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03/02/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers close out a brief three-game homestand on Tuesday by hosting the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers have never beaten the Lakers at Staples Centers, dropping 10 straight games in the building since it opened in 1999. In fact, counting the 2000 NBA Finals, Indiana is a miserable 0-13 against LA on its current home floor.
Most recently the Lakers improved to a Western Conference best 28-5 with a win over fellow Western Conference power Denver on Sunday. Lamar Odom finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four steals off the bench in that one, as LA held on for a 95-89 win.
Ron Artest registered 17 points and six steals, while Pau Gasol had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who were coming off a 99-90 win over Philadelphia on Friday. Los Angeles, which lost the two previous games to Denver this season, has won seven of nine overall.
Kobe Bryant continued to struggle offensively, shooting just only 3-of-17 from the field, but ended with 14 points and a game-best 12 assists. The Lakers' superstar is netting just 21.3 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting in four games since returning from a sprained left ankle.
"It was playoff intensity," Bryant said. "We made adjustments in the second half. Ron (Artest) did a great job on Carmelo Anthony. He earned his money tonight."
The Pacers, who are kicking off a four-game western swing tonight, are coming off an impressive 100-90 win over Central Division rival Chicago on Saturday. Danny Granger finished with 30 points and eight rebounds in that one.
Dahntay Jones and Troy Murphy each added 17 points for the Pacers, who avoided being swept in the season series. They had lost the three prior matchups with the Bulls this season, including a 120-110 decision in Chicago on Wednesday.
Indiana also snapped a three-game slide overall and won for just the second time in its last nine games.
"It definitely felt good out there tonight," Jones said. "I think we moved the ball well, using our small lineup and our reduction in number of turnovers. We have to be more consistent like this on a daily basis."
The Pacers, who have dropped five of their last six games away from Indianapolis, have beaten the Lakers in LA since Feb. 14, 1999, a 101-99 win at the old Forum.
<< Heat hope to stop slide vs. Warriors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade is back from a calf injury, but the Miami Heat
are still struggling. Tonight they'll try to put the brakes on a four-game
losing streak versus the Golden State Warriors in the opener of a three-game
homestand at A
<< Celtics and Pistons battle at The Palace
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics hope to put an embarrassing loss behind
them when they pay a visit to the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night at The Palace
of Auburn Hills.
Boston just went 1-2 on a three-game homestand and suffered a 104-96
<< Iverson will not return this season
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers announced Tuesday
that Allen Iverson will not return to the team this season.
Iverson had missed the team's last four games and also sat out five games
before the All-Star bre
<< Gordon helps Clippers hold off Jazz
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Gordon scored 24 and the Los Angeles
Clippers nearly blew a 17-point lead in the final quarter before holding off
the Utah Jazz, 108-104, at Staples Center.
All five starters finished in double
Miners set sights on C-USA crown >>
Huntington, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a chance to claim the outright title in
the Conference-USA on the line, the 24th-ranked Texas-El Paso Miners will
tangle with the Marshall Thundering Herd at the Cam Henderson Center.
The Miners current
Zags close out regular season against Roadrunners >>
Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the West Coast Conference title already in
hand, the 18th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs close out their regular season with a
non-conference bout against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunner.
The Bulldogs ran th
No. 6 Ohio State plays for Big Ten title against Illinois >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes set their
sights on at least a share of the Big Ten title, as they welcome the Illinois
Fighting Illini to Columbus this evening for a conference showdown at Value
City Arena.
Bears meet Red Raiders in Big 12 battle >>
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Settling into the Top-25 for the eighth
consecutive week, the 21st-ranked Baylor Bears try to stretch their school-
record run even further as they take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Big 12
Conference action to
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.
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