Kobe leads Lakers into Philadelphia
Basketball Betting Lines
02/06/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The superstars keep rolling into South Philly and Los Angeles Lakers stud Kobe Bryant is next on the A-list when he leads his team
against the 76ers tonight from Wells Fargo Center.
Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have all brought
inspiring crowds out to the Sixers' home games recently and now it's Bryant's
turn to try and stun the friendly faithful. Bryant, a product of Lower Merion
in nearby Philadelphia, is averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists
in 28 career games against the Sixers.
Bryant registered 21.0 ppg in two wins against Philadelphia last season and
Los Angeles has won four straight and nine of the past 11 contests in this
series. The Lakers are unbeaten in their last four trips to the City of
Brotherly Love after losing the previous seven meetings there. Monday's
showdown is the lone matchup of the season between the two clubs.
The Lakers will continue a six-game road trip this evening and had won three
straight and four of five games until dropping a 96-87 decision in Utah on
Saturday. Bryant had 26 points and Pau Gasol contributed 24 points and 16
rebounds for the Lakers, who got 21 points and 12 boards from Andrew Bynum.
Lakers first-year head coach Mike Brown wasn't around to see the end of the
contest after he was ejected with 8:35 left in the fourth quarter.
"I was trying to give our guys some juice," Brown said. "I got techs, I
shouldn't have gotten two techs. I put our guys in a deeper hole than we were
already in, and that probably cost the game."
LA is scheduled to visit the Celtics, Knicks and Raptors on the trek and is
just 3-8 as the guest this season. It is 11-2 at home and 1 1/2 games behind
the upstart Clippers for bragging rights in the Pacific Division. Bryant
(28,573 points) is now 23 points shy of tying Shaquille O'Neal (28,596 points)
for fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Philadelphia is back home after a quick visit to Atlanta on Saturday, when it
recorded a 98-87 victory thanks to rookie Nikola Vucevic's team-high 15
points. Vucevic led six players in double-figure scoring, as Lou Williams,
Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes posted 14 points apiece. Evan Turner and
Jodie Meeks finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively in the win.
The Sixers rebounded from Friday night's loss to the Miami Heat and were able
to post their sixth win in eight tries.
"Four games in six nights, the emotional game [Friday] night against Miami ...
I can't tell you how proud I am of the guys=," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.
Hawes made a surprise return to the lineup after missing the previous 10 games
due to injury. Collins' team, which went 5-2 on a recent homestand before
heading south to Atlanta, will also welcome the Spurs and Clippers to town on
this upcoming residency. The 76ers are 12-3 at home this season and own a 3
1/2-game advantage over Boston for the lead in the Atlantic Division.
In team news, Meeks has been playing well lately, posting 10 or more points in
four of the past six games. The Sixers are 9-1 when he scores 10-plus points.
The 76ers have yet to lose consecutive games this season. They are 17-7
overall, the best start since going 18-6 in 2000-01, when the team last
advanced to the NBA Finals against tonight's opponent. Of the Sixers' 17 wins,
15 have been by double-digits.
<< Clippers resume road trip in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A possible trade destination for Dwight Howard is Los
Angeles with the revamped Clippers. For now, however, Howard is still property
of the Orlando Magic, who will open a three-game homestand tonight versus
the Clippers at Am
<< Pachuca erases three-goal deficit to stun Toluca
Toluca, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mauro Cejas converted a penalty kick in the
90th minute as Pachuca rallied from three goals behind to stun Toluca, 4-3, on
Sunday in Mexico's Clausura.
Toluca built a three-goal lead after 17 minutes on an
<< Howard-less Red Wings aim for win in Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not having their starting goaltender over the weekend did
little to help Detroit shake off its road issues. However, a trip to Phoenix
just might do the trick.
The Red Wings look to record a sweep of their season series wi
<< Flames try for rare win in Anaheim
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames took care of business at home on Friday
before hitting the road for a few games. The task gets a little daunting right
off the bat tonight as they aim for their first victory against the Ducks at
Anaheim in
<< Thunder invade Portland's Rose Garden
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West's best faces a tough test tonight as Oklahoma City
resumes a five-game road trip against a Portland team that has been dominant
in Rip City.
The Thunder are an NBA-best 18-5 despite losing the opener of their
Bulls continue lengthy road trip vs. Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of a nine-game road trip
and will continue the lengthy trek tonight against the New Jersey Nets.
Chicago improved to 3-2 thus far on the road swing following Saturday's 113-90
victory at
Hawks hope to get healthy vs. Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Known to be a formidable foe on their own court, the
Atlanta Hawks have stumbled a bit during a four-game homestand and look to
restore order at Philips Arena tonight versus the Phoenix Suns.
The Hawks have lost the first
Stoudemire deals with tragedy as Knicks host Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz haven't fared so well lately in the Big Apple
and hope to reverse those fortunes tonight against a shorthanded New York
Knicks team at historic Madison Square Garden.
Amare Stoudemire will miss tonight's game
Raptors seek another win over Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards meet for the
second time in four nights this evening, as the two teams do battle at the
Verizon Center this evening.
These two bottom feeders met on Friday in Toronto and Leandro
Stoudemire to miss Monday's game after death of brother >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire will
miss Monday's home game against Utah after the death of his brother.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Stoudemire family for their loss," the
Knicks said on
Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.
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