Rockets kick off season-long homestand vs. Bulls
Basketball Betting Lines
01/23/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls hope to build on a rare road win tonight
as the club resumes a grueling, seven-game trip in south Texas against the
Houston Rockets.
The Bulls improved to 1-2 on the trek and just 5-15 away from the Windy City
this season with an impressive 115-104 win over Phoenix last night. Derrick
Rose netted 32 points and Luol Deng added 23 in that one.
"I was just taking the shots that they were giving me," Rose said. "They were
giving me mid-range so I was taking it...I've been working on my form and
getting the ball up and it paid off."
Joakim Noah chipped in 19 points and eight rebounds, while Kirk Hinrich and
John Salmons each scored 14 for the Bulls.
Chicago, which hasn't won consecutive road games all season, finishes its trip
with visits to San Antonio, Oklahoma City and New Orleans.
The Rockets, who are kicking off a season-long six-game homestand tonight, are
coming off a huge road win of their own, a 116-109 triumph over Southwest
Division rival San Antonio last night.
Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks scored 23 points apiece and combined to account
for 18 points in the final quarter in that one.
Lowry added nine assists and six rebounds and Brooks seven assists. Both
provided clutch minutes down the stretch in a close fourth quarter, as did
Carl Landry, who put in 10 of his 19 points in the final 12 minutes.
"This was a good win for our team. We had a good couple of days at practice
and it all came together. This was a huge win for us and we really needed it,"
Lowry said. "We took advantage of opportunities in the paint and capitalized
on the speed of Aaron and me. This team makes plays when we get in the paint."
Shane Battier chipped in 14 points and Trevor Ariza and Luis Scola added 13
points each for the Rockets, who won for the third in four games.
Houston, which has won 10 of 11 at home and is 13-5 at Toyota Center, will
also face Atlanta, Denver, Portland, Phoenix and Golden State on its
residency.
<< James, Cavs welcome Durant and Thunder to the "Q"
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top dog in the East takes on the West's most improved
team Saturday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Oklahoma City
Thunder.
The Cavs sent a message Thursday night, finishing a season sweep of the
reigning N
<< Reeling Kings hope to avoid winless road trip in Miami
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat aim to sweep their home-and-home series with
the reeling Sacramento Kings for a second straight season tonight when the two
teams meet in the shadow of South Beach.
The Heat finished a brief two-game road tr
<< Kaymer leads McIlroy, Poulter in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany's Martin Kaymer
birdied the 18th hole Saturday to shoot a five-under 67 and take a one-shot
lead over Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter after three rounds of the Abu Dhabi
Golf Championship.
<< Diaco seeks to turn around Notre Dame's defense
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Bob Diaco wants to give Notre Dame's defense a new look, and it goes much deeper than switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme.The new Notre Dame defensive coordinator doesn't like that when he looks at the Fighting Irish linemen
<< Serena, Venus advance to Round of 16
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-ranked Serena Williams and
sixth-seeded sister Venus were third-round winners Saturday at the Australian
Open.
The defending champion Serena won easily over 32nd-seeded Spaniard Carl
Bucks, Wolves clash at Bradley Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Midwest rivals clash in Brew City Saturday night as the
Milwaukee Bucks play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Bucks failed to finish off a home-and-home sweep of Toronto last night as
Jarrett Jack made 7-of-9 shots
Banged-up Warriors visit Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pacific Division rivals clash in the desert Saturday as the
Phoenix Suns shoot for their 10th straight home win over the Golden State
Warriors.
The Warriors haven't tasted victory in the Valley of the Sun since a 110-100
Hapless Nets visit Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The resurgent Utah Jazz aim for a fifth consecutive home
win Saturday night when they welcome the hapless New Jersey Nets to
EnergySolutions Arena.
The Jazz won for the fifth time in six games on Wednesday when Carlos Booz
Streaking Nuggets play host to Hornets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets hope to keep
a pair of streaks intact Saturday night, when they resume a three-game
homestand versus the New Orleans Hornets at the Pepsi Center.
Denver has won five in a row o
Sixers and Pacers kick off home-and-home set in Indy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference square off
in the opener of a home-and-home series at Conseco Fieldhouse tonight when the
Indiana Pacers play host to the Philadelphia 76ers.
A pair of changes in the starti
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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