Lakers blast Rockets to remain unbeaten

Basketball Betting Lines

11/10/2008 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning MVP Kobe Bryant scored 23 points and the Lakers came away with a convincing 111-82 win over the Houston Rockets to remain unbeaten on the young season.

Pau Gasol had 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who improved to 5-0. Andrew Bynum totaled 13 points and seven boards, while Jordan Farmar added 16 points and six assists off the bench.

Los Angeles overcame a sluggish first quarter and held the Rockets to just 34 points in the second half.

"In the first quarter, we let it slip a little," said Bynum. "We turned the ball over, but we were able to hang in there and play good defense in the fourth quarter. Defense was the reason we won the game."

Aaron Brooks scored 20 points to pace the Rockets, who have dropped three of their last four games after starting the season with three straight wins. Luis Scola and Yao Ming both collected 12 points, with the former pulling down nine boards and the latter finishing with eight caroms. Tracy McGrady was limited to three points on 1-of-11 shooting.

"They've been good all season, but we're better than what we showed," said Houston head coach Rick Adelman. "It's disappointing. They ran over us in the fourth quarter."

A Carl Landry jumper put Houston up 41-28 four minutes into the second quarter before the Lakers took control, going on a 22-7 run to close the half. Bynum converted two from the foul line to bring Los Angeles within 47-46, then Gasol followed with a basket and the Lakers carried a slim 50-48 lead into the break.

Houston trailed 55-54 after Ron Artest nailed a three-pointer, but Bryant countered with a pair of buckets to make it a five-point game with 6:29 to play in the third quarter. The teams continued to trade shots and Los Angeles went into the fourth quarter ahead 72-65.

The Lakers pulled away in the final stanza. The lead reached 92-73 when Sasha Vujacic made a technical free throw with 6:44 to play and Houston didn't pose a threat the rest of the way.

McGrady drained a three-pointer to extend the Rockets to a 16-7 lead with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the first quarter, and the visiting club held a 28-16 edge going into the second.

Game Notes

Los Angeles shot 53.2 percent (42-of-79) from the field, while the Rockets made only 37.8 percent (31-of-82) of their shots...Landry had 12 points and Artest added eight points for Houston, which had won four of the last five meetings.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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