Mavs win franchise-best 14th straight game

Basketball Betting Lines

03/02/2007 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki continued his push for the league's MVP and the Mavericks equaled a franchise-record with their 14th straight win, escaping a pair of missed three-pointers from LeBron James in the final few seconds for a 95-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nowitzki had 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, as the Mavericks nearly blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead before holding on for their 21st consecutive home win, extending a franchise record.

Jason Terry ended with 20 points and Josh Howard contributed 17 points and 10 boards for Dallas, which tied the 14-0 start of the 2002-03 team for the longest winning streak. That mark can be broken Saturday night at home against Orlando.

Dallas has won 10 of the last 12 meetings against the Cavaliers, but this victory wasn't secured until the final seconds. The incredible string by the Mavericks, which includes wins in 35 of their last 37 games, moved their record to a league-best 49-9.

Cleveland nearly won despite being without two of its players. Larry Hughes was out with the flu, and Damon Jones missed the game with back spasms. That meant LeBron James had to pick up the slack, and he did to the tune of 39 points on 17-of-27 shooting, but the All-Star missed two free throws and a pair of threes in the final 13.7 seconds, as the Cavs lost for the third time in four games.

Donyell Marshall's driving layup cut Cleveland's deficit to 94-89 with 1:52 left, but he and Sasha Pavlovic both missed three-point tries moments later.

Marshall was then called for a loose-ball foul on Howard, who made one free throw with 46.8 seconds left.

James, though, completed a three-point play with 41 seconds left before Terry missed on a drive to the basket, and James was fouled on a drive to the bucket with 13.7 seconds to go. James missed both foul shots, but the Cavs got the ball back when Dallas tipped it out of bounds with 10.3 showing.

James then missed a long three from the top of the circle, but the ball caromed off the front of the rim back to him. He then pump-faked before missing his second try off the back of the rim as time expired.

Erick Dampier added 10 points and nine rebounds for Dallas, which also got 10 points from Jerry Stackhouse.

Marshall scored 14 and Pavlovic 11 for the Cavaliers.

The Mavs led 27-23 after one quarter and were in front 52-42 at the half. They remained ahead by double digits most of the third, carrying a 74-62 cushion going into the fourth. That margin grew to 89-75 following two Nowitzki free throws with 6:21 left before Cleveland rallied.

Game Notes

Cleveland has lost seven straight and nine of its last 12 at Dallas...Dallas' last loss at home was on December 7th against the Detroit Pistons. The Mavs last loss overall was January 25 at Chicago...This was the first of two meetings between the squads this season. Cleveland is scheduled to host the Mavericks on March 21.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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