Warriors kick off long homestand vs. Kings
Basketball Betting Lines
01/08/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors start up a season-long seven-game
homestand when they host the Sacramento Kings tonight in a battle of the
bottom two teams of the Pacific Division.
Golden State enters tonight's clash with an unwanted 10-24 record that is
ahead of only Minnesota in the Western Conference standings. However, the
Warriors have played the fewest home games in the NBA to date, having competed
just 13 times at ORACLE Arena so far in 2009-10.
The Warriors are 6-7 as the host this season and have won their last two home
tilts, including a 103-99 decision over powerhouse Boston on December 28.
Golden State then embarked on a four-game road trip and lost the first three
matchups of that trek before besting the lowly Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Corey Maggette compiled 28 points and nine rebounds and the Warriors staved
off a Minnesota comeback attempt in the second half to come away with a
107-101 victory.
"(Minnesota) came out with a lot of firepower in the second half," said
Maggette. "They went on a (13-0) run where they were getting up and down the
floor and getting buckets, and we weren't scoring. Luckily, we fought through
and continued to play as hard as we could."
Monta Ellis also made a big contribution for the Warriors, amassing 20 points,
seven rebounds and six assists to help his team stop an eight-game road losing
streak. Youngsters Stephen Curry and Anthony Randolph netted 16 and 15 points,
respectively, in the win.
Sacramento comes in having lost four in a row following Tuesday's 113-109 home
setback to Phoenix. Tyreke Evans had an impressive 27 points, 11 rebounds and
seven assists in a losing cause, while fellow rookie Omri Casspi netted a
career-best 24 points for the Kings.
The Kings trailed by as many as 20 points early on but slowly chipped away at
the deficit, with a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter capped by Andres
Nocioni's layup drawing Sacramento even at 88-88 with 9 1/2 minutes left.
The teams were deadlocked at 103-103 with under two minutes to play, but two
free throws by the Suns' Amare Stoudemire and a rainbow jumper from Steve Nash
put Phoenix in front by four with 44.5 seconds left.
"The only thing I know for sure is if you don't quit in this league, you will
find your level," Kings coach Paul Westphal said afterward. "I think our level
is a lot higher than it is now because of the heart and talent we have in that
room."
The Kings did defeat the Warriors by a 120-107 count in Sacramento on November
8 behind a 23-point, eight-rebound effort from Evans. These teams played two
overtime contests in Oakland last season, a 143-141 thriller won by Golden
State in April and a three-overtime affair in which the Kings prevailed
earlier in the year.
<< Division leaders clash in the Rockies as Nuggets host Cavs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The injury-plagued Denver Nuggets are hoping to be closer
to full strength when LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers enter the Pepsi
Center this evening for an interconference clash between division leaders.
Denver has
<< Blazers aim to continue home dominance over Lakers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers step into a venue where they haven't
come away with a victory in nearly four years when the reigning world
champions visit Portland's Rose Garden tonight for a matchup with the Trail
Blazers.
The La
<< South Florida fires Leavitt
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of South Florida has reportedly
fired head football coach Jim Leavitt in the wake of allegations that he
struck a player during a game this season.
Fanhouse.com, which originally broke t
<< Hornets and Nets collide in the Big Easy
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Success in the Big Easy is nothing new for the Hornets, as
they play host to the New Jersey Nets tonight from New Orleans Arena.
The Hornets have won five straight and 11 of their last 12 home games to
improve to 13-3 by t
<< Hapless Wolves host Pacers at Target Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - So much for that season high two-game winning streak for
the Minnesota Timberwolves, who will try to put the brakes on a five-game
slide tonight versus the Indiana Pacers at the Target Center.
The Timberwolves have the wor
Roddick reaches Brisbane SFs, withdraws from 2010 Davis Cup >>
Brisbane, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On the same day that Andy Roddick
won a quarterfinal match in Brisbane, the former world No. 1 American star
also announced that he will not play any Davis Cup tennis in 2010.
A top-seeded Rod
Devils try to extend home win streak versus Lightning >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will shoot for a third straight win
when they welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning for tonight's battle at Prudential
Center.
The Devils are tops in the Eastern Conference with 61 points and are also
lead
Avalanche kick off road trip against Hurricanes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to get off to a good start
on a three-game road trip when they visit the lowly Carolina Hurricanes for
tonight's interconference clash at RBC Center.
Colorado, which is one point behind Calg
Sabres seek sixth win in a row in test with Maple Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will try to extend their longest winning
streak of the season when they welcome the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs for
tonight's Northeast Division clash at HSBC Arena.
The Sabres, who are first in the N
Heat open trip against Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat kick off a grueling six-game, nine-day
Western Conference road trip in the desert against the Phoenix Suns tonight.
The Heat are coming off a tough 112-106 overtime loss to Eastern Conference
power
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. |
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