Lakers take losing streak to Orlando

Basketball Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant and the suddenly-slumping Los Angeles Lakers have dropped two straight games and hope to get back on track Sunday afternoon against Eastern Conference power Orlando at Amway Arena.

In a rematch of last year's NBA Finals won by LA in five games, the Lakers handed the Magic a 98-92 setback on January 18 at Staples Center behind a career-high 22 points from Shannon Brown. Bryant was held to just 11 points in that one for the Lakers, who won their 15th NBA title in franchise history at Orlando's expense last summer.

The Lakers have won 17 of the last 22 matchups with the Magic. Orlando is 11-31 all-time versus Los Angeles (7-14 home, 4-17 road) during the regular season.

Los Angeles is 0-2 so far on a three-game road trip and is coming off Friday's 98-83 loss against the Charlotte Bobcats. Bryant had 26 points and Andrew Bynum added 14 points and 10 boards for the top-seeded Lakers, who got 11 points and 13 boards out of Pau Gasol.

"You have those periods during the seasons where you hit stretches where you're kind of stagnant," Bryant said. "The important thing is when you hit those stretches, you don't go backwards. You just kind of weather the storm, and you come out of it a better ball club."

LA is 17-12 away from Staples Center this season and hasn't lost three in a row since January 23-27, 2007.

Orlando will open a three-game homestand Sunday versus the Lakers, Clippers and Bulls and has won three in a row in central Florida. The Magic are unbeaten in their last four games and posted its sixth win in seven tries with Friday's 97-87 triumph at New Jersey.

Dwight Howard posted his league-leading 49th double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds, while Matt Barnes added 16 points and Jameer Nelson 15 in a winning effort. Jason Williams and Vince Carter each had 13 points for Southeast Division-leading Orlando, which is second in the Eastern Conference standings behind top-seeded Cleveland.

"It was a tough game. It's a win. There is no need to be sad. We got the job done and that's all that matters," Howard said after the game.

Howard and the Magic are 24-6 as the host this season.

Wmozilla Basketball Betting News

<< Playoff-hopeful Rockets make a stop at Detroit
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets are still fighting for a playoff spot in the crowded Western Conference. Their chances of gaining ground in the race look promising with tonight's matchup against the slumping Detroit Pistons at The Pal

<< Celtics return home to face Wizards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will face another inferior foe from the Eastern Conference tonight, when they return home to take on the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Boston battled back in Friday's 96-86 victory over the Phila

<< Nuggets, Blazers renew rivalry in Denver
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Northwest Division rivals get together again Sunday night, when the Denver Nuggets wrap up a three-game homestand versus the Portland Trail Blazers at the Pepsi Center. The division-leading Nuggets have

<< Bruins carry impressive road streak into Pittsburgh
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One day after getting a season-long road trip off to a desired start, the Boston Bruins will try to keep up their recent success in enemy venues when they visit Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena this afternoon for a battle with the d

<< France finishes off Germany, 4-1
Toulon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France and Germany split a pair of dead rubbers on Sunday, as the French finished off a 4-1 victory in a first-round Davis Cup matchup. France should have its hands full with two-time defending cha

Thrashers, Canes to face off in clash of surging Southeast squads >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing at home has been good as of late for the Atlanta Thrashers, who head back to Philips Arena tonight to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in a Southeast Division showdown. Atlanta has won its last three tests as the ho

Sabres visit Rangers seeking to stop road slide >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres hope to put their road woes to an end when the Northeast Division co-leaders pay a visit to historic Madison Square Garden tonight for a matchup with the New York Rangers. Buffalo heads to the Big Apple

Flyers head back home to take on Maple Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers return to the Wachovia Center for an important four-game homestand that begins with tonight's encounter with the road-challenged Toronto Maple Leafs. Philadelphia just completed a stretch of four co

Ducks to open crucial homestand with visit from Habs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks haven't helped their cause for inclusion in the playoffs with their performance following the Olympic break. They'll have a chance to improve those chances with a critical seven-game homestand that starts up

Slumping Devils attempt to rebound against hard-luck Oilers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils conclude a string of four consecutive road games with tonight's matchup with an Edmonton Oilers team that'll be gunning for a rare winning streak. New Jersey has gone just 1-2-0 thus far on the stretc

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.