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02/25/2009 - Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 36 points, as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 107-93, at Ford Center.
Bryant moved into 19th place on the NBA's career scoring list, ahead of Adrian Dantley. During the Lakers' 111-108 victory at Minnesota on Sunday, Bryant passed Elgin Baylor for 20th.
Paul Gasol added 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for the Lakers, who have won five in a row. Derek Fisher poured in 12 points, while Luke Walton ended with 11 points, five boards, and four helpers. Jordan Farmar added 10 points off the bench.
Oklahoma City was paced by Kevin Durant, who finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Kyle Weaver added 16 points off the bench for a struggling Thunder team, who have dropped six straight. Russell Westbrook ended with 14 points, while Jeff Green poured in 10 points and pulled down nine boards in defeat.
After going on an 8-2 surge to end the third frame, the Thunder rallied off six consecutive points to start the final frame. Nick Collison's hook shot topped off the spurt and cut the home team's gap to just one, 75-74.
Trailing 81-80 with under nine minutes to play, Bryant essentially lifted his team to victory by scoring six unanswered points to give the Lakers a five- point cushion.
LA, ignited by Bryant, used that energy to control the remainder of the game. Oklahoma City never got closer than five points the rest of the way.
Walton spurred the Lakers on a 14-4 run to begin the contest. He tallied seven points during the surge and topped it off with a layup with under 7 1/2 minutes left.
Los Angeles was comfortably ahead for the remainder of the first quarter, and took a 32-22 lead into the second period.
Ahead 34-27 early in the second frame, LA ripped off 10 straight points to go up 44-27. Farmar's 18-foot jumper capped off the run with just over 7 1/2 minutes until the half.
The Thunder were able to cut into the Lakers lead somewhat, but Los Angeles took a 56-44 advantage into the locker room.
Trailing 73-60 late in the third frame, Oklahoma City finished the final 3:04 of the period on an 8-2 spurt to cut the Lakers' lead to seven, 75-68. Durant's three-pointer culminated the surge. The Thunder carried their momentum into the final 12 minutes of action.
Game Notes
The Lakers shot 52.6 percent from the field, while the Thunder hit 41.8 percent of their shots...LA went 7-of-15 from beyond the arc, compared to Oklahoma City which shot 5-of-15 from three-point land...The Lakers owned the boards, 45-30...LA handed Oklahoma City a 105-98 loss on February 10 at Staples Center and has won eight straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings.
<< Nash paces Suns past Bobcats
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Nash had 22 points and five assists to
lead the Phoenix Suns past the Charlotte Bobcats, 112-102, at US Airways
Center.
Shaquille O'Neal and Jason Richardson scored 20 points apiece, with O'N
<< Tigers claim a share of SEC regular-season title with win over Gators
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Thornton scored a game-high 32
points, as 18th-ranked LSU clinched at least a share of the Southeastern
Conference regular-season championship by beating Florida, 81-75, at Pete
Maravic
<< Fish advances; Hewitt loses in Florida
Delray Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded American Mardy Fish won his
opening-round match, while former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt came up a first-
round loser Tuesday at the $500,000 Delray Beach International Tennis
Champio
<< Souray leads Oilers over Lightning in Edmonton
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sheldon Souray tallied twice and the Edmonton
Oilers recorded their first win over Tampa Bay in seven years with a 5-3
decision at Rexall Place.
Erik Cole, Jason Strudwick and Andrew Cogliano also score
Venus staves off Vives; Pennetta rolls in Acapulco opener >>
Acapulco, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded American Venus Williams
overcame a challenge from Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives, while reigning
champion Flavia Pennetta was an easy first-round winner Tuesday at the
$220,00
Spartans continue quest for Big Ten title >>
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Iowa Hawkeyes are clearly underdogs as
they take on the ninth-ranked Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing this
evening.
It has been over two months since Iowa has won back-to-back games, something
Wildcats face Tigers in Big 12 tussle >>
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas State Wildcats are playing inspired
basketball, and they will collide with the 11th-ranked Missouri Tigers this
evening in what should be a highly entertaining Big 12 Conference clash.
Kansas State
Lone Star State rivals collide in Austin >>
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Texas Longhorns will try to
build off their biggest win of the campaign tonight, as they host the reeling
Texas Tech Red Raiders in a Big 12 battle at the Frank Erwin Center.
On Saturday, the Hor
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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