Pistons visit Central Division-rival Milwaukee

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02/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division-leading Detroit Pistons try to get back on the winning track tonight when they hit the road to visit the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.

Detroit had its seven-game winning streak halted with last Wednesday's 90-81 setback to the San Antonio Spurs in the finale of a five-game homestand. Richard Hamilton scored 20 points and Chauncey Billups posted 19 with seven rebounds and six assists for the Pistons, who went 4-1 on the homestand.

Chris Webber finished with 14 points, Rasheed Wallace had 13 and Lindsey Hunger contributed 11 points in defeat.

The Pistons will now work on their 15-9 road record this season.

In Sunday's All-Star Game, Hamilton had eight points and six rebounds, while Billups added eight points and six assists in a losing effort for the East. Hamilton is probable for Tuesday's game with a sprained right ring finger.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, is still struggling and dropped its fourth straight game after last Wednesday's 117-97 loss against the Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden. Boston finally ended its franchise-worst 18-game losing streak.

Mo Williams scored 31 points, Charlie Bell had 24 and Brian Skinner scored 13 points with 11 rebounds for Milwaukee, which is last in the Central standings and 11-11 at the Bradley Center this season.

The Bucks have dropped 14 of the last 16 overall contests. On the injury front, Milwaukee forward Charlie Villanueva (ankle) and guard Michael Redd (knee) are expected to return sometime this week. Both are questionable for Tuesday's game. Milwaukee is just 3-17 without Redd in the lineup.

Tuesday's showdown at the Bradley Center is the third of four matchups this season between Detroit and Milwaukee. Both squads have one win apiece in the series, while Detroit has won eight of 12 and nine of the last 14 meetings. The Bucks and Pistons will meet again on March 25 at the Bradley Center.

Detroit has lost three of four and six of its last eight trips to Milwaukee.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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