Brooks sinks winning shot as Rockets stop Nuggets

Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Brooks scored 31 points and drained the game-winning jumper with 2.9 seconds left to lift the Houston Rockets over the Denver Nuggets, 125-123 at the Toyota Center.

Kevin Martin added 29 points and Luis Scola chipped in 23 to go with 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won three straight to tie a season-high.

Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 45 along with 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost for the first time in seven games. Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith each netted 17 as the Nuggets led for most of the contest, but couldn't hold on late.

Nene aided Denver with 15 points and 10 boards, while Johan Petro scored 11 to go with 10 rebounds in defeat.

Brooks netted the game-winner after Anthony tied the game at 123 on an easy layup with 20.8 seconds left. Anthony had a decent look at a three as time expired, but came up short of the rim.

The Nuggets mounted a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter, capped by an Anthony jumper with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Houston hung tough and finally took the lead with under a minute left as Scola went down the lane unguarded and converted on a three-point play to give the Rockets a 122-121 edge with 41.1 seconds left. Brooks then went 1-of-2 from the foul line to set up the finish.

Houston jumped out to a 13-6 edge after a Martin jumper with 8:44 remaining in the first. The Rockets upped the lead to double digits on a Brooks bank shot with just over four minutes left.

Arron Afflalo trimmed the deficit to seven on a layup with under a minute to go, but Kyle Lowery drained two free throws to give Houston the 38-29 lead after one period.

In the second, Denver whittled the lead down to 44-38, but the Rockets continued to drive and score, upping the edge to 16 on a Lowry bucket with just under six minutes left in the half. Anthony drained a jumper as the first half expired, but Houston still possessed a 68-57 advantage.

Denver pulled within 77-75 on two Nene foul shots with 6:34 left in the third and finally tied the contest on a Billups layup two minutes later. The Nuggets took their first lead of the night at 86-85 on an Anthony three with just over four minutes remaining in the third.

The Nuggets led by as many as three in the frame and finished the quarter with a 95-93 edge.

Game Notes

Brooks finished the game with nine assists and has made a three in 38 straight games...Anthony was 3-of-5 from three-point range after having made just 1-of-12 over his last five games...Anthony is now ninth on the all-time games played list in Denver with 499...Nuggets coach George Carl missed his fourth straight game due to undergoing treatment for throat and neck cancer...Houston next plays on Wednesday at home against Memphis...Denver next plays on Tuesday at home against Washington.

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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.

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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

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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

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