Pacers aim for first win at Staples Center vs. Lakers
Basketball Betting Lines
03/02/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers close out a
brief three-game homestand on Tuesday by hosting the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers have never beaten the Lakers at Staples Centers, dropping 10
straight games in the building since it opened in 1999. In fact, counting the
2000 NBA Finals, Indiana is a miserable 0-13 against LA on its current home
floor.
Most recently the Lakers improved to a Western Conference best 28-5 with a win
over fellow Western Conference power Denver on Sunday. Lamar Odom finished
with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four steals off the bench in that one, as LA
held on for a 95-89 win.
Ron Artest registered 17 points and six steals, while Pau Gasol had 15 points
and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who were coming off a 99-90 win over
Philadelphia on Friday. Los Angeles, which lost the two previous games to
Denver this season, has won seven of nine overall.
Kobe Bryant continued to struggle offensively, shooting just only 3-of-17 from
the field, but ended with 14 points and a game-best 12 assists. The Lakers'
superstar is netting just 21.3 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting in
four games since returning from a sprained left ankle.
"It was playoff intensity," Bryant said. "We made adjustments in the second
half. Ron (Artest) did a great job on Carmelo Anthony. He earned his money
tonight."
The Pacers, who are kicking off a four-game western swing tonight, are coming
off an impressive 100-90 win over Central Division rival Chicago on Saturday.
Danny Granger finished with 30 points and eight rebounds in that one.
Dahntay Jones and Troy Murphy each added 17 points for the Pacers, who avoided
being swept in the season series. They had lost the three prior matchups with
the Bulls this season, including a 120-110 decision in Chicago on Wednesday.
Indiana also snapped a three-game slide overall and won for just the second
time in its last nine games.
"It definitely felt good out there tonight," Jones said. "I think we moved the
ball well, using our small lineup and our reduction in number of turnovers. We
have to be more consistent like this on a daily basis."
The Pacers, who have dropped five of their last six games away from
Indianapolis, have beaten the Lakers in LA since Feb. 14, 1999, a 101-99 win
at the old Forum.
<< Thunder finish homestand vs. Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA's most improved team, the Oklahoma City Thunder
hope to finish up a three-game homestand in perfect fashion tonight when they
welcome the Sacramento Kings to Ford Center.
The Thunder improved to 2-0 on their reside
<< Heat hope to stop slide vs. Warriors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade is back from a calf injury, but the Miami Heat
are still struggling. Tonight they'll try to put the brakes on a four-game
losing streak versus the Golden State Warriors in the opener of a three-game
homestand at A
<< Celtics and Pistons battle at The Palace
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics hope to put an embarrassing loss behind
them when they pay a visit to the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night at The Palace
of Auburn Hills.
Boston just went 1-2 on a three-game homestand and suffered a 104-96
<< Iverson will not return this season
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers announced Tuesday
that Allen Iverson will not return to the team this season.
Iverson had missed the team's last four games and also sat out five games
before the All-Star bre
<< Gordon helps Clippers hold off Jazz
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Gordon scored 24 and the Los Angeles
Clippers nearly blew a 17-point lead in the final quarter before holding off
the Utah Jazz, 108-104, at Staples Center.
All five starters finished in double
Struggling Wildcats seek turnaround in Queen City >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ninth-ranked Villanova Wildcats will try
to get things straightened out tonight, as they take on the desperate
Cincinnati Bearcats in Big East play at Fifth Third Arena.
In one of the most anticipated ma
Miners set sights on C-USA crown >>
Huntington, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a chance to claim the outright title in
the Conference-USA on the line, the 24th-ranked Texas-El Paso Miners will
tangle with the Marshall Thundering Herd at the Cam Henderson Center.
The Miners current
Zags close out regular season against Roadrunners >>
Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the West Coast Conference title already in
hand, the 18th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs close out their regular season with a
non-conference bout against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunner.
The Bulldogs ran th
No. 6 Ohio State plays for Big Ten title against Illinois >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes set their
sights on at least a share of the Big Ten title, as they welcome the Illinois
Fighting Illini to Columbus this evening for a conference showdown at Value
City Arena.
Bears meet Red Raiders in Big 12 battle >>
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Settling into the Top-25 for the eighth
consecutive week, the 21st-ranked Baylor Bears try to stretch their school-
record run even further as they take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Big 12
Conference action to
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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Big Ten Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com
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