Anthony, Denver sinks Dallas on free throws

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11/08/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds, added six assists and made several key free throws to help give the Denver Nuggets a 108-105 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Chauncey Billups scored 15 points in his Nuggets debut. He was dealt to Denver, along with Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb, in a Monday trade that sent Allen Iverson to Detroit. They did not dress for Wednesday's matchup with Golden State because Billups did not take a physical in time.

Nene finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, and made a key steal late in the game for the Nuggets, who had lost two in a row. J.R. Smith scored 15 points off the bench for Denver, while Linas Kleiza had 14 points.

Jason Kidd had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Dallas, which has lost three of five to open the season. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 23 points and 10 boards in the loss, while Brandon Bass had the Mavs' third double- double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

In a back-and-forth game down the stretch, Nowitzki made a pair of free throws with 2:06 left to draw Dallas within 101-100. But Anthony responded with a pair of his own with 1 1/2 minutes left.

The same players each missed their next shots, keeping Denver's lead at 103-100 as the clock ran under a minute. With a little less than half a minute left, Bass came up with a block on Billups' short jumper, giving Dallas a shot to tie.

Kidd drove through the lane for a finger-roll layup with 21.6 seconds left, and was fouled on the play. However, he missed the free throw as Kenyon Martin grabbed the rebound.

Billups was fouled after a timeout, but made just 1-of-2 to give Denver a 104-102 lead with 17.5 seconds left. But Bass, dribbling above the three-point line, had the ball swiped away by Nene.

Anthony was fouled, and made both free throws. Still, Jason Terry drained a three-pointer to bring Dallas within 106-105 with 1.1 ticks left. The Mavs fouled Anthony once more with 0.4 on the clock, and he sank both.

Gerald Green missed a three-pointer from the right wing at the buzzer to seal the Nuggets' win.

Denver held a 26-25 lead after one quarter, but Dallas came back to take a 49-48 edge at halftime. The Nuggets built up a 79-72 lead after three quarters, and led 82-72 after Smith's layup just over a minute into the fourth. But Dallas rattled off the next seven points to draw within 82-79 with 9:30 left, and the game was close to the end.

Game Notes

Denver made 37-of-40 free throws, while Dallas made 14-of-16...The Mavericks attempted 35 three-pointers, and made 13...Green came off the Dallas bench to score 13...Josh Howard finished with 11 points for the Mavs.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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