05/09/2008 - San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker each poured in 31 points as San Antonio used a strong second half to beat New Orleans, 110-99, in the pivotal Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
The Spurs now trail the best-of-seven series by a 2-1 margin with Game 4 scheduled for San Antonio on Sunday.
Parker added 11 assists for the Spurs, who are a perfect 4-0 at home in this year's playoffs and have won three straight Game 3s in the postseason.
"I thought our play overall was more aggressive, more physical than it was the first two games," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I thought they really won that contest, that physicality part that's always there in the playoffs. I thought they took it to us in the first two games in that regard."
Tim Duncan chipped in with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while defensive specialist Bruce Bowen had 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range.
"We changed our strategy a bit," Duncan said. "I thought we did a pretty good job of taking some stuff away from them and not just let them kind of run rampant. We defended the three-point line a lot better."
The dynamic Chris Paul finished with 35 points and nine assists for the Hornets.
"We knew coming in here that these two games were going to be tough," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "They are the champs. They're not just going to lay down. We had our opportunities, there's no doubt about that."
David West had 23 points and 12 boards, while Tyson Chandler netted 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds for New Orleans.
The Spurs entered the fourth quarter with a five-point edge but New Orleans quickly closed the gap and clawed to within a bucket, 90-88, when West converted a turnaround jumper with 10:02 left.
San Antonio responded, however, and broke open the game with an 11-0 run. Parker fueled the burst with a driving layup and Bowen finished it with a long three from the left corner to give the Spurs a comfortable 101-88 cushion with just 5:57 remaining.
The Hornets never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way as San Antonio held on for its first win of the series.
The Hornets raced out of the blocks by scoring the game's first eight points. West opened things with a turnaround jumper and then closed the mini-run with another jumper less than three minutes into the game.
San Antonio survived the opening salvo and finally evened things when Parker deposited a running jumper with 3:29 left in the frame.
New Orleans managed to steady itself a bit and take a slim 23-21 lead after the opening 12 minutes.
The Spurs took their first lead of the game, 24-23, when Ginobili converted a conventional three-point play to open the second quarter.
Moments later, Michael Finley drilled a three to give San Antonio its largest lead of the half, 33-29.
The Hornets recovered well and see-sawed back in front with an 9-2 run late in the quarter. Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson stroked consecutive threes and New Orleans took a 56-49 lead into the locker room.
Bowen then hit a three before Ginobili closed the half with a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer as San Antonio trailed by just two, 56-54, heading to the locker room.
Things remained razor close in the third quarter. Paul got loose for a layup, with just under eight minutes to go in the frame, to put the Hornets up by four, 66-62.
The Spurs fought back again and went back in front, 73-72, after Duncan connected on a half-hook with just under three minutes left in the frame.
San Antonio continued to play well for the rest of the quarter and took an 83-78 edge into the final frame when Ginobili closed things out in the third with a driving layup.
Game Notes
The Hornets have never lost a playoff series when they win Games 1 and 2. Meanwhile, the Spurs have never won a playoff series when they lost the first two games...The Spurs had lost the first two games of a playoff series for the first time since the 2001 Western Conference finals when they were swept, 4-0, by the Lakers that year...The Hornets are 1-2 on the road in this year's playoffs...This is the first time these teams have met in the playoffs. During the regular season, the clubs split four contests as both teams earned a victory at home and on the road.
<< Sexson ejected after charging mound and throwing helmet
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inning affair at Rogers Centre.
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Thursday's NBA Playoff Boxes >>
CLEVELAND (73)James 6-24 9-13 21, Wallace 0-0 0-0 0, Ilgauskas 9-12 1-2 19, West 1-5 1-2 3, Szczerbiak 4-11 4-4 13, Varejao 1-5 1-2 3, Smith 2-7 0-0 4, Gibson 0-2 2-2 2, Pavlovic 2-4 0-0 5, D.Brown 1-3 0-0 2, Dw.Jones 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 26-73 19-27 7
MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com
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