The Warriors remain in the hunt for their first regular season win in San Antonio since 1997 while Alabama and LSU figure in a battle which could have big ramifications in the BCS rankings — if LSU comes out on top.
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Sports Betting Preview for November 8
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NCAAF – Stanford Deals Ducks First Loss
Oregon averages over 50 points a game but the Cardinal’s defense would have none of that as Stanford dealt a crushing blow to the Ducks’ national championship dreams, beating the visitors, 26-20.
NCAAF – Baylor Runs Over Sooners, Remains Unbeaten
Bears’ QB Bryce Petty threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns as No. 6 Baylor defeated No. 10 Oklahoma, 41-12.
NFL – Vikings Rally Past Washington
Reigning MVP Adrian Peterson rushed for 75 yards and passed Walter Payton in the all-time rushing yards list as the Vikings stunned the slightly favored Washington, 34-27.
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs (November 8 |8:30 PM ET)
After being booted out in last season’s Western Conference semifinals by San Antonio, the Warriors will get to measure themselves against the same team for the first time this season. Although it looks like Golden State will have to face the Spurs on the road without spitfire Stephen Curry. [sc:NBA240banner ]
Curry, who averages 18.6 PPG and is the Warriors’ leader in assists with 9.2 dimes a game, is listed day-to-day after an MRI on his left ankle revealed a bone bruise. He sustained the injury during the third quarter of the Warriors’ 106-93 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night.
In that game, Golden State’s leading scorer, Klay Thompson (24.0 PPG), poured in 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. And to show that the Warriors are not just a Curry-Thompson team, David Lee and Andre Iguodala contributed 22 and 20 points, respectively, to help Golden State notch their third straight win to improve to a 4-1 SU record – best in the Pacific division.
The Warriors play the third of their five-game road trip in San Antonio, where they are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
The Spurs were fortunate to escape with a 99-96 win against the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night. To be more specific, San Antonio was very fortunate to have a point guard like Tony Parker.
Parker scored 15 of the Spurs’ last 16 points, which was enough to stave off the hard-charging Suns, who even had the lead with a minute to go in the fourth quarter. Parker finished the game with 20 points and six assists. Danny Green played superb, too, scoring 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field while veteran big man Tim Duncan put up 17 points and five boards.
San Antonio will host the ever-improving Warriors, who have never beaten the Spurs in a regular season road game in almost 17 years. The last time Golden State won in San Antonio was back in February 14, 1997, with the Warriors leaving Alamodome with a 108-94 victory. Warriors’ guard Stephen Curry was just nine years old then.
The Spurs are 4-1 SU in their last five games against Golden State.
Les Miles’ boys have a daunting task ahead of them as they will try to beat the still undefeated Alabama on home turf. Nevertheless, the Tigers know a thing or two about giving the Crimson Tide a scare. The only thing left to learn is how to beat them.
Last season, LSU pushed the Crimson Tide to the edge. Alabama needed the heroics of AJ McCarron, who threw a touchdown pass with less than two minutes left on the game, getting away with a 21-17 win back in November 2012.
The Tigers had an easy 48-16 win over Furman in their last game where Zach Mettenberger threw for 328 yards and running backs Jeremy Hill and Terrence Magee rushed for two TDs each. But defense can still star for this LSU squad.
When the Tigers defeated then No. 17 (and now No. 2) Florida 17-6 in Week 7, Heisman Trophy candidate and Gators’ QB Tyler Murphy got sacked four times.
The Tigers lost their last two meetings against Alabama, and both those defeats were in Baton Rouge. They aim to return the favor to the Crimson Tide when they square off next Saturday. LSU is 4-1 SU in their last five games at Tuscaloosa.
While other teams are jostling for position in the BCS rankings, Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide are sitting pretty at the top.
With only four games left on its schedule, Alabama are primed for another BCS Bowl appearance. They are 8-0 SU at this point of the season and judging from their last few games, any team in their path are about to be left in ruins.
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Alabama has outscored their last four opponents, 190-20. Except for the close 49-42 win in Week 2 against Texas A&M, the team has not allowed more than 10 points in their other seven outings.
Alabama looks to extend their current winning streak of seven games at home. The team is also 3-0 ATS in their last three games.
