Butler returns to Dallas, but Mavs snag win

Basketball Betting Lines

02/14/2012 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caron Butler was welcomed by a standing ovation when he accepted his NBA championship ring Monday night, but the Clippers forward received a bigger hand from the American Airlines Center crowd when he missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer in the final seconds.

The errant try allowed the Mavericks to secure a 96-92 win behind five double- digit scorers and stifling defense in the fourth quarter.

Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 22 points, while Shawn Marion added 16 points in Dallas' fourth straight win.

"We held it together and kept our poise. ...It was defense that got us over the hump," Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'm real proud of our guys because this was a very tough game."

Butler finished with 23 points and eight rebounds, and Blake Griffin added 20 points and seven boards for Los Angeles, which finished up a 4-2 road trip.

The Clippers committed nine turnovers in the final frame and went scoreless for nearly five minutes. They were on top 83-79 following a pair of Chris Paul free throws with 7:03 remaining before the cold stretch began.

Griffin missed seven consecutive free throws before finally hitting one with 2:15 remaining to end Dallas' 7-0 run.

Jason Kidd found Jason Terry underneath for an easy layup at the other end to extend Dallas' lead to 88-84, and Nowitzki added two free throws following a Griffin turnover.

Griffin ended LA's seven-minute field goal drought with a dunk while being fouled and made the free throw to cut the deficit to three.

Kenyon Martin made it 90-89 on a driving bucket with one minute remaining, but Nowitzki answered with a rainbow jumper and two free throws.

Paul followed with a three-pointer with 17.8 seconds showing, then stole Kidd's inbounds pass before setting up Butler on the right side.

Butler was 5-of-9 from long distance before hitting all iron as time wound down. Delonte West corralled the rebound and sank two free throws to clinch the victory.

"I got my feet up under me, followed through, it was a routine shot, just fell a little short. It would have been a great ending to the game," Butler said of his attempt.

Brendan Haywood scored all 10 of his points in the first quarter, carrying the Mavs to a 27-19 lead they did not relinquish until the third frame.

An evenly-played second ended with Dallas holding a 55-47 advantage, and the Clippers reeled off a 12-2 run midway through the third to take a 67-64 lead. LA led 76-74 entering the fourth.

Game Notes

Butler did not play for Dallas in the playoffs last season after suffering a knee injury in January...Paul logged 16 points and nine assists...Vince Carter and West each netted 10 points for the Mavs, who scored 22 points off 21 turnovers...LA won the battle on the glass, 50-36...The Clippers snapped a 10- game losing streak to Dallas last month. These teams meet again in Dallas on April 2. The Clippers have lost 10 straight in Dallas, last tasting victory there on April 19, 2006.

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.