Suns down free-falling Hornets

Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amare Stoudemire scored 36 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and sank all 14 of his free throw attempts, as Phoenix ran past the New Orleans Hornets, 120-106, at US Airways Center.

Jason Richardson had 20 points, while Steve Nash tallied 13 points and 12 assists as the Suns won for the ninth time in 12 contests. They moved a half- game ahead of San Antonio, into sixth place in the Western Conference.

"We definitely wanted to set the tone early," Stoudemire said. "It was a very important game for us and we came out with the intensity from the start and we've just got to keep the momentum going and keep improving as a unit."

Jared Dudley also scored 13 and Robin Lopez had 10 for Phoenix, which is 2-2 on a season-long seven-game homestand.

Marcus Thornton scored 28 for the Hornets, who have lost three straight and seven of their last eight games. David West ended with 24 points and seven rebounds in defeat. Emeka Okafor chipped in 15 and 12, while Darren Collison contributed 13 points with 10 assists.

"It's tough. Amare took over the game in the third quarter," Thornton said. "We made some silly turnovers and that's like giving them two points every time. We just have to work through it and be professionals."

Phoenix, which shot 57.5 percent for the game, hit 15-of-22 field goal tries in the opening quarter, racing to a 34-22 lead after 12 minutes. Included in that was a 16-2 burst. Nash and Richardson hit three-pointers during the flurry, which ended on Stoudemire's jumper for a 27-11 cushion.

The Suns led by double digits for the majority of the second quarter until the Hornets whittled the margin to four, the last time at 50-46 on a West short jumper with 1:11 left. It was 55-49 in favor of the Suns at the half.

New Orleans took a brief 57-55 edge, but the Suns scored the next seven and didn't trail the rest of the way. Richardson's reverse layup extended the lead to 69-59 with 7:09 remaining in the quarter, and the difference stood at 83-71 moving to the fourth.

A dunk from Stoudemire extended the lead to 94-74 with 10:23 to go, and the double-digit margin remained until the final horn sounded.

Game Notes

The Suns have won four of the last five games against the Hornets following a six-game series losing streak. Phoenix (3-1) secured a win in the series for the first time since 2006-07...The Suns have won seven of their nine home games since the All-Star break...Nash played in his 1,000th career regular season game. He is the 10th active player to reach the mark...This was the start of a five-game road trip for the Hornets, who have lost their last seven away games...James Posey (flu) and Peja Stojakovic (lower abdominal strain) sat out for New Orleans.

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NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

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Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com