Pistons, minus Iverson, beat Raptors

Basketball Betting Lines

11/05/2008 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tayshaun Prince scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds, as the Detroit Pistons edged Toronto, 100-93, in a battle of undefeated teams.

The Pistons played without new acquisition Allen Iverson, who did not make his debut because Chauncey Billups had not yet undergone his physical. It is a requirement to complete Monday's blockbuster trade between Detroit and Denver, which saw the Pistons send Billups, forward Antonio McDyess and center Cheikh Samb to the Nuggets for Iverson.

Richard Hamilton added 22 points, while Rasheed Wallace chipped in 11 points and 12 boards for Detroit, which moved to 4-0 this season.

Chris Bosh finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto, which had won its first three games of the season. Jose Calderon had 24 points and eight assists, and Andrea Bargnani chipped in 12 points off the bench for the Raptors.

The game was decided in a close fourth quarter. Detroit held a slight edge throughout the stanza, but never more than four points until Wallace canned a jumper with 2:15 remaining that put the Pistons up 92-86.

Calderon quickly answered with a jumper of his own, but after the teams missed on their next possessions, Prince grabbed a rebound and made a basket with 1:05 left to increase Detroit's lead to 94-88.

Calderon made a pair of free throws with half a minute remaining to get Toronto back within four points, but Hamilton was 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the win for the Pistons.

Toronto emerged out of the first quarter with a 23-20 lead, but Detroit surged in the second stanza to take a substantial advantage. After Bargnani drained a three-pointer with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the half to draw within 33-32, the Pistons went on a 17-6 run.

Prince rattled off six consecutive Detroit points during the run, and Hamilton capped it with a jumper to give the Pistons a 50-38 lead with 1:40 left in the second.

Only a three-point play from Kris Humphries with under half a minute remaining drew the Raptors within 54-46 at the break.

Detroit built its lead back up to double digits in the third, as back-to-back baskets from Prince and Rodney Stuckey gave the Pistons a 63-48 lead less than four minutes into the new half.

Prince's jumper with 1:23 left in the third gave Detroit a 76-66 advantage, but Toronto got right back in the game with a 9-0 run.

Bosh followed a Jermaine O'Neal basket with a three-point play to end the third, and Bosh opened the fourth quarter with a dunk. Will Solomon's jumper less than a minute in brought Toronto within 76-75.

Game Notes

Stuckey finished with 14 points and five assists...O'Neal had just eight points...The game had 30 lead changes...Detroit is currently 2-0 on its three- game road swing and closes it out Friday in New Jersey against the Nets...Toronto begins a three-game road trip on Friday in Atlanta.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

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According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

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Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

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Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

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