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02/18/2012 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant had 36 points, nine rebounds and six assists, as the Lakers downed the Suns, 111-99, in the opener of a home-and-home at Staples Center.
Andrew Bynum added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won three straight and four of five. Matt Barnes also had 17 points while Derek Fisher chipped in 12 and Pau Gasol finished with 10 and 13 rebounds.
The Suns, meanwhile, have lost four in a row and five of their last six. They were led by Marcin Gortat's 21 points and 16 rebounds. Ex-Laker Shannon Brown had 15 points, Markieff Morris had 14 and Steve Nash scored 11 to go with 17 assists.
"Every time I take Grant (Hill) out of the game, Kobe explodes," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "Someone else has to step up. You can't turn the ball over 15 times in the first half. We had unforced turnovers. We didn't protect the ball tonight."
Bryant found himself on the bench to start the final quarter after helping the Lakers to a 87-73 advantage with 18 third-quarter points.
Phoenix, though, opened the fourth with a 10-6 run to pull the NBA's leading scorer from the pine. Gasol answered with an 11-footer, but the Suns continued to fight back. They scored the next seven points, capped by Brown's putback slam, to make it 95-90.
They would get no closer, however, as Fisher drained a short jumper before Bryant made a 12-foot turnaround and a lefty hook in the lane for a decisive 101-90 advantage with under three minutes to play.
"A good win for us. We made enough plays to win the game and scored more points that usual," Gasol said. "They made it close, but we didn't panic. It was a solid effort."
Earlier, the Suns rode Gortat's eight points and seven boards to a 25-21 lead after one. They were up 35-34 midway through the second when the Lakers' reserves scored 11 straight.
Barnes, Steve Blake and Troy Murphy all hit a three-pointer during the surge before Phoenix battled back to tie the game at 48. The Lakers, though, closed with a 9-0 run, getting five points from Fisher to take a 57-48 lead into the break.
Bryant, who scored a season-low 10 points in Tuesday's win over the Hawks, took over in the third. It was 69-63 when he scored 12 points during a 14-0 LA run, capping it with a trey for an 83-63 lead.
Game Notes
The Lakers' 111 points were a season-high...Bryant entered Friday averaging 28.7 points per game...Barnes' 17 points were a season-high...The Suns have lost seven of eight to the Lakers at Staples Center...The teams will meet Sunday night in Phoenix.
<< Avalanche top Oilers
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Olver and Gabriel Landeskog each had a
goal and an assist, as the Colorado Avalanche handled the Edmonton Oilers,
3-1.
Erik Johnson also lit the lamp for the Avalanche, who improved to 1-1-1 on a
<< Jefferson, Jazz outlast Wizards
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Jefferson scored 34 points with 12
rebounds and the Utah Jazz snapped a two-game losing streak with a 114-100 win
over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
The Jazz also stopped a two-game sli
<< Nowitzki, Mavs pull away to beat Sixers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points, including
24 in the second half as the Dallas Mavericks completed a comeback victory
over the Philadelphia 76ers, 82-75, at Wells Fargo Center on Friday.
Nowitzki's 24
<< Love leads Timberwolves over Rockets
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Love had 33 points and 17 rebounds and
Nikola Pekovic scored a career-high 30, as the Timberwolves downed the
Rockets, 111-98, on Friday.
Ricky Rubio added 18 points and nine assists for the
Miyazato tops strong leaderboard in Thailand >>
Chonburi, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ai Miyazato fired a seven-under 65
Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after 54 holes of the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Miyazato, the 2010 winner, finished three rounds at 14-under-par 202. She will
go for her
Kruger owns slim lead at Avantha Masters >>
New Delhi, India (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jbe' Kruger carded a six-under 66 in the
third round Saturday to grab a one-stroke lead after 54 holes of the Avantha
Masters.
Kruger finished three rounds at 11-under-par 205, but there are 18 players
wi
Flyers, Penguins clash in Philadelphia >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The latest edition of the Battle of Pennsylvania is on tap
today in Philadelphia, as the Flyers welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins for an
afternoon battle at Wells Fargo Center.
Today's contest marks the third of six schedule
Blackhawks hope to stay on track vs. Blue Jackets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks have put their longest losing streak
in over five years behind them and will try to record consecutive wins when
they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets today at Nationwide Arena.
The Blackhawks were on
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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