Scola leads Argentina past Brazil to gain FIBA quarters

Basketball Betting Lines

09/07/2010 - Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Scola continued a blistering scoring clip with 37 points on 14-of-20 shooting as Argentina edged Brazil, 93-89, to gain a quarterfinal berth in a thrilling South American showdown at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Scola of the NBA's Houston Rockets leads the tournament with 30.3 points per game and is knocking down 62 percent of his shots. He scored a dozen points in the decisive fourth quarter, including 10 of the final 12 points for Argentina.

Carlos Delfino of the Milwaukee Bucks added 20 points and hit 4-of-7 from three-point range.

Argentina will take on Lithuania in the quarterfinals after its win over China earlier Tuesday.

The Brazilians were led by Marcelo Huertas' 32 points and led at halftime, 48-46, in what was a tight game throughout. Huertas and then Delfino traded buckets at the conclusion of the third quarter with the game tied at 66 moving to the fourth.

Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns gave Brazil a lift with back-to-back three-pointers -- two of his five -- to open the final frame. Barbosa scored 20 points in all but it was Huertas who kept it close at the end.

Huertas recorded 10 points in the fourth and hit two free throws early on to keep Brazil in front after Hernan Jasen dropped a pair of threes to answer Barbosa.

The lead continued to change hands down the stretch as Jasen and Huertas knocked down shots for their respective countries as the clock wound under six minutes remaining.

The advantage was back in Brazil's hands, 81-79, on two Tiago Splitter free throws with 3:15 left before Scola took over late.

Scola dropped in consecutive buckets to swing the momentum, and poured in another two following a Brazil counter to get the margin to 89-84 with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Splitter came back with a deuce to make it a one-possession game before Delfino was able to sink two clutch free throws with under 10 seconds to play.

Huertas continued the excitement by nailing a three as time was about to expire, cutting the lead to two. Scola, though, drew the quick foul and made both at the line to wrap things up.

Linas Kleiza poured in 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Lithuania in its 78-67 win over China. Martynas Gecevicius added 14 points and Mantas Kalnietis chipped in 11 for Lithuania.

Liu Wei scored 21 points to lead China.

The Chinese opened a 22-17 lead after the first quarter, but Lithuania used a 23-10 run during the second and went to the break with a 43-40 edge. A three by Liu pulled China even at 48-48 with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter, but Gecevicius answered with a shot from beyond the arc to ignite an 11-0 run for Lithuania.

Kleiza scored four during the burst, which gave Lithuania a 59-48 lead, and the third quarter ended with a 64-51 cushion for the Lithuanians. China got as close as five with just over five minutes left on a bucket by Wang ZhiZhi, but Kleiza scored the next 10 points for Lithuania to extend the margin to 12 with just over a minute remaining.

Wwwhankooki Basketball Betting News

<< Habs ink Halpern
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens have signed veteran forward Jeff Halpern to a one-year contract. As per team policy, no terms of the deal were announced. The 34-year-old Halpern split last season betwe

<< White Sox recall Viciedo and Torres
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White recalled infielder Dayan Viciedo and pitcher Carlos Torres from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday. Viciedo, 21, appeared in 27 games earlier this season with the major league club and hit

<< Former two-year-old champ retired
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every year following the running of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile the winner of the race is automatically declared the early favorite for the next year's Kentucky Derby. Street Sense is the only thoroug

<< Orioles activate P Hernandez
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have reinstated pitcher David Hernandez from the 15-day disabled list. He was placed on the DL August 5 with a left ankle sprain. The right-hander is 4-3 with two saves and a 3.29 e

<< Magic name Foyle to front office position
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic on Tuesday named former NBA player Adonal Foyle as the team's director of player development. The 35-year-old Foyle retired in August following a 13-year career. He was originally selec

Wild F Sheppard out indefinitely >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Wild center James Sheppard will be out indefinitely after suffering a fractured left patella. The Wild announced Tuesday that the 22-year-old sustained the injury during non-hockey related activ

Cubs' Silva activated from DL to make Tuesday start >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs activated right-hander Carlos Silva from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, in time to make his first start in over a month. The Cubs announced on Saturday that Silva, who hadn't

A's bring up Hermida >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics on Tuesday selected the contract of outfielder Jeremy Hermida from Triple-A Sacramento. The A's signed Hermida last week after he was released by the Boston Red Sox, and was promptly

Nets waive F May >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets have requested waivers on forward Sean May less than a month after signing him. May had signed with New Jersey on August 9 and suffered a stress fracture in his left foot las

Hendrick taking different approach to Chase this year >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Team owner Rick Hendrick arguably had his best season in NASCAR's premier series in 2009, with Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon finishing 1-2-3, respectively, in points. That same scenario won't be un

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.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

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.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
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.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

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.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.