Bryant, O'Neal meet again as Lakers bury Suns

Basketball Betting Lines

02/27/2009 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant scored 22 points and had eight assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers shut down the Phoenix Suns, 132-106, at the Staples Center.

It was the first game between the teams since ex-Laker teammates Bryant and Suns center Shaquille O'Neal garnered co-MVP honors at the All-Star Game earlier this month. O'Neal was limited to 12 points and seven rebounds as the Suns, minus Steve Nash, lost to the Lakers for a third time in as many meetings this season.

Nash sat out with a right ankle injury.

Lamar Odom tallied 23 points and nine boards, and Pau Gasol totaled 16 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who have won all six games coming out of the All-Star break to run their record to a league-best 48-10.

The Lakers set a season-high with 54 field goals made, shooting 57.4 percent. Odom was 11-of-12 from the field.

"I was able to catch the ball close to the basket," said Odom. "I had layups and open jumpers. When we defend well we're able to move the ball well. We were able to make plays. We feel like we can play better."

Leandro Barbosa had 18 points and Alando Tucker scored 16 points for Phoenix.

"They're good. We started off playing well then we turned it over, and you can't do that against that team," said Suns coach Alvin Gentry. "They took us out of stuff we tried to do."

Tucker's bucket midway through the opening quarter moved the Suns to a 20-17 lead, but the Lakers responded with 11 unanswered points, and Gasol capped the spurt with two free throws.

Los Angeles continued to pull away, with Jordan Farmar nailing a three-pointer in the final minute, helping the hosts to a 39-26 lead after 12 minutes.

Trevor Ariza started the second with a three-ball and LA maintained a comfortable double-digit lead all the all way to the half for a 70-55 cushion.

Bryant had the highlight basket of the night, a one-handed alley-oop jam off a feed from Gasol for an 88-68 lead midway through the third, and the difference stood at 102-81 moving to the fourth.

Ariza's three-pointer pushed the margin to 111-84 with nearly nine minutes remaining.

Game Notes

Goran Dragic had 14 points, while Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley each scored 13 for Phoenix...Sasha Vujacic had 14 points, Farmar 12 and Ariza 10...The Lakers converted 19 Phoenix turnovers into 31 points.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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