Clippers wrap up Texas two-step in Houston

Basketball Betting Lines

12/03/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angles Clippers finish a quick two-day swing of Texas Wednesday when they face the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.

The Clips lost a tough one in Dallas on Tuesday when Jose Barea's three- pointer with 50.2 seconds to play lifted the Mavericks to a 100-98 comeback victory over Los Angeles.

Zach Randolph scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Baron Davis added 22 points for the Clippers, who have lost eight of their last 10 contests.

Al Thornton had 23 points and nine rebounds, while rookie Eric Gordon had 13 points in the loss. Marcus Camby recorded six points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles.

"A really disappointing loss for us," said Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy after the game. "We played so well, but in the fourth quarter we did a terrible job defensively. We settled for quick, long three-point shots, (and) they just weren't good shots. That allowed them to get out into the open court and score easy buckets."

The Clippers remain on the road for two games, against Memphis and Minnesota, after leaving Houston.

A shorthanded Houston team fell in Denver on Sunday when Chauncey Billups scored 28 points -- including 24 in the second half -- and dished out 10 assists to lead the Nuggets to a 104-94 victory over the Rockets.

Houston was without Tracy McGrady (sore left knee) and Brent Barry (calf) for the second consecutive game.

Yao Ming scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Rockets, which had a four-game road winning streak snapped. Ron Artest posted 13 points and six blocked shots, while Rafer Alston contributed 16 points and six assists in the loss. Luther Head, a night after scoring 21 in a win over the Spurs, scored only three points on 1-of-7 shooting in the loss.

McGrady is expected to be sidelined for three weeks as he rehabilitates his knee.

The Clippers, who are just 1-5 away from Hollywood this season, have lost eight of their last 10 games in Houston.

Sportt Basketball Betting News

<< Heat close out trek in Utah
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat finish a five-game road swing Wednesday when they visit Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. The Heat improved to 2-2 on the trip with an exciting 130-129 overtime win against t

<< Tar Heels and Spartans mix it up in Motor City
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the premier matchups of the early season takes place in Detroit this evening, as the top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels meet up with the 13th-ranked Michigan State Spartans as part of the ACC/Big Ten Chall

<< Hoosiers visit undefeated Demon Deacons
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons will play host to the Indiana Hoosiers as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge the evening from Lawrence Joel Coliseum. The Demon Deacons return home to Winston-Sale

<< Dukes challenge Panthers in clash of Steel City rivals
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers seek their eighth straight win to begin the 2008-09 season, when they welcome local rival Duquesne to the Petersen Events Center this evening for non-conference action.

<< Tigers standing in way of 7-0 start for Musketeers
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Xavier Musketeers resume their three-game homestand tonight, as they welcome the Auburn Tigers to the Cintas Center for a non-league affair. The Musketeers kicked of their home swing on Satur

Suns pay a visit to New Orleans >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns open a short two-game road swing Wednesday when they arrive in the Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Hornets. The Suns lost their second straight game Sunday when New Jersey's Devin Harris poured in a c

Bulls head to Milwaukee to face Bucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls aim to bounce back from a tough loss on Tuesday when they make the short trip to Milwaukee to take on the reeling Bucks at the Bradley Center. Philadelphia's Andre Miller missed the game-wi

Pacers face another tough test in Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers aim to complete am impressive back-to- back sweep of the NBA's two best teams Wednesday when the club arrives in Beantown to take on the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.

Hawks host Grizzlies at Philips Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks kick off a quick two-game homestand Wednesday by welcoming the struggling Memphis Grizzlies to Philips Arena. Al Horford scored 19 points, including the go-ahead three-point-play with 12.4 seconds l

Bobcats host Thunder in Charlotte >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to string together consecutive wins for the first time this season when they resume a four-game road trip tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats. The expansion Thunder won for just the sec


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.