Nuggets top Kings in OT on Afflalo's jumper

Basketball Betting Lines

02/02/2010 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arron Afflalo poured in 12 points, including the game-winning jumper with 18.4 seconds left in overtime, as the Denver Nuggets stayed hot at home with a 112-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings at the Pepsi Center.

Kenyon Martin ended with 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, who have won nine in a row at home. Chauncey Billups finished with 23 points and nine assists, Ty Lawson donated 15 points off the bench and Nene chipped in 14 points and six boards for Denver, which has won two straight and 10 of 11 overall.

The Nuggets played their fifth consecutive game without All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, who is still nursing an ankle injury.

Spencer Hawes tallied 23 points and seven rebounds for the Kings, who have lost three in a row and 10 of 11 overall. Kevin Martin ended with 22 points, six assists, and five rebounds, while Omri Casspi chipped in 14 points for Sacramento, which has lost 10 consecutive road games.

The Nuggets ripped off six straight points early in overtime and went ahead 107-102 on a pair of Afflalo free throws with 3:11 remaining.

The Kings then responded with seven consecutive points, as Hawes' trey gave Sacramento a 109-107 edge with about 1 1/2 minutes to go.

The back-and-forth battle continued as the Nuggets scored the final five points of the extra session to claim victory. Nene's layup made it 109-109 and, following a Kevin Martin turnover, Afflalo made a baseline jumper with 18.4 ticks left to make it a two-point tilt.

Kevin Martin missed a jumper at the other end, and Billups made 1-of-2 from the line with 0.7 seconds remaining to seal the win.

The Nuggets started the fourth on a 14-3 run to take the lead. Afflalo's layup had Denver in front 87-81 with seven minutes remaining.

A Hawes jumper and pair of Kevin Martin free throws cut the deficit to 89-87 with less than 5 1/2 minutes to play in regulation.

Billups' layup had Denver ahead 99-95 with 55 seconds to go, but the Kings scored the final four points of the fourth to send the contest into overtime.

Casspi made a short jumper at the other end to cut the gap to two. Nene then turned the ball over at the opposite end of the floor, giving Sacramento a chance to tie or go in front.

Casspi's jumper was off the mark, but Hawes was there for the tip-in to tie the tilt at 99 with 27.9 seconds remaining.

Billups and Hawes each missed shots in the final seconds to send the game into OT.

The score was tied at 26-26 following 12 minutes of play. A pair of Lawson free throws have the Nuggets a 38-37 edge with 8:44 left in the second, but the Kings responded with a 27-10 run to build a large lead. Kevin Martin's trey had Sacramento ahead 64-48, and the score was 64-50 at the half.

Trailing 72-55 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the third, Denver closed the period on an 18-6 burst to get within five. Billups made two three-pointers during the flurry, which Lawson capped with a jumper to make it 78-73 heading to the fourth.

Game Notes

The Kings turned the ball over 19 times, leading to 25 Denver points...Sacramento outrebounded the Nuggets, 48-33...The Kings had won the first two games of the season series.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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