Bryant, Lakers down Nuggets

Basketball Betting Lines

11/02/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant had a game-high of 33 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers in a 104-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center.

Pau Gasol had 16 points to match his game-best 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who are perfect on the season at 3-0. Vladimir Radmanovic and Derek Fisher dropped 11 points each in the win.

Anthony Carter had 20 points for the Nuggets, who dropped two of their three contests to open the season. Carmelo Anthony, playing in his first game of the year after sitting out the first two due to an offseason DUI arrest, had 13 points and six assists. Kenyon Martin added 18 points, while Allen Iverson and J.R. Smith gave 13 points each in defeat.

With the game knotted 86-all, a Bryant three-pointer sparked a 7-0 run for the Lakers that gave the visitors a 93-86 cushion with five minutes left in the game. Bryant finished with six of the points on the burst.

"Kobe got going and took over in the fourth quarter," said Gasol. "They ran out of gas a little bit in the fourth."

Anthony hit a jumper and, after Bryant missed a shot, came down and nailed a three to make it 93-91 with four minutes to play. However, the Lakers rattled off seven unanswered points to get their biggest lead of the game, 100-91.

The Nuggets answered as Anthony buried a three-pointer, but Linas Kleiza fouled Bryant, who hit one from the line before Anthony drained another trey to make it 102-97 with 44 seconds left.

Smith then fouled Bryant, who hit both free throws to make it a seven-point game, 104-97 with 30 ticks showing.

Denver, though, still had some life, but Kleiza's three-point attempt caromed off the front of the rim and Gasol grabbed the ball and dribbled downcourt to run the clock out.

The Lakers took a 23-21 lead after the first quarter, but fell behind 52-46 at the half thanks to 33 percent shooting from the field in the first 24 minutes.

Carter led the way with 16 first half points to highlight Denver's 49 percent shooting effort over the first two quarters.

The Nuggets opened a nine-point lead, 63-54, on an Anthony jumper and an Iverson three with nine minutes left in the third.

Down eight later in the period, LA rallied to get right back in it. Bryant nailed a jumper and connected on a three-point play as Smith fouled him.

"The key was in the second half we played better defense, only 16 turnovers, and we rebounded well," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

Then after Chris Andersen botched a reverse layup, Radmanovic hit a three and Bryant drained a jumper to tie it up at 70 with just under three minutes left before the final frame.

The clubs headed into the fourth frame deadlocked 76-76.

Game Notes

The Lakers won the battle of the boards, 53-38...The Nuggets outshot the Lakers, 46 percent to 38 percent...LA will host the Clippers on Wednesday...Denver will play at Golden State on Wednesday...The Lakers swept the season series with Denver last season, winning all three matchups.

Wwwstarluck Basketball Betting News


<< Stoudemire and O'Neal lead Suns past Blazers
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal had their way on the blocks, finishing with a combined 39 points and 21 rebounds in Phoenix's 107-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Stoudemire logged 23 po

<< Rose, Bulls pull away to top Grizzlies
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrick Rose scored 26 points and Drew Gooden hauled in 20 rebounds, as Chicago pulled away late to beat Memphis, 96-86, at United Center. Kirk Hinrich added 18 points for the Bulls, who have won

<< Penguins net three in second period to top Blues
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miroslav Satan registered a goal and two assists as Pittsburgh doubled up St. Louis, 6-3, at the Scottrade Center. Tyler Kennedy recorded the game-winner for the Penguins, who stemmed a three- game slid

<< Rockets crush Thunder
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tracy McGrady led six Houston players in double figures with 22 points, as the Rockets posted an 89-77 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yao Ming added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Houston, whic

<< Mavs down 'Wolves to give Carlisle first win as coach
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 21 points and Jason Terry added 19 points off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 95-85, giving head coach Rick Carlisle his fir

Red Raiders knock off top-ranked Texas in thrilling finish >>
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colt McCoy spearheaded a huge Texas comeback, but Texas Tech's Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree made the final statement in the most thrilling Big 12 finish this year and the Red Raiders dethroned the top

Langkow, Kiprusoff help Flames win sixth straight >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daymond Langkow netted the game-winner late in the third period and the Calgary Flames survived a late barrage of scoring chances from a hungry Los Angeles Kings squad to notch a 3-2 win at Staples Center.

Wild silence Coyotes behind Belanger goal >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Belanger's goal midway through the third period proved to be the game-winner as the Minnesota Wild edged the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2. Mikko Koivu and Benoit Pouliot also scored for the Wild, who snapp

No. 10 Utah clips New Mexico to remain unbeaten >>
Albuquerque, NM (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Johnson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brent Casteel in the third quarter, as 10th-ranked Utah remained unbeaten with a tight 13-10 win over New Mexico in Mountain West Conference action.

Pats' Morris, Jordan out against Colts >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots running backs Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan will miss Sunday's road game against Indianapolis due to injuries. Both were also inactive for last week's 23-16 win over the St. Louis R

MySportsbook.com Releases World Series Championship Lines

New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox early favorites to win 2008 World Series
The Major League Baseball season starts this weekend and MySportsbook.com, a leading online sportsbook for over 8 years, is the first to offer baseball sports betting lines on who will win the 2007 World Series.

"The World Series is the biggest baseball event in the sports betting world and MySportsbook.com is excited that we are first to market with betting lines on every team," says Tim Dalton, Marketing Director, MySportsbook.com. "We are getting things ready for a great baseball season and our members are looking forward to our Player Payback Bonuses, as well as Dime Lines, all season long."

Going in to this weekend, MySportsbook.com's favorites to win the World Series are the New York Yankees at 7-2 and last year’s winners the Chicago White Sox at 9-2.

"These betting lines are ripe for the picking," Dalton added, "baseball fans know that the season is long and many factors, including players staying healthy, will affect these Future odds as the baseball season progresses. Betting on your favorite team in the beginning of the season could prove quite lucrative. We are seeing examples of this right now in the NCAA College Basketball Tournament with a lucky few that placed pre-season bets on George Mason to win it all. Anything can happen."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs..

About www.MySportsbook.com
MySportsbook.com is the foremost online sportsbook offering Internet wagering to its worldwide customers. Fully licensed and regulated in St. John’s, Antigua since 1997, MySportsbook.com offers a complete range of online casino games, sports betting lines, poker tournaments and horse racing offtrack betting daily through its portfolio of companies and managed services. With over 7 years of experience, MySportsbook.com has become one of the most respected companies in the gaming industry by providing unparalleled 24/7 customer support and timely payouts. MySportsbook.com is part of the SportingBet PLC group of companies that is publicly-traded on the London Stock Exchange ( LSE ) under the symbol SBT.L. MySportsbook.com provides a secure environment for sports and casino wagering and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MAXIM Magazine, Cigar Aficionado, and CNN’s Paula Zahn Now among others.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com