Sports Betting & Casino News

As difficult as it has been at times this season to get a handle on the Rockets, they could get a strong indication in the next few days.

They’ll learn more when Tracy McGrady and Brent Barry return from injuries, and that does not seem likely anytime soon.

Ron Artest and Shane Battier will likely be gimpy through most of the month. The role players stepping in with all the injuries have been spectacularly inconsistent.

But the Rockets had shown signs of getting their offense, limited by injuries as it might be, in gear last week with consecutive home wins against the Clippers and Warriors. They scored 103 points against the Clippers, which was their most since the second game of the season, then rolled up 131 against the Warriors, their most since 1995.

Read the rest of this entry »

 Email This Post |  Print this post

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

What a difference a winning streak makes. At the beginning of the season rumors swirled nearly every day regarding a trade of Kobe Bryant to any number of teams. Fans were even calling for the firing of Phil Jackson, and the relationship between players and front office wasn’t exactly cordial. Then something funny happened, the Lakers starting winning, and are being called by many the second or third best team in the west, and they are playing like it. Bryant is still Bryant, averaging over 26 points a game, and a threat to go for 50 every night, but it’s the play of Andrew Bynum that has really turned heads. Bynum is averaging 12.1 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks a game. What may be more impressive is he 62 percent field goal percentage, which means, when he gets the ball, he’s finishing. Bynum has been giving just as much praise for the turnaround as any of the other players, including Bryant.

It’s not much you start off a story without mentioning the high flying Suns, but the Lakers are actually playing better. The Suns are still very good though, with Steve Nash continuing to play highly successful basketball. Nash is averaging 12 assists a game, with a good portion of those going to Amare Stoudemire and his 22 points a game. Stodemire is also averaging 9.1 rebounds a game.

At one time this was an easy Suns win. Not so fast now. I’m picking the Lakers to win this one. The momentum they currently have makes them a favorite over just about any team, in my opinion.

NBA Betting Live Lines NBA Betting

 Email This Post |  Print this post

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

The Cleveland Cavaliers may have a record to scoff at during this present time, but just recently they got their entire team back together. Lebron James and Larry Hughes have both missed time due to injuries this year, but as James told the NBA earlier in the year, have fun getting your wins now, because we’ll be back soon enough. They get to test that theory when Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers come to town.

Bryant is second to James in scoring with 27.2 points per game. He also leads the team with 5.1 assists per contest. He has severely lacked help since Shaquille O’Neal left the team a few years ago, after all, those are huge shoes to fill. Andrew Bynum has stepped up lately; averaging nearly ten rebounds a game, but it’s not nearly enough to expect the Lakers to make any kind of serious post season run.

Despite the poor start, it appears the Cavaliers will be able to turn things around. As stated, they are getting healthy, which leads one to believe they can perhaps make it to another NBA Finals. The problem with them is that they also lack much of a supporting cast, and if they were in the West, they’d probably be about where the Lakers are, which is seventh or eight place per season. With the Cavs’ back at full strength I favor them in a close ball game in this one, probably by five points or less.

NBA Betting Live Lines NBA Betting

 Email This Post |  Print this post

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

The Spurs get a taste of the highest scorer in the league when they meet Kobe Bryant in an interesting NBA match-up. While Bryant is having a great year, averaging 27.2 points a contest, it’s his supporting cast that’s a problem. Bryant has been a bit of a one man show, but he is passing the ball more then usual, and it shows. He is also leading the team with just under five assists a contest. There are some bright spots among the younger players, namely Andrew Bynum, who leads the team with over ten rebounds a contest. However, while they have a decent core of young players, they appear to be nowhere ready to face the best teams in the west. Among those teams are the San Antonio Spurs, who are off to another great start.

Like usual, the Spurs are beating teams with a solid approach, none of the high flying stuff you may see from other teams. Tony Parker, one of the most underrated guards in the league, leads the Spurs with 20 points and seven assists a contest. They also still have Tim Duncan. Duncan may appear to have started to lose a step, but he’s still right up there among the very best of the NBA power forwards. I favor the Spurs in this one because they are rolling and the Lakers, despite Kobe Bryant, don’t have near enough firepower to hang with the more experienced San Antonio Spurs.

NBA Betting Live Lines NBA Betting

 Email This Post |  Print this post

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

The 9-5 Denver Nuggets will take on the 7-6 Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, a game between two teams struggling to stay atop the loaded western conference. The Nuggets have just received bad news that their star power forward Kenyon Martin will receive an MRI on his knee to determine the extent of his latest injury. The knee he will have examined will be the same knee he had microfracture surgery on last year, one of the toughest injuries to completely recover from, doctors say. In his absence they will need even more production from Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. Anthony is leading the team with 25.2 points a game, with Iverson sitting just under him at 23.6 a game. Marcus Camby continues to be on a tear, averaging 15 rebounds a game.

As Kobe Bryant goes, so does the Lakers. Bryant leads him team in Points (27.3) assists (4.8) and steals (2.1). While the Nuggets are expected to finish somewhere near the middle of the pack, many experts will consider it a good season for the Lakers if they can just find a way to sneak into the playoffs at all. While sharing a division with the Phoenix Suns, you can all but say they won’t get into the playoffs be leading that division. This is a fairly even match-up, but even with Martin gone I think the Nuggets have more match up advantages. I pick Denver in a close one.

NBA Betting Live Lines NBA Betting Info�

 Email This Post |  Print this post

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

The LA Lakers have gotten off to a decent start, which is more than some expected of them. Many think that if the Lakers are even to make the playoffs The LA Lakers have gotten off to a decent start, which is more than some expected of them. Many think that if the Lakers are even to make the playoffs this season it will be a miracle. But, don’t tell that to Kobe Bryant. Bryant is averaging over 30 points per game, and is also leading the team in assists, with five a game, showing he’s more than just a point scorer. Power forward Lamar Odom is averaging 10 rebounds a game as well, so Kobe is getting a little help from his supporting cast. He’ll need all the help from his teammates at the one loss Pistons will come to town on Friday. The Pistons one loss came as a bit of a surprise to the one win Bulls, but they have rebounded well. The Pistons are once again playing very solid defense, out scoring their opponents by over 60 points on the season. Richard Hamilton is scoring 20 points per game to lead the offense. Hamilton is usually known as a second option, but has stepped up this year, as his teammates start to show a little sign of wearing down after more than a few years of NBA service. This game will be the fourth of five west coast games for the Pistons, so wear and tear might start to be an issue here. I think I will take the Bryant and the Lakers in a mini-upset.

NBA Live Lines NBA Betting Info

 Email This Post |  Print this post

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...