level of the New York Knicks.
Lin continues to work wonders for the Knickerbockers and will lead his team
back to Madison Square Garden tonight in the opener of a f
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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