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04/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats are on the verge of a couple of firsts in franchise history. The team can inch even closer to its initial postseason berth tonight by securing its first ever win in the Big Easy when they take on the New Orleans Hornets.
A win last night over Atlanta coupled with Chicago's loss to Milwaukee lowered Charlotte's magic number to clinch a playoff spot to two. The Bobcats can secure the berth with a win tonight along with a Toronto loss to Boston.
Gerald Wallace posted 28 points and six rebounds on Tuesday, as the Bobcats moved one step closer to the postseason with a 109-100 win over the short- handed Atlanta Hawks.
Boris Diaw added 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for the Bobcats, who have won three of four and improved to 30-9 at home. Charlotte, which is currently in seventh place in the East, clinched its first .500-plus season with its 41st win, and its now four games ahead of ninth-place Chicago. The Bulls are idle on Wednesday.
Stephen Jackson overcame several injuries and provided 15 points and in the win, while Raymond Felton had 14 points and six helpers.
"The first half we played great," said Bobcats head coach Larry Brown. "(Atlanta) doesn't turn the ball over. They had 10 turnovers (in the first half). We got out on the break, shared the ball; we did a lot of great things."
The Hornets, meanwhile, dropped their third straight game Saturday in New Jersey when Chris Douglas-Roberts paced eight New Jersey players in double- figure scoring with 17 points, as the New Jersey Nets put forth perhaps their best effort of the season in a 115-87 romp.
David West had 25 points to lead the Hornets, who have lost three in a row and five straight on the road. Marcus Thornton scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
"We wanted to come in here with a better effort than what we gave. It's a young team, they've been playing loose...they were better," West said of the Nets.
The Bobcats are 0-5 all-time in New Orleans, losing by an average of nearly 16 points per game.
<< Mavs, Grizzlies clash in Big D
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks hope to salvage the finale of a three-
game homestand and inch closer to the Southwest Division crown tonight when
they host the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Mavs are coming off a tough 121-116 loss to Ok
<< Seattle Seahawks 2010 Draft Preview (Revised)
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pete Carroll's draft strategy will be laid bare twice in
the first 14 picks, as Seattle picked up an extra first-round pick thanks to a
2009 draft-day deal that helped Denver select cornerback Alphonso Smith in the
second-rou
<< Blazers invade LA to take on Clippers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers hope to improve on their playoff
position in the Western Conference tonight when they invade Hollywood to take
on the lowly Los Angeles Clippers.
The Blazers won for the fifth time in six trie
<< Blackhawks aim to extend win streak in clash with Blues
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division champion Chicago Blackhawks will aim
for a fifth straight victory when they host the St. Louis Blues tonight at
United Center.
The Blackhawks clinched their first division title since 1992-93 on Sunday
White Sox go for second straight win over Tribe >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jake Peavy tries to put an injury-plagued 2009 season
behind him this evening, when the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians play
the second test of their season-opening three-game series at U.S. Cellular
Field.
Chicag
Bucks tangle with Nets in Brew City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off clinching their first postseason berth in four
years the Milwaukee Bucks get back to work on Wednesday by hosting the NBA's
worst team, the New Jersey Nets.
John Salmons scored 26 points against his former
Braves try for another outburst against Cubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Regarded as one of the top prospects in all of baseball,
Atlanta's Jason Heyward lived up the hype for a least one day.
Heyward will try to help the Braves open the season with two straight wins for
the second year in a ro
Rays, Orioles to go at again after dramatic opener >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following a dramatic win in their season opener, the Tampa
Bay Rays try to make it two in a row when they play the middle test of their
three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles this evening at Tropicana Field.
On Tuesd
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
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