Posted on
1/29/2008 6:57:02 PM
NBA Basketball Betting – New York at L.A. Lakers
By Charles Jay
WHO: New York Knicks (14-29 SU, 20-23 ATS) at Los Angeles Lakers (27-15 SU, 22-18-1 ATS)
WHERE: Staples Center in Los Angeles
WHEN: Tuesday, January 29 at 10:30 PM ET
BetUS NBA betting odds: LAKERS -8.5, Total 206.5
In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:
* NY has covered four of the last five meetings
* LA has won nine of the last 13 meetings SU
* Five of the last seven meetings have gone OVER the total
* NY has covered four of the last five meetings as the visitor
* LA has won seven of the last ten meetings SU as the home team
* Five of the last six meetings in L.A. have gone OVER the total
New York has shot 43.8% from the field this season. The Knicks are sitting with a minus-5.9 average point differential, and have allowed opponents to shoot 47.4%, which is 29th in the league. Also:
* NY has covered six of its last eight games
* NY has won eight of its last 25 games SU
* NY has played 18 of its last 25 games OVER the total
* NY has covered four of its last five road games
The Lakers are currently the third highest scoring team in the NBA, averaging 107 points per contest. They have been good at distributing the ball, chalking up 23.7 assists per game, and are fifth in the league in rebounding at home, with 45.4 per game. Also:
* LA is 1-6-1 ATS in its last eight games
* LA has lost four of its last five games SU
* LA has played four of its last five games UNDER the total
* LA has won 10 of its last 13 home games SU
* LA has played five of its last six home games UNDER the total
Well, we can't say that we're big believers in the Knicks; sometimes they are able to put forth a big effort even in defeat, as they did against Golden State last time out (106-104 loss/cover), and sometimes they're not. Nate Robinson has played well in place of Stephon Marbury, and Jamal Crawford has drawn trade interest from several teams after coming back from injury. They did cover in their only meeting of the year with Los Angeles, dropping a five-point decision as a 6.5-point dog at the Garden on December 23. In that one Kobe Bryant did have 39 points but he was a one-man show.
He'll have to be again tonight. The Lakers, as we expected, have taken a pointspread nosedive after losing center Andrew Bynum to injury. They've covered just one of the last eight games, losing home games to Cleveland and Phoenix. They have also beaten lesser lights like Memphis, Seattle and Milwaukee, but by a combined EIGHT points. That would seem to suggest the Knicks can hang in this one.
We are hesitant to back the Lakers until they demonstrate that they can start exceeding the numbers of the oddsmaker. ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy, a former Knicks coach, made the remark that perhaps the Lakers could find themselves fighting for their playoff lives without Bynum in the lineup. He might be right.
We'll take the Knicks, the 8.5-point underdog in the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: NEW YORK
You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!
(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)