Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
03/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers hope to avoid their longest losing streak in three seasons tonight when they hit the hardwood against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center.
The Lakers dropped their third straight game in Orlando on Sunday when Vince Carter scored a team-high 25 points, and Dwight Howard added 15 points and 16 rebounds, as the Magic escaped with a 96-94 win in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.
Kobe Bryant, who missed a potential game-tying shot at the fourth-quarter buzzer, led all scorers with 34 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who have dropped three straight -- all on the road -- for the first time since January 23-27, 2008. Pau Gasol donated a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.
LA, which earned a 98-92 victory over the Magic on January 18 at Staples Center, defeated Orlando for the NBA title in five games last year. It was the Lakers' 15th title in franchise history.
With the Magic up 94-89 in the final minute, Bryant drained a corner three with 26.4 seconds on the clock. After Jameer Nelson was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the stripe, Bryant hit a long jumper from the top of the arc with 12.9 ticks left to cut LA's deficit to one.
The shot was originally ruled a three before the officials briefly reviewed it, and the replay clearly showed Bryant's foot was on the line. Carter was then fouled and made 1-of-2 with 9.7 seconds to go before Bryant's medium- range jumper was off the mark as time expired.
"I didn't release it the way I really wanted to so I tried to compensate for it because I felt the ball slipping," Bryant said. "That is my shot. You give that to me 10 times and I make it nine times."
The Lakers haven't dropped four in a row since April 8-13, 2007.
The Raptors, who are kicking off a four-game western road trip tonight, are coming off an embarrassing loss on their home floor to the woeful Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 32 points and rookie point guard Jrue Holiday had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists in that one, as the Sixers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 114-101 win.
Jarrett Jack had a team-high 20 points to go along with nine assists for Toronto, which was coming off a 102-96 win over the New York Knicks on Friday. The Raptors, who shot 51.2 percent from the floor, have dropped six of seven overall, however.
Chris Bosh returned to the lineup after missing the previous six games because of a balky ankle and flu-like symptoms, and finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
"I felt good, but anytime you are absent for any length of time, it's tough to get your legs back," Bosh said. "The main thing is I'm happy to be back playing."
Bryant has owned Toronto in Hollywood recently, averaging 43.4 points in the team's last five contests at Staples Center, including a career-high 81 on Jan. 22, 2006.
Overall the Raptors have dropped eight of their last nine games to the Lakers in LA but did snap a four-game skid to Phil Jackson's club with a 106-105 win north of the border back in January.
<< 2010 Mountain West Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It is the usual suspects that are destined
to do the most damage in Las Vegas this week, as the members of the Mountain
West Conference descend on the Thomas & Mack Center for the 11th annual
conference t
<< 2010 Pac-10 Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nine team will converge on the Staples
Center in Los Angeles to compete for the Pac-10 Conference Tournament
championship beginning on Wednesday, March 10th.
The only member of the league that isn't compet
<< 2010 Big West Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 35th annual Big West Conference
Tournament will once again take place at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena
for a tenth straight season. The bottom four seeds of the eight-team field
will take part in fi
<< Bruins hope to bolster playoff chances vs. Maple Leafs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to bolster their playoff hopes
when they visit the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs for tonight's clash between
Original Six clubs at Air Canada Centre.
The Bruins are currently holding onto the ei
Red Wings host Flames in matchup of playoff hopefuls >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings will both be
aiming for a third straight victory when they meet in the Motor City tonight
for a battle between playoff hopefuls at Joe Louis Arena.
In addition to winning two straig
2010 Big Ten Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th Annual Big Ten Conference
Tournament gets underway on Thursday, March 11th from Conseco Fieldhouse in
Indianapolis, Indiana. Purdue is the defending tournament champion, having
topped Ohio State in l
Blazers welcome Kings to Rose Garden >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers hope to bounce back from one of
their worst defensive performances of the season tonight when they take on the
Sacramento Kings at the Rose Garden.
Carmelo Anthony posted 30 points on Sunday to
Flyers try to continue mastery of Isles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will be attempting to extend their
current home winning streak in tonight's matchup with a New York Islanders
team they've dominated over the past few seasons from the Wachovia Center.
The Flyers ha
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting