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nba picks, free nba picks, free nba playoff picks & nba playoff picks content
Free NBA Picks- (associated press). hornets star guard out.
NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony was suspended for 15 games Monday and six other players
were penalized as commissioner David Stern came down hard on both teams after the Nuggets
and Knicks brawled at Madison Square Garden.
The Nuggets upset the Washington Wizards 117-108 Monday night as 3-point home underdogs,
while New York pulled off a 97-96 win over Utah. Books had the Knicks listed as 7 1/2-point
dogs.
Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith each got 10 games, and four other players also were suspended.
Stern fined each organization $500,000. But there was no separate penalty for Knicks coach
Isiah Thomas, who had warned Anthony not to go into the lane before the mayhem started
Saturday night.
``The NBA and its players represent a game of extraordinary skill, athleticism and grace,
and, for good or bad, set an example for the entire basketball world, on and off the
court,`` Stern said in a statement.
Mardy Collins, whose hard foul on Smith sparked the fighting, was suspended six games and
Knicks teammate Jared Jeffries will miss four. Also, the Knicks` Jerome James and Denver`s
Nene were both penalized one game for leaving the bench area during the chaos.
Ten players were ejected after the fight, which started with 1:15 left in Denver`s 123-100
victory. It was the NBA`s scariest scene since the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons
fans in Detroit two years ago.
There was speculation Thomas would be penalized for his comments to Anthony. Stern
acknowledged hearing about it, but said he relied only on ``definitive information`` when
handing out punishments.
Stern said the fines to the organizations are meant to show he is serious about cleaning up
the game.
``It`s a more general message that I`m going to start holding our teams accountable,``
Stern said.
Collins prevented Smith from an easy basket by grabbing him by the neck and taking him to
the floor. Smith rose and immediately started jawing with Collins, and Robinson jumped in
to pull Smith away. Anthony shoved Robinson away, and Robinson and Smith then tumbled into
the front row while fighting.
Just as things appeared to be calming down, Anthony threw a hard punch that floored
Collins, and New York`s Jared Jeffries sprinted from the baseline toward halfcourt in an
effort to get at Anthony, but was tackled by a Denver player.
By the time security had finally contained Smith, they were nearly at the opposite end of
the court from where the fighting started.
``I was very disappointed,`` Stern said. ``Clearly, we`re not getting through or players in
certain circumstances just don`t want to be restrained. I would suggest that those players
will not have long careers in the NBA.``
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): road woes won't hurt cleveland tongiht.
Playing on the road has been a burden for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, but that
hasn`t been the case when they visit the Atlanta Hawks.
Cleveland looks to start turning around its road woes on Wednesday and win in Atlanta for
the sixth straight time.
Oddsmakers have the Cavs set as 3 1/2-point favorites.
Although the Cavaliers (15-11) have one of the better records in the Eastern Conference,
they are just 3-8 on the road. It`s the worst road record in the league of any team that`s
above .500.
Eleven of their next 14 games are away from home.
Cleveland has lost four straight and seven of eight on the road, but its only win in that
span came against the Hawks (9-17) on Dec. 1.
The Cavaliers are averaging 84.3 points on 37.5 percent shooting during their four-game
road skid since shooting 52.6 percent in their 106-95 win at Atlanta.
LeBron James has averaged 33.6 points in Cleveland`s five victories in Atlanta since losing
his first game there on Nov. 22, 2003.
He has 65 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in two games against the Hawks this season.
The Cavs also lost to Atlanta 104-95 in overtime on Nov. 7.
James scored 32 points in Cleveland`s 86-83 win over Orlando on Saturday to snap a
three-game losing streak.
He made seven of his first eight shots in the final 12 minutes, and in one stretch scored
13 straight points en route to a 19-point fourth quarter - one more point than Orlando had
in that period.
