Bryant lifts Lakers past Thunder

Basketball Betting Lines

02/25/2009 - Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 36 points, as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 107-93, at Ford Center.

Bryant moved into 19th place on the NBA's career scoring list, ahead of Adrian Dantley. During the Lakers' 111-108 victory at Minnesota on Sunday, Bryant passed Elgin Baylor for 20th.

Paul Gasol added 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for the Lakers, who have won five in a row. Derek Fisher poured in 12 points, while Luke Walton ended with 11 points, five boards, and four helpers. Jordan Farmar added 10 points off the bench.

Oklahoma City was paced by Kevin Durant, who finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Kyle Weaver added 16 points off the bench for a struggling Thunder team, who have dropped six straight. Russell Westbrook ended with 14 points, while Jeff Green poured in 10 points and pulled down nine boards in defeat.

After going on an 8-2 surge to end the third frame, the Thunder rallied off six consecutive points to start the final frame. Nick Collison's hook shot topped off the spurt and cut the home team's gap to just one, 75-74.

Trailing 81-80 with under nine minutes to play, Bryant essentially lifted his team to victory by scoring six unanswered points to give the Lakers a five- point cushion.

LA, ignited by Bryant, used that energy to control the remainder of the game. Oklahoma City never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

Walton spurred the Lakers on a 14-4 run to begin the contest. He tallied seven points during the surge and topped it off with a layup with under 7 1/2 minutes left.

Los Angeles was comfortably ahead for the remainder of the first quarter, and took a 32-22 lead into the second period.

Ahead 34-27 early in the second frame, LA ripped off 10 straight points to go up 44-27. Farmar's 18-foot jumper capped off the run with just over 7 1/2 minutes until the half.

The Thunder were able to cut into the Lakers lead somewhat, but Los Angeles took a 56-44 advantage into the locker room.

Trailing 73-60 late in the third frame, Oklahoma City finished the final 3:04 of the period on an 8-2 spurt to cut the Lakers' lead to seven, 75-68. Durant's three-pointer culminated the surge. The Thunder carried their momentum into the final 12 minutes of action.

Game Notes

The Lakers shot 52.6 percent from the field, while the Thunder hit 41.8 percent of their shots...LA went 7-of-15 from beyond the arc, compared to Oklahoma City which shot 5-of-15 from three-point land...The Lakers owned the boards, 45-30...LA handed Oklahoma City a 105-98 loss on February 10 at Staples Center and has won eight straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings.

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

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