Love, T'Wolves top Spurs

Basketball Betting Lines

01/27/2012 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly, Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves have the San Antonio Spurs' number.

Love had 18 points and 16 rebounds Friday night and the Timberwolves scored the final 10 points of the game to beat the Spurs for the second time in a row, 87-79.

The Timberwolves also beat the Spurs on January 2 at home, snapping a 16-game losing streak in the series. Friday was only their third victory in the last 24 meetings between the teams.

Tony Parker had 20 points to lead San Antonio, while Tim Duncan scored nine with 10 rebounds.

The Spurs took a 79-77 lead on Gary Neal's three-pointer with 3:33 remaining, but didn't score again, missing their final seven shots of the game.

"A terrific win for our guys, especially over a veteran team that wins games like that all the time," said Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman. "Hopefully it's a step forward for us."

Love had his 18th double-double of the season by the third quarter, but wasn't the only Timberwolves player to get one.

Rookie point guard Ricky Rubio scored 18 points with 10 assists for his eighth double-double of the season, while Nikola Pekovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his first.

Rubio's free throws tied the game at 79 and his jumper put the Timberwolves on top for good, 81-79, with 2:42 remaining. Moments later, he fed Love for a bucket to make it a four-point game.

Which is becoming a common sight for the 9-10 Timberwolves, who can reach .500 for the first time this season with a win over the Lakers at home on Sunday.

Love called Rubio, who entered the NBA with an already sparkling reputation, a "great" player. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich didn't need to be told that, calling the 6-foot-4 Spaniard a "heck of a passer" with a good ability to read situations on the court.

"He's like a football quarterback," Popovich said.

There were 13 lead changes and five ties during the game. Love complained that the Timberwolves haven't been doing enough defensively early in games, and it showed Friday.

The Spurs shot 52.6 percent in the first quarter and had a 22-21 lead at the buzzer. Both teams shot under 39 percent in the second quarter and San Antonio kept its one-point lead at halftime, 42-41.

Minnesota led by as many as six in the third quarter, tying the game at 64-64 going into the fourth. The Spurs then shot just 27.8 percent over the last 12 minutes.

"We want to just continue to get better," Love said, looking forward to the chance to reach .500 this weekend, "and especially in the fourth quarter when it's close."

Game Notes

The Spurs started a three-game road trip that also includes games in Dallas and Memphis. They are currently in the midst of playing 16 of 21 games on the road and are currently 3-4 during the stretch so far...The Timberwolves were coming off a 105-90 win in Dallas on Wednesday after Love signed his four- year contract extension.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


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

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.