``We saw the LeBron we saw a lot last year,`` Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ``It was good to
see him put us on his back and will this win for us. He`s a guy when he puts his mind to
it, he`s going to win ballgames for us.``
Cleveland once again shot poorly on Saturday, but managed a season-high 23 offensive boards
and 51 total rebounds. They shot 40.0 percent against the Magic, and are shooting 38.2
percent in their last four games while going 14-for-49 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range.
``Our offense is killing us right now,`` James said. ``In the past it had been our defense.
We`ve never had problems on offense like we`re having.``
The Hawks have lost eight of nine, and also are struggling offensively as a result of a
slew of injuries.
Atlanta was missing five injured players, including four of its six leading scorers, in
Saturday`s 108-81 loss to Detroit.
The Hawks trailed by nine at halftime before wearing down in the second half. They shot
36.3 percent - their worst effort in nearly a month - to lose their fourth straight.
``It`s tough when you are missing three starters and another two guys that are averaging 28
points off the bench,`` Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said.
``We have a few days to regroup and hopefully we get some guys back before we play
Cleveland.``
While Josh Childress (foot), Speedy Claxton (back), Tyronn Lue (groin) and Zaza Pachulia
(elbow) could be back for this game, Josh Smith is sidelined indefinitely after recently
undergoing hernia surgery.
Smith averages 12.9 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds.
The short-handed Hawks hope leading scorer Joe Johnson returns to form after an awful
performance Saturday, when he had a season-low 12 points on 6-for-16 shooting. Johnson went
into this week averaging 27.7 points to rank sixth in the league, two spots ahead of James
(27.0 ppg).
Johnson has scored 56 points on 20-of-40 shooting against the Cavs this season.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): kobe's slump hurting lakers.
Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers hope to bounce back from a fairly unpleasant
Christmas as they meet the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Oddsmakers have the Magic set as 1-point favorites. The total is set at 189.
Bryant struggled as the Lakers continued their six-game road trip with a 101-85 loss to the
Miami Heat on Monday. Bryant was held to 16 points - one off his season low - on a
season-worst 4-for-17 shooting from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point range.
``You have to let it go,`` said Bryant, one of the NBA`s top scorers at 27.3 points per
game. ``It was disappointing, but we have two more games on this trip. It`s a long season.
We are 18-10. Now it is time to move on.``
Since scoring 53 and 45 points in back-to-back games, Bryant has been held below his season
average in all four games on this trip. He`s averaged 20.0 points and shot 36.3 percent
during that span.
However, Los Angeles is 2-2 on the road swing, and the difference may be with Bryant`s
supporting cast. In the two victories, at least five Lakers scored in double figures and
the team went a combined 20-of-41 (48.8 percent) from 3-point range. In two losses, the
team was 8-for-42 (19.0 percent) from beyond the arc and only two Lakers besides Bryant
scored in double digits.
Ronny Turiaf (13 points) and Luke Walton (10 points) were the only other Lakers joining
Bryant in double figures on Christmas. Los Angeles shot 39.2 percent from the field - their
second-lowest mark of the season.
``I told my coaches at halftime that I thought I would stay in the locker room and watch `A
Christmas Carol` and they could go out and do the rest of this game the way we were playing
out there,`` Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``I did not feel we were right from the
opening tip in this game.``
The pressure for Bryant to put up big numbers increased after second-leading scorer Lamar
Odom (17.5 ppg) was lost on Dec. 12 for up to six weeks with a sprained right knee. The
Lakers are 3-4 since Odom was injured.
Bryant, though, has never needed to score too much for Los Angeles to beat Orlando. The
Lakers have won 13 of the last 15 meetings and Bryant has scored more than 30 points in
just four of them, two of which were the Lakers` only losses.
The Lakers have won the last three meetings as Bryant`s averaged 24.0 points.
The Magic, however, did have plenty of trouble stopping another of the league`s biggest
stars in their most recent game. They were outscored 19-18 by LeBron James in the fourth
quarter on Saturday while blowing a late lead in an 86-83 loss to Cleveland.
