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02/06/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The superstars keep rolling into South Philly and Los Angeles Lakers stud Kobe Bryant is next on the A-list when he leads his team against the 76ers tonight from Wells Fargo Center.
Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have all brought inspiring crowds out to the Sixers' home games recently and now it's Bryant's turn to try and stun the friendly faithful. Bryant, a product of Lower Merion in nearby Philadelphia, is averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 28 career games against the Sixers.
Bryant registered 21.0 ppg in two wins against Philadelphia last season and Los Angeles has won four straight and nine of the past 11 contests in this series. The Lakers are unbeaten in their last four trips to the City of Brotherly Love after losing the previous seven meetings there. Monday's showdown is the lone matchup of the season between the two clubs.
The Lakers will continue a six-game road trip this evening and had won three straight and four of five games until dropping a 96-87 decision in Utah on Saturday. Bryant had 26 points and Pau Gasol contributed 24 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who got 21 points and 12 boards from Andrew Bynum. Lakers first-year head coach Mike Brown wasn't around to see the end of the contest after he was ejected with 8:35 left in the fourth quarter.
"I was trying to give our guys some juice," Brown said. "I got techs, I shouldn't have gotten two techs. I put our guys in a deeper hole than we were already in, and that probably cost the game."
LA is scheduled to visit the Celtics, Knicks and Raptors on the trek and is just 3-8 as the guest this season. It is 11-2 at home and 1 1/2 games behind the upstart Clippers for bragging rights in the Pacific Division. Bryant (28,573 points) is now 23 points shy of tying Shaquille O'Neal (28,596 points) for fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Philadelphia is back home after a quick visit to Atlanta on Saturday, when it recorded a 98-87 victory thanks to rookie Nikola Vucevic's team-high 15 points. Vucevic led six players in double-figure scoring, as Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes posted 14 points apiece. Evan Turner and Jodie Meeks finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively in the win.
The Sixers rebounded from Friday night's loss to the Miami Heat and were able to post their sixth win in eight tries.
"Four games in six nights, the emotional game [Friday] night against Miami ... I can't tell you how proud I am of the guys=," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.
Hawes made a surprise return to the lineup after missing the previous 10 games due to injury. Collins' team, which went 5-2 on a recent homestand before heading south to Atlanta, will also welcome the Spurs and Clippers to town on this upcoming residency. The 76ers are 12-3 at home this season and own a 3 1/2-game advantage over Boston for the lead in the Atlantic Division.
In team news, Meeks has been playing well lately, posting 10 or more points in four of the past six games. The Sixers are 9-1 when he scores 10-plus points.
The 76ers have yet to lose consecutive games this season. They are 17-7 overall, the best start since going 18-6 in 2000-01, when the team last advanced to the NBA Finals against tonight's opponent. Of the Sixers' 17 wins, 15 have been by double-digits.
<< Pachuca erases three-goal deficit to stun Toluca
Toluca, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mauro Cejas converted a penalty kick in the
90th minute as Pachuca rallied from three goals behind to stun Toluca, 4-3, on
Sunday in Mexico's Clausura.
Toluca built a three-goal lead after 17 minutes on an
<< Howard-less Red Wings aim for win in Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not having their starting goaltender over the weekend did
little to help Detroit shake off its road issues. However, a trip to Phoenix
just might do the trick.
The Red Wings look to record a sweep of their season series wi
<< Flames try for rare win in Anaheim
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames took care of business at home on Friday
before hitting the road for a few games. The task gets a little daunting right
off the bat tonight as they aim for their first victory against the Ducks at
Anaheim in
<< Thunder invade Portland's Rose Garden
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West's best faces a tough test tonight as Oklahoma City
resumes a five-game road trip against a Portland team that has been dominant
in Rip City.
The Thunder are an NBA-best 18-5 despite losing the opener of their
Hawks hope to get healthy vs. Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Known to be a formidable foe on their own court, the
Atlanta Hawks have stumbled a bit during a four-game homestand and look to
restore order at Philips Arena tonight versus the Phoenix Suns.
The Hawks have lost the first
Stoudemire deals with tragedy as Knicks host Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz haven't fared so well lately in the Big Apple
and hope to reverse those fortunes tonight against a shorthanded New York
Knicks team at historic Madison Square Garden.
Amare Stoudemire will miss tonight's game
Raptors seek another win over Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards meet for the
second time in four nights this evening, as the two teams do battle at the
Verizon Center this evening.
These two bottom feeders met on Friday in Toronto and Leandro
Stoudemire to miss Monday's game after death of brother >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire will
miss Monday's home game against Utah after the death of his brother.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Stoudemire family for their loss," the
Knicks said on
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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