Johnson boosts Hawks over Rockets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/24/2007 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Johnson scored 31 points and dished out seven assists as the Atlanta Hawks held on to beat the Houston Rockets, 105-99.

Josh Smith and Marvin Williams each scored 20 points, while Smith pulled down 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who had dropped three of their previous four.

Tracy McGrady poured in a game-high 37 points and Rafer Alston contributed 23 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who have lost two of their last three contests.

An Alston three tied the game at 86 with 5:47 remaining and McGrady hit 1-of-2 free throws to put the Rockets in front. Atlanta, though, responded with an 8-1 spurt to take the lead for good. Johnson's fadeaway jumper capped the run, giving the Hawks a 94-88 lead with 3:12 remaining.

Three straight McGrady free throws brought Houston within 101-99 with 20.9 seconds left on the clock, but the Hawks hit their free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

Atlanta led 29-28 after the opening 12 minutes and held a 50-45 advantage at halftime. Things tightened up in the second half, as the Hawks took a slim 74-73 lead into the final frame.

Game Notes

Zaza Pachulia had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Hawks, while Josh Childress recorded 11 points and 10 boards...Juwan Howard contributed 19 points for the Rockets...The home team has won seven straight in this series.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Betting

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