Clippers continue road trip in Cleveland minus Billups
Basketball Betting Lines
02/08/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers eye a third straight win this
evening, but their thoughts may be with their fallen veteran, as they continue
a long road trip in Cleveland.
Los Angeles will be without Chauncey Billups for the rest of the season after
the guard tore his left Achilles tendon in the Clippers' 107-102 overtime win
in Orlando on Monday.
The injury occurred with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter when Billups
attempted a cross-over move, but fell to the floor without contact from
another player and needed help off.
Billups, who had 18 points before the injury, had an MRI at the Cleveland
Clinic on Tuesday which confirmed the injury.
A five-time All-Star, Billups was averaging 14.9 points, 4.0 assists and 2.5
rebounds in 30.4 minutes a game for the Clippers. The 35-year-old is in the
midst of his 15th NBA season, but vowed to return next season.
"I will be back," Billups told Yahoo! Sports. "I'm not retiring ... I will
play again."
In Monday's win Chris Paul filled the stat sheet with 29 points, including 13
in the fourth quarter and overtime, to go with eight assists and seven
rebounds. Blake Griffin had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds for
the Clippers, who have won six of their last seven games.
"We just gutted it out," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said of the win.
"It was going back-and-forth and we got a couple stops at the end and we were
able to convert."
The Clips could get a boost tonight, as Kenyon Martin could see his first game
action. Martin played for the Xinjiang Tigers of the Chinese Basketball
Association during the NBA lockout, and was contractually obligated to wait
until the end of the Tigers' season before returning to the NBA. He was
cleared to play by FIBA, basketball's international governing body last week.
Los Angeles is 2-0 on a six-game road trip that also includes stops in
Philadelphia, Charlotte and Dallas. The Clips are just 5-4 away from home this
season, but have won four straight as the visitor. The Clippers' franchise has
not won five in a row on the road since Nov. 3-20, 1974, when they were the
Buffalo Braves.
Cleveland, meanwhile, enters tonight's tilt on a sour note after falling to
old friend LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Tuesday, 107-91. Antawn Jamison
ended with 25 points and nine boards for the Cavaliers, who have lost three of
four.
Alonzo Gee and Kyrie Irving tallied 17 and 16 points, respectively.
"We had some crucial turnovers. They were just executing," Irving said. "They
made their run. Closing out the third quarter and going into the fourth
quarter, they had a lot of momentum."
The Cavs, though, have dominated this series of late, winning 11 of the last
13 and 14 of the most recent matchups, including nine straight in Cleveland,
where the Clips haven't won since March of 2003.
<< Motoring: Red Wings seek 18th straight home win vs. Oilers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will put the NHL's longest home
winning streak since the mid-1970s on the line tonight, as they welcome the
Edmonton Oilers for a battle at Joe Louis Arena.
It's been over three months since the Red W
<< Penn State comes calling on No. 11 Michigan State
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at opposite ends of the Big Ten
Conference standings meet in East Lansing this evening, as the Penn State
Nittany Lions challenge the 11th-ranked Michigan State Spartans at the Breslin
Center.
P
<< Demon Deacons and Cavs meet in ACC affair
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will
attempt to snap their four-game losing streak tonight as they head to the John
Paul Jones Arena for an Atlantic Coast Conference battle against the 19th-
ranked Virginia
<< Top-25 matchup pits Orange against Hoyas
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas will attempt
to tarnish the second-ranked Syracuse Orange's perfect home record tonight as
the two square off in a Big East battle at the Carrier Dome.
This will be the 87th en
<< 15th-ranked Seminoles set sights on Eagles
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Florida State Seminoles
look to remain in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings
tonight as they head to the Conte Forum to take on the Boston College Eagles.
This will be
Bucks and Raptors meet at ACC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks try to avoid a fourth straight loss
this evening when they open a brief two-game road trip against the Toronto
Raptors at Air Canada Centre.
The Bucks played hard on Tuesday to no avail, as they overcam
Skinner, Hurricanes begin trip in Anaheim >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner is starting to find his
groove again after missing time with a head injury. Hopefully the club's
cross country road trip won't derail his momentum.
Carolina begins its three-game journey ton
Spurs continue Rodeo Road Trip in Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs were able to get their annual Rodeo
Road Trip off to a promising start, but must face a pesky Philadelphia 76ers
squad that hasn't backed down from any team tonight at Wells Fargo Center.
San Antonio
Sharks, Flames clash in San Jose >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Staring at a two-week long road trip, the San Jose Sharks
would love to pick up four big points before leaving the friendly confines of
HP Pavilion.
They'll look to accomplish step one of that plan this evening and extend
Nuggets entertain Mavs at Pepsi Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Western Conference contenders mired in losing
streaks square off in the Rockies tonight when the Denver Nuggets play host to
the reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.
The Nuggets dropped their third in a r
NFL Sports Betting
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North.
Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash. NFL Betting
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
|