11/20/2008 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy scored 20 points and Greg Oden had a successful regular season home debut, as the Portland Trail Blazers dominated the Chicago Bulls to the tune of 116-74 at the Rose Garden.
The game marked the first meeting between the top pick in the 2008 and 2007 drafts. Oden, who was playing his first regular season home game one year and 144 days after he was picked in 2007, scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 17 1/2 minutes of action. Chicago's Derrick Rose was picked first in the most recent draft and shot just 1-of-8 for six points on the night.
"We're becoming dominant at home," said Blazers forward Channing Frye said of the team's 4-0 home record while being interviewed by teammates Roy and Martell Webster. "We've got to continue to establish our game, like running the ball and playing unselfish. Tonight everyone was scoring. Chicago tried to play good d. We took them out of their stuff early and kept putting pressure on them."
Oden, who sat out his first season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee, received a standing ovation as he entered the game off the bench in the first quarter. He came into the game averaging 15.3 points in his last three games after totaling three points in his first two contests. The seven- footer poured in a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday night's win over Golden State.
"I think it started with our defense and shadowing Rose," Blazers head coach Nate McMillan said. "That seemed to disrupt their offense. With the kind schedule we've had, and the close games we've had, we like to have a game like that."
Joel Przybilla added 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Blazers, who have won six of eight. LaMarcus Aldridge posted 11 points in the victory.
"Overall I thought we just came out and were all about business," McMillan said. "From start to finish, this was our best game of the season. We got aggressive from the start, got our rhythm and hit our shots."
Andres Nocioni came off the bench to score 13 for the Bulls, who have lost four of six. Drew Gooden and Ben Gordon each scored 11 points, while Larry Hughes posted eight points for Chicago.
"They jumped on us early," said Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro. "They put a little pressure on us and got us out of it a little bit. Their big guys just controlled the paint on us. We got in foul trouble early. From the tip, they controlled the tempo of the game. We had too many turnovers and we got back on our heels. The list can go on and on. It was just one of those games where we could never get anything going. Give Portland a lot of credit."
Steve Blake scored five early points for the Blazers, who took a 12-1 lead to open the game. Portland extended its lead to 25-7 with just over four minutes left on Oden's emphatic dunk -- his first points at the Rose Garden in the regular season.
"We just came out from the jump and they applied a lot of pressure defensively," Gordon said. "We couldnt get anything going. We could just never get over that hump. It seemed like the game was over before it even started the way we came out tonight."
The Blazers finished the first quarter up 34-13, as the Bulls missed 10 of their last 12 field goal attempts while shooting a paltry 25 percent overall (5-for-20) for the quarter.
The Portland lead eventually grew to 30, and the hosts carried a 62-37 into halftime. Roy led all scorers in the half with 12, while Oden had nine points and seven rebounds.
The Blazers led by as many as 36 in the third quarter thanks to a 14-0 run and were in front 88-57 going into the fourth. Portland started out the fourth on a 14-2 spurt, leading by 47 at one point in the rout.
Game Notes
Portland has beaten Chicago three straight times...The Blazers dominated the paint, outrebounding the Bulls, 49-33...Blake had 10 points and five assists before leaving with a gash on his head after hitting a camera in the third quarter...Chicago moved to 0-2 on a seven-game road trip that started with a 116-109 loss to the Lakers Tuesday night...Every Portland player scored at least one point...The Blazers' largest margin of victory was 50, when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 129-79, on November 21, 1982.
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<< Portland G Blake leaves game
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake left
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Tigers tangle with Mocs in Puerto Rico Tip-Off >>
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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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