Suns' playoff hopes take a hit in loss to lowly Kings

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03/30/2009 - Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Thompson was one of seven Kings in double figures, logging 21 points and eight rebounds as Sacramento dealt Phoenix's playoff chances a crushing blow in a 126-118 decision over the Suns.

Spencer Hawes tied a career-high with 20 points in addition to 10 rebounds, while Andres Nocioni and Francisco Garcia chipped in 19 points apiece for Sacramento, which had lost six straight to Phoenix and seven of eight overall coming in.

After four straight 50-plus win campaigns, the Suns find themselves in an unfamiliar situation, sitting 3 1/2 games behind Dallas for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoff race with eight games to play.

Steve Nash provided a solid 31-point, 14-assist effort, but Phoenix dropped its third straight affair following a promising six-game winning streak. Shaquille O'Neal ended with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Jared Dudley contributed 17 and 11 off the bench in the inexcusable setback.

The Kings led 105-96 to open the fourth and dictated the game's pace in the final stanza. After Nash's three-pointer and Dudley's layup cut the Suns' deficit to 115-110 with under six minute left, Hawes netted a bucket after Beno Udrih corralled his own miss.

An O'Neal free throw made it a five-point game with just over two minutes left, but Rashad McCants rose over Grant Hill and hit a huge jumper from the elbow as the shot clock was winding down on the next possession.

Nash kept the Suns in it with a three to get within 123-118 with 1:23 to go, but it proved to be their last field goal, putting the club's playoff hopes on life support.

Despite Hill's 13 first-quarter points the Suns trailed 35-33 after 12 minutes of play. Nash hit a trey to end the high-scoring half and cut the visitors' deficit to 70-64.

The Kings continued with the hot hand after the break, rattling off 10 straight points late in the third to take a healthy 99-85 lead. Udrih scored six during the stretch and his jumper capped it with 3 1/2 minutes to go in the frame.

Game Notes

Hill ended with 19 points and Jason Richardson checked in with 16 for Phoenix, which made just 16-of-28 at the foul line, where the Kings went 21-of-27... Kevin Martin had 17 points, Udrih 16 and McCants 12 for Sacramento...The Suns next play at home against Houston on Wednesday.

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

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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