Lakers, Cavaliers hit the road as chalk
By Betfair.com
A sickly Lakers squad starts a four-game road trip in Miami on Friday night, while LeBron James and the Cavaliers face an old foe in Denver.
Los Angeles Lakers (1.35) at Miami Heat (2.64)
Just when it looked as if the Miami Heat were about to make a run - winning three straight games - they drop three in a row heading into Friday night. Miami had the unfortunate fate of playing three of the league's overachievers in Atlanta, Memphis and Milwaukee.
The Heat have struggled to score, averaging just over 80 points during this skid, and getting less than 18 points per game from star guard Dwyane Wade. Rookie Michael Beasley has shown some life off the bench, scoring 33 points over his past two games. Miami is a 2.64 home underdog Friday.
The Lakers survived a shootout with the New York Knicks on Tuesday. It was the ninth time in the last 13 games they've allowed 100 points or more. Luckily, Los Angeles got 17 points from Lamar Odom - who was still recovering from the flu - to push them ahead on the scoreboard.
Fellow forward Pau Gasol is also under the weather, and did not play on Tuesday. Gasol is scoring 18 points and grabbing almost 10 rebounds per game. He didn't practice Wednesday and the team is hesitant to bring him on the road for four games.
Cleveland Cavaliers (1.71) at Denver Nuggets (1.74)
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will always be attached at the hip. Since going No. 1 and No. 3 in the 2003 NBA Draft, both talents have constantly been compared to each other. While James has pulled ahead in the pecking order, Anthony's efforts are just as noteworthy.
Anthony has steered the Nuggets to the top of the Western Conference, recently overcoming a short slump to average more than 29 points in the past four games. However, he couldn't help Denver avoid a loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday which snapped the team's four-game winning streak.
James continues to live up to the considerable hype that began with his selection in the draft. He's the frontrunner for MVP after scoring 27 points per game and bringing Cleveland to 21-4 on the season. The Cavaliers have won 12 of their last 13 games, suffering the only loss in this stretch to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Cleveland could be without middle man Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who's missed the last three games with a sprained ankle. He'll travel and practice with the team in Denver but will be a game-time decision. The Cavs are slight 1.71 road favorites on Friday.
Take the Betfair Canada Challenge
By Betfair.com
A sickly Lakers squad starts a four-game road trip in Miami on Friday night, while LeBron James and the Cavaliers face an old foe in Denver.
Los Angeles Lakers (1.35) at Miami Heat (2.64)
Just when it looked as if the Miami Heat were about to make a run - winning three straight games - they drop three in a row heading into Friday night. Miami had the unfortunate fate of playing three of the league's overachievers in Atlanta, Memphis and Milwaukee.
The Heat have struggled to score, averaging just over 80 points during this skid, and getting less than 18 points per game from star guard Dwyane Wade. Rookie Michael Beasley has shown some life off the bench, scoring 33 points over his past two games. Miami is a 2.64 home underdog Friday.
The Lakers survived a shootout with the New York Knicks on Tuesday. It was the ninth time in the last 13 games they've allowed 100 points or more. Luckily, Los Angeles got 17 points from Lamar Odom - who was still recovering from the flu - to push them ahead on the scoreboard.
Fellow forward Pau Gasol is also under the weather, and did not play on Tuesday. Gasol is scoring 18 points and grabbing almost 10 rebounds per game. He didn't practice Wednesday and the team is hesitant to bring him on the road for four games.
Cleveland Cavaliers (1.71) at Denver Nuggets (1.74)
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will always be attached at the hip. Since going No. 1 and No. 3 in the 2003 NBA Draft, both talents have constantly been compared to each other. While James has pulled ahead in the pecking order, Anthony's efforts are just as noteworthy.
Anthony has steered the Nuggets to the top of the Western Conference, recently overcoming a short slump to average more than 29 points in the past four games. However, he couldn't help Denver avoid a loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday which snapped the team's four-game winning streak.
James continues to live up to the considerable hype that began with his selection in the draft. He's the frontrunner for MVP after scoring 27 points per game and bringing Cleveland to 21-4 on the season. The Cavaliers have won 12 of their last 13 games, suffering the only loss in this stretch to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Cleveland could be without middle man Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who's missed the last three games with a sprained ankle. He'll travel and practice with the team in Denver but will be a game-time decision. The Cavs are slight 1.71 road favorites on Friday.
Take the Betfair Canada Challenge
