Gasol leads Lakers over Hawks

Basketball Betting Lines

02/15/2012 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pau Gasol had 20 points, doubling up Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers returned home with an 86-78 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

Bryant had 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting without visiting the foul line and Gasol added 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who were coming off a 3-3 road trip while Staples Center was readied for Sunday night's Grammys.

The Lakers have beaten the Hawks six straight times at home and won 19 of the last 22 meetings between the teams in LA.

"Tonight, we had to find a way," said Gasol. "We got some energy going on in the second half and hit some big shots. Any time you hold a team down to 78 points is huge."

Jeff Teague scored 18 points to lead Atlanta while Josh Smith and Joe Johnson had 15 apiece. The Hawks started a five-game road trip with their fifth loss in seven games.

The Lakers trailed by five points early in the third quarter, but turned the game around with a 15-1 run sparked by four straight points by Bryant and a dunk by Metta World Peace.

Bryant scored eight of his 10 points during the burst and Andrew Goudelock ended it with a three, giving the Lakers a 59-50 lead.

Their advantage was 59-51 going into the fourth and reached 17 points on a Gasol three that made it 81-64 with around 3 1/3 minutes remaining.

"We're a very good defensive team," said Bryant. "We did well in transition. We were able to get some steals and turn them into points."

Andrew Bynum had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers while World Peace and Goudelock scored 10 apiece. LA shot 44 percent from the field and held Atlanta to 34.4 percent.

"We just didn't finish tonight," said Hawks coach Larry Drew.

The Lakers had 17 turnovers -- Atlanta scored 21 points off them -- including 10 in the second half. LA led 27-24 after the first quarter and 42-41 at halftime.

Game Notes

Up next for the Lakers is a home-and-home series with the Phoenix Suns this weekend. They will play in LA on Friday and in Phoenix on Sunday...Atlanta's five-game road trip also includes trips to Phoenix, Portland, Chicago and New York...Bryant's ex-wife, Vanessa, was seen waiting for him outside the locker room after the game.

Wwwworldgaming Basketball Betting News

<< Flames stay hot against Toronto
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miikka Kiprusoff made 41 saves, backstopping the Calgary Flames to a convincing 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary's top-line trio of Olli Jokinen, Alex Tanguay and J

<< Red Wings set home winning streak record
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings now hold the NHL record for most consecutive home wins thanks to a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars at Joe Louis Arena. The last loss the Red Wings suffered in front of the home c

<< Afflalo helps Denver dominate Phoenix
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Afflalo scored 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, and the Denver Nuggets led wire-to-wire as they knocked off the Phoenix Suns, 109-92, at Pepsi Center on Tuesday. Six Nuggets scored in double fi

<< Ohio State downs Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - William Buford had 24 points and Jared Sullinger chipped in 23 as No. 6 Ohio State downed Minnesota, 78-68, at Williams Arena on Tuesday. Buford and Sullinger each added eight rebounds and De

<< Harden lifts Thunder over Jazz
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Harden scored 22 points and dished out five assists off the bench, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz, 111-85, at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Tuesday. Kevin Durant had 21 poi

Young, Wizards top Blazers >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Young dropped in a game-high 35 points as the Washington Wizards posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season with a 124-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. John Wall added

Russell upsets Young at SAP Open >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Russell upset seventh-seeded Donald Young in straight sets Tuesday in the first round of the $531,000 SAP Open. Russell, 33, knocked off Young in just under 92 minutes with a 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) victory

Bulls' Thibodeau to coach East All-Stars >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau will coach the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game later this month. The Bulls (24-7) claimed a 121-115 victory over the Kings on Tuesday night to clinch the con

Golf Course Review - The Greenbrier (Old White TPC) >>
White Sulphur Springs, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS AND STATS: Course Architects: Charles Blair Macdonald, with Seth Raynor (1914), Lester George (2001-06, restoration), PGA Tour Design along with McDonald and Sons (2010-11). Year Opened: April

Baffert goes after another Southwest at Oaklawn >>
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trainer Bob Baffert has decided to start a pair of three-year-olds in Oaklawn Park's Southwest Stakes on Monday led by a Breeders' Cup race winner. The $250,000 mile race is part of the track's Kentuck

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.