|
NBA Playoffs: Hornets aim to sting Spurs with death blow |
|
|
|
|
Written by Neil Jordan
|
|
Thursday, 15 May 2008
|
|
 The New Orleans Hornets are one game away from heading to the Western Conference finals, but they still have one very large obstacle to overcome. On Thursday, the Hornets will head back to the AT&T Center for Game 6 of their NBA Playoffs series with a chance to knock off the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. BetOnline.com has the San Antonio Spurs –7 point favorites against the New Orleans Hornets with the total set at 184 points.
The Hornets broke Game 5 wide open with a 17-point advantage in the third quarter, cruising to a 101-79 rout. David West exploded for career playoff highs of 38 points and 14 rebounds, while Chris Paul recovered from a poor first half to drop 16 of his 22 points in the second half, while adding 14 assists with only one turnover for the Hornets. New Orleans also went to the foul line 33 times, as opposed to San Antonio's 18 attempts, as they asserted themselves on the Spurs, particularly after halftime.
The Spurs were paced by Manu Ginobili's 20 points, but they shot 37.7% from the field as a team and were outrebounded 50-41 by the buzzing Hornets. Tim Duncan was held to just ten points, but he went hard on the glass with 23 boards for the Spurs. But outside of the Spurs' main trio of Ginobili, Duncan and Tony Parker, only Bruce Bowen managed to get anything going offensively. San Antonio also allowed the Hornets to get out and score on the fast break far too easily, as the Spurs do not have the team speed to keep up with the younger Hornets.
The Spurs are 7.5-point favorites to take this contest at home and return to New Orleans for a seventh game, and this would be a fair assessment as the home team has won each game so far in this series by an average of 18 points per game. The Spurs have to find a way to make the Hornets play at their pace, which is a methodical halfcourt game. In what should be the closest game of the series thus far, take the Spurs to use all of their championship experience to push the Hornets to a win-or-go-home game with a victory on Thursday. Get your Free NBA Playoffs Pick in Now!
New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs – 9:00 PM ET
Free NBA Playoffs Pick: San Antonio Spurs
For more props and odds on NBA basketball as we progress through the postseason, as well as a look at our brand-new and revamped Casino, visit BetOnline.com for the most exciting experience in the sports betting industry.
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 May 2008 )
|
