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.
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Colonials face tall task in clash with Panthers >>
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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
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The Maple Leafs ended January on a six-game losing streak
FOOTBALL BETTING : Braylon Edwards Traded to the New York Jets
Sportsbook Betting
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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