05/13/2008 - (Basketball Betting) - The defending world champion San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Hornets play the pivotal Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series tonight at New Orleans Arena.
This series is knotted at 2-2. Game 6 of this best-of-seven set is scheduled for Thursday at the AT&T Center.
The home team has won all four games in this series. On Sunday, Tim Duncan had a dominating performance with 22 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots, as the third-seeded Spurs crushed the No. 2 New Orleans, 100-80, evening this series at two games apiece.
Tony Parker contributed 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists for San Antonio, which is 5-0 at home in this year's playoffs. Manu Ginobili and Ime Udoka both scored 15, while Michael Finley came off the bench for 12 points.
Star point guard Chris Paul scored 23 for the Hornets, who shot 40.2 percent from the field. Jannero Pargo netted 11 and David West finished with 10 points in the loss.
San Antonio, which is 1-3 on the road in this year's postseason, has won 10 straight Game 5s in the playoffs. The Spurs have never won a playoff series when they lose the first two games of the set.
The Hornets, who have never lost a playoff series when they win Games 1 and 2, are 5-0 at home in this year's playoffs. They are 3-4 all-time in Game 5s in the postseason.
If veteran forward Robert Horry plays in tonight's contest for San Antonio, he would participate in his 238th postseason game, most in league history. The 37-year-old Horry is averaging 1.8 points in eight playoff appearances this postseason.
The Southwest Division-champion and second-seeded Hornets are back in the postseason for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign. New Orleans moved to the Western Conference for the 2004-05 campaign, and are competing in the West playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
New Orleans won its first best-of-seven playoff series (1-6) in franchise history, as it defeated the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks in five games, 4-1, in the first round of the postseason.
The Hornets are 0-4 in the second round of the playoffs. They lost to New York (4-1) in 1993, Chicago (4-1) in 1998, Milwaukee (4-3) in 2001 and New Jersey (4-1) in 2002.
The Spurs, who swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in last year's NBA Finals, have captured four world championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) in the last nine years.
History is not on San Antonio's side. Following a championship, the Spurs have never made it past the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs. In 2000 they fell in the opening round to Phoenix, and lost in the semis to the Lakers in 2004 and Dallas in 2006.
San Antonio, which is playing in the postseason for the 11th straight year, advanced to the West semis for the eighth straight year. The Spurs knocked out Steve Nash and the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns in five games in round one.
The Spurs have won four of their last seven trips to the West semis. They defeated the Suns, 4-2, last year in this round.
This is the first time the Hornets and Spurs have met in the playoffs.
<< D'Backs try to stop slide vs. Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly, the Diamondbacks are a team that can be beat.
Arizona will try to halt its season-long losing streak tonight in the opener
of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field.
Arizona was sw
<< Red-hot Berkman, Astros square off against Giants
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both Lance Berkman and his Houston Astro teammates aim to
keep up their recent hot streaks when the surging club plays the second of
four consecutive clashes with the San Francisco Giants tonight at AT&T Park.
Houston
<< Tigers continue to be victimized by poor starting pitching
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having completed the first quarter of the season, there is
no question what has been the culprit for the Detroit Tigers' horrendous
start.
The starting pitching, by and large, has just been awful. Entering play
Tuesday, D
<< Weaver leads Angels vs. White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jered Weaver hopes to bounce back from one of the worst
starts in his career this evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
resume their four-game series with the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium.
Weaver
Cubs resume successful homestand with another test from Padres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs will shoot for their
fifth straight win this evening, when they resume a four-game series with the
San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs, who are one game ahead of St. Lou
Struggling Dodgers begin trek in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Penny will try to rebound from a horrible outing when
he takes the hill tonight for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will open a six-
game road trip with the first of three straight matchups against the Milwaukee
Brewers
Cardinals limp home to take on Pirates >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals hope that the home crowd can lift
their depleted spirits, as the slumping club opens a six-game homestand
tonight with the first of three straight games versus the Pittsburgh Pirates
at Busc
Royals sliding down AL Central standings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have officially fizzled out.
After getting off to a decent start to the season, the losses are occurring
more frequently and just like that they are five games below .500. They've
lost five of their
Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
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