Lakers, Cavs set for showdown in Cleveland

Basketball Betting Lines

02/08/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An NBA dream matchup is on tap Sunday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena, where LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers play host to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Both James and Bryant are coming off recent stellar performances. Bryant, the NBA's reigning MVP, posted a Madison Square Garden record of 61 points in a win at New York on Monday. James scored a season-high 52 points in Cleveland's victory at MSG on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers are 23-0 at home this season and are the first team to win at least its first 23 home games since Chicago (37 games) and Orlando (33 games) accomplished the feat in the 1995-96 campaign. They took their show to the road in the previous outing by beating the Knicks, 107-102.

James ended with a season-best 52 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and had a board taken away by the NBA on Friday to erase the triple-double effort. Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 15 points and eight boards for the Cavs, who have won four in a row and eight of nine overall. Wally Szczerbiak chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds in the win and is probable for Sunday's game (nose).

Cleveland's last loss at home during the regular season was versus the Detroit Pistons on April 16, 2008.

Los Angeles has won its first five tests of a six-game road trip and will try to complete the trek with a perfect mark Sunday. In Thursday's 110-109 overtime triumph at Boston, Lamar Odom hit two free throws with 16 seconds remaining and Pau Gasol came up with two big defensive plays late in OT.

Bryant had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles, which won for the ninth time in 10 games. Gasol ended with 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Odom scored 20 points for the Lakers.

The Lakers are 17-5 away from Hollywood this season. On Saturday the Lakers acquired forward Adam Morrison and guard Shannon Brown from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for forward Vladimir Radmanovic. Morrison and Brown could see action Sunday.

Los Angeles handed Cleveland a 105-88 loss on January 19 this season at Staples Center to end a five-game losing streak in the series. The Lakers have lost four straight and five of their last six at Cleveland.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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