Spurs resume road trip against Lakers
Basketball Betting Lines
02/08/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs face the toughest test of their
annual Rodeo Road Trip when they face the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center tonight.
Each year around this time the Spurs hit the road while the annual San Antonio
Livestock Show and Rodeo takes over the AT&T Center.
Gregg Popovich's team set up temporary residence in Hollywood on Saturday and
improved to 2-1 on its season-long eight-game trek when George Hill scored 22
points on 8-of-11 shooting, and the Spurs notched their 15th straight win over
the Clippers with a 98-81 blowout win.
Tony Parker added 14 points and 14 assists for the Spurs, who have not lost to
the Clippers since March 7, 2006. Tim Duncan and Matt Bonner each contributed
11 points in the resounding victory.
"It was important to come out and play better, and we did that," said Spurs
forward Manu Ginobili. "George (Hill) has been a huge key for us; it's hard to
imagine us not in the playoffs, so every win is important."
Historically, the long trips have actually been very successful for San
Antonio, which has compiled a 42-17 mark in the Rodeo Road Trips since the
club moved into the AT&T Center.
The Lakers, meanwhile, keep chugging along and improved to a Western
Conference-best 39-13 on Saturday by dispatching the Trail Blazers, 99-82, in
Portland on Saturday.
Ron Artest poured in 21 points and Lamar Odom contributed 10 points and tied a
career-best with 22 rebounds, as the Lakers overcame the absence of Kobe
Bryant to win in the Rose City for the first time in nearly five years.
The Lakers came into the game having lost nine in a row at the Rose Garden,
but used a 47-30 rebounding advantage to end that skid. It was their first win
in Portland since Feb. 23, 2005.
Bryant, who is averaging 28 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season,
sat due to a sprained left ankle, ending a string of 235 consecutive games
played. The 12-time All-Star last missed a game on March 7, 2007, due to a
suspension.
"Kobe followed me in the coaches room and said 'I'm thinking about not
playing' and I said 'it's OK if you don't,'" Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
"I went back in and saw him 10 minutes later and he said 'yeah I think I
should take it off' and so we did and went from there."
Shannon Brown tallied 19 points and Derek Fisher scored 14 for LA, which also
received 13 points and eight boards from Pau Gasol. The Lakers won for the
sixth time in eight games and did it after losing center Andrew Bynum due to a
hip injury. He didn't play in the second half.
"It was a great effort, great teamwork and great outcome," Gasol said.
"Obviously we don't like to see Kobe sitting out and he's been banged up, and
then Andrew going down, we'll see what happens with them, but we reacted well,
we just played hard and played together and the result was good, we won in a
place that we haven't been able to play at all, or be successful at all."
Bryant, who hasn't missed consecutive contests since missing the first two
games of the 2006-07 season with a knee injury, is listed as day-to-day while
Bynum is doubtful for tonight's contest.
"I would say it (Kobe's injury status) is day-to-day," Jackson Said. "We have
an opportunity here with two games before the All-Star break and there is some
time there if he does need to take a longer time, we're trying to give him the
liberty to do that."
The Lakers, who are a gaudy 24-4 at home, had an eight-game winning streak at
Staples Center snapped in their last home encounter, a 126-113 setback to
Denver on Friday. Meanwhile, San Antonio snapped a two-game skid to the Lakers
with a 105-85 win in the Alamo City on Jan. 12.
<< Mavs kick off road trip in Oakland vs. Warriors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southwest Division-leading Dallas Mavericks will hit
the road for three games starting with Monday's contest against the Golden
State Warriors at ORACLE Arena.
Dallas will also visit Denver and Oklahoma City on the roa
<< Magic, Hornets collide in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic hope to carry the momentum from their big
win at Boston into tonight's home tilt versus the New Orleans Hornets at Amway
Arena.
Orlando posted a 96-89 triumph over the Celtics on Sunday at TD Garden, as
<< Missed opportunities cost Colts
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peyton Manning was one quarter away from
capturing his second Super Bowl title in four years, but the four-time league
MVP didn't get enough support from his teammates, and in the end a costly
interce
<< Brees brings home MVP to the Big Easy
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a city that has struggled in both the world of
sports and in day-to-day life, Drew Brees has brought a smile to the faces of
the New Orleans residents.
The party will be rocking for the next few days in the B
<< Line of Scrimmage: Saints' Night, Manning's Nightmare
Miami Gardens, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raise your umbrella and your Hurricane
glass to the New Orleans Saints, who are Super Bowl XLIV champions because
they were flat-out better than the Colts in an incredible, exhilarating upset
victory that ca
Colonials face tall task in clash with Panthers >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Panthers take a break from
their Big East Conference schedule this evening to battle the Robert Morris
Colonials of the Northeast Conference at the Petersen Events Center in the
Steel City.
R
Villanova visits West Virginia in Big East showdown >>
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off their first Big East Conference
loss of the season, the Villanova Wildcats will attempt to get back on track
in Morgantown against the West Virginia Mountaineers this evening.
Villanova dropped a 1
Jayhawks and Longhorns duke it out in Austin >>
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Big 12 heavyweights collide in Austin
this evening, as the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks take on the ninth-ranked Texas
Longhorns from the Frank Erwin Center.
Bill Self's Jayhawks sit atop the Big 12 stan
Ramblers try to cool off red-hot Bulldogs >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Butler Bulldogs continue their
run at a perfect Horizon League campaign tonight, as they host the Loyola
Chicago Ramblers at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Bulldogs are enjoying another terrific season
Giguere seeks to continue hot streak as Leafs host Sharks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Toronto Maple Leafs will test themselves
tonight against the top team in the Western Conference, as they host the San
Jose Sharks at Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs ended January on a six-game losing streak
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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