Bucks edge Nuggets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2009 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlie Villanueva scored a season-high 36 points and Ramon Sessions had 27 points and eight assists, as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Denver Nuggets, 120-117, at the Bradley Center.

Villanueva finished 14-of-23 from the field, including 7-of-11 from three- point range, while Richard Jefferson chipped in with 17 points for the Bucks, who has won four of their last six games.

"Obviously, Charlie [Villanueva] and Ramon [Sessions] carried the offensive load for us," Bucks head coach Scott Skiles said. "We had some other guys chipping in with some points. For the most part, those two guys made the big offensive plays when we needed to have them."

Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 33 points and nine rebounds, while Chauncey Billups finished with 21 points. The Nuggets have lost two straight, including a 116-99 setback at Chicago on Friday. Despite the loss, the Nuggets finished their eight-game road trip with a 5-3 record.

Nene donated 17 points and seven boards before suffering a right knee contusion in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter after colliding with Jefferson. He will be further evaluated in Denver on Monday.

Renaldo Balkman registered 10 points and Linas Kleiza had 13 points to go along with six rebounds for Denver. Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin sat out with a sore back.

In the fourth quarter and the game tied at 96, neither team was able to pull away by more than three points at any stage of the period. Charlie Bell's two from the foul line gave the Bucks a 112-111 lead with 3:08 to play.

After both teams came up empty the next two trips down the floor, Anthony's two free throws put the Nuggets back in front by a point. Milwaukee would respond with a Jefferson layup to reclaim a one-point edge at 114-113 with 1:39 left.

The Bucks got multiple attempts on their next possession thanks in part to some good hustle on the offensive boards. A Villanueva short jumper in the lane gave the hosts a three-point lead at 116-113 with 33.3 seconds to go.

On Denver's next trip, J.R. Smith's off-balanced three drew nothing but air and Milwaukee secured the rebound. Luke Ridnour was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the stripe to extend the lead to four.

"I think J.R. [Smith] made the decision [to shoot] on his own," Nuggets head coach George Karl said. "He was our first option. He has the ability to make shots off-balance a little bit."

Following a layup by Anthony and 1-of-2 effort from the line by Sessions, the Bucks would again have a three-point advantage, this time for good. An attempted Billups' shot with four seconds left came up short and Milwaukee held on for the win.

In a high-scoring and back-and-forth first quarter, Villanueva's half-court heave to end the period gave the Bucks a 36-35 lead.

The up-tempo play continued in the second and after six straight points from Kleiza got the Nuggets even, Smith drained a three-pointer to put Denver ahead 44-41 a little over two minutes in.

Milwaukee maintained a slim edge for the majority of the quarter. But Denver mounted a 10-1 run in the last minute of the half. Dahntay Jones capped the surge with a half-court buzzer-beater, giving the visitors a 72-69 lead at the break.

Midway through the third quarter, a pair of free throws by Anthony put the Nuggets up by five at 84-79. But a Sessions' three-point play, a technical free throw and trey by Villanueva gave the Bucks a brief 93-90 edge.

Denver would get a Carter jumper and 1-of-2 effort from the charity stripe by Kleiza in the final minute to tie the game at 96-96 heading into the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

Denver will host Boston on Monday, while Milwaukee will visit Dallas on Wednesday...Despite the setback, the Nuggets have won four of the last six games in the series, including a 114-105 victory in Denver on November 18.

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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

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