Lakers hold off Nuggets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew Bynum had 22 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, helping the Los Angeles Lakers hold off the Denver Nuggets, 93-89.

Kobe Bryant added 20 points and nine assists for the Lakers, who have won three in a row. Bryant shot just 7-of-23 from the floor, including a 1-of-4 performance from beyond the arc.

Pau Gasol donated 13 points and 17 boards for Los Angeles, which improved to 3-7 on the road this season. Andrew Goudelock also had 13 points.

Al Harrington ended with 24 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who have lost three of four. Andre Miller and Ty Lawson chipped in with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

To make matters worse, Denver lost starting center Timofey Mozgov to a sprained left ankle. With about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, Mozgov came down awkwardly on his left ankle after making a layup. He was not able to put pressure on his left foot, but X-rays came back negative.

Bryant's three-pointer with 7:23 to play gave the Lakers an 80-72 lead.

But Denver responded with an 11-4 run to make things interesting down the stretch. Harrington made a pair of three-pointers around Bynum's slam to cut the gap to 84-83 with 4:23 left.

Metta World Peace made a much-needed trey from the corner to give the Lakers an 87-83 margin.

Still ahead by four moments later, Bryant turned the ball over. Lawson failed to make a three-pointer at the other end.

Denver was still alive after Los Angeles missed three shots. Nene's layup cut the gap to 89-87 with 1:40 to go.

Derek Fisher came up with a big shot at the other end, making a 21-foot shot from the corner.

Lawson's steal of Gasol led to Nene's slam with 28.6 seconds remaining, making it 91-89.

At the other end, Bryant found Bynum open under the hoop. But instead of going up strong, Bynum tried for a layup. Nene was able to block the shot. Upon review, it was determined the ball went out off Los Angeles.

Harrington's three-pointer bounced off the rim in the final second. Matt Barnes made two free throws with 0.2 seconds left to seal the win for the Lakers.

Los Angeles led by as many as 11 in the first half and took a 44-41 lead into the locker room.

Denver started the second half on an 8-2 surge to take the lead. But the Lakers stormed right back and led for the remainder of the third period. It was a 72-68 game heading to the fourth.

Game Notes

The Lakers have taken two of three from the Nuggets this season...Los Angeles started a season-high six-game road trip on Friday...Fisher had 10 points...Nene had 12 points for Denver.

Wwwdallasmavericks Basketball Betting News

<< Brassard's OT winner lifts Columbus over Anaheim
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derick Brassard scored two goals, including the game-winner at 3:55 of the overtime period, leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Brassard poked the puck o

<< Denver's Mozgov leaves game with sprained ankle
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov left Friday's game against the Lakers with a sprained left ankle. With about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, Mozgov came down awkwardly on his left ankle afte

<< Kiprusoff backstops Flames to win over reeling Blackhawks
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 26 shots and set a new franchise record in Calgary's 3-1 victory over Chicago at the Saddledome. Kiprusoff became the club's all-time leader in games played (527), surpassing Mike

<< Are the Heat all they are cracked up to be?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - To most NBA fans, Miami is the big time. That's what happens when LeBron James and Chris Bosh decide to join Dwyane Wade on a "superteam" that plays on the shores of Biscayne Bay and the shadow of South Be

<< Celtics beat Knicks for 10th straight time in Boston
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Boston Celtics take down the New York Knicks, 91-89. Paul Pierce ended with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists for t

Lawrie leads by one in windy Qatar >>
Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Lawrie fired a five-under 67 in breezy conditions Saturday to grab a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Qatar Masters. Lawrie, who won both this event and the British Open in 1999, complete

Russia takes commanding Fed Cup edge over Spain >>
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova earned dominant straight-set wins Saturday to give Russia a commanding 2-0 edge in its Fed Cup quarterfinal against Spain. Sharapova, last week's Australian

Thunder, Spurs tangle in the Alamo City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs have one more game left in the Alamo City before embarking on their annual Rodeo Road Trip, as they close out a three-game homestand tonight versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs have won

Penguins aim to rebound against struggling Bruins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins had their hot streak doused Wednesday in Toronto and will try to get back in the win column when they visit the struggling Boston Bruins in today's game at TD Garden. The Penguins had posted their s

Ovechkin returns as Capitals visit Canadiens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin will try to help the Washington Capitals avoid their first three-game slide in over two months, as the star forward returns from suspension today to battle the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Ovechkin

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

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


Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.