Orlando (17-12) will try to avoid its second three-game losing streak this month. The Magic
still lead the Southeast Division despite losing eight of 12 since their 13-4 start.
Dwight Howard matched his season average with 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in
Saturday`s loss. He`s averaged only 13.2 points over the last seven games after averaging
24.3 in a three-game stretch from Dec. 6-9.
Howard has averaged only 8.3 points in four meetings with the Lakers.
His recent scoring slump and nagging injuries to Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson have
contributed to Orlando scoring more than 90 points just three times in its last 12 games.
The Magic are near the bottom of the league in scoring with 92.7 points per game.
Nelson, averaging 12.8 points and a team-high 3.8 assists, scored 22 in a 117-108 win over
Golden State on Dec. 22 in his return after missing four games with a thigh injury. He only
had five points on 1-of-8 shooting in Saturday`s loss.
Turkoglu, averaging 9.8 points, has missed the last eight games and is day-to-day with a
sprained ankle.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): nba power rankings as of 12/27/06.
1 18-7
Phoenix
2 21-7
San Antonio
The Spurs just keep winning. Unfortunately that hasn't helped their backers who have failed
to cash in three of the team's last four games.
3 20-7
DALLAS
These are the Dallas Mavericks we know and love. The Mavs covered all three games last week
by scoring more than 100 points and keeping opponents below 95.
4 17-8
Detroit
A deeper, more well-balanced rotation should make these guys a decent bet for the entire
season.
5 20-8
Utah
Straight up road losses in Charlotte and New York have many thinking the sheen is slowing
wearing off Utah's shine.
6 18-9
L.A. Lakers
A 101-85 loss on a national stage Christmas day won't fill backers with lots of joy this
holiday season. Neither will a couple of more weeks without Lamar Odom.
7 16-11
Chicago
Scott Skiles and Jim Paxson once again dismissed rumors of trading Ben Gordon. Good thing
because the Bulls are 8-2 SU over their last 10 with Gordon averaging 22.8 ppg.
8 14-12
Washington
Gilbert Arenas said his recent run is better than anything Kobe Bryant has ever done. If
the Wiz keep cashing, you won't hear an argument from backers
9 17-12
Orlando
Maybe playing five of their next six games at home can help break Orlando out of a funk
that has seen them cash just twice in their last 10 games.
10 16-11
Houston
Yao Ming out for six weeks? Ouch. Let's hope T-Mac's back heals and heals soon.
11 15-14
Indiana
Is it just me or does it seem really weird these guys own the second-best ATS record in all
of basketball?
12 11-13
Minnesota
It must have disappointed backers the Timberwolves weren't able to get Allen Iverson. Given
that, you have to think K.G. will soon leave town.
13 15-11
Cleveland
LeBron James looks tired and these Cavs just aren't the team everyone thought they would
be.
14 14-10
Denver
It might be best for all us bettors to lay off the Nuggets until we see how A.I. fits into
George Karl's schemes.
15 12-14
Miami
The chance of Miami defending their NBA title doesn't seem so remote after a big,
confidence-boosting win on Christmas day.
16 14-15
Golden State
This is quickly shaping up like a typical year for the Golden State Warriors; great start
and very mediocre finish.
17 11-15
L.A. Clippers
Something just isn't right in Clipper land. Four-straight losses at the once formidable
Staples Center is proof of that.
18 12-15
Portland
Better days lay ahead for the Trail Blazers; Zach Randolph is dominant and Brandon Roy is
healthy. Now all they need to do now is get LaMarcus Aldridge more time.
19 13-14
Milwaukee
A five game ATS win streak (4-1 SU) is a snapshot of how exciting this team can be.
20 12-16
Toronto
A 5-4 record straight up and ATS without Chris Bosh goes as the most surprising
developments of the season so far.
21 11-17
Seattle
The Sonics are a winning team without Rashard Lewis in the lineup. This is probably the
last time we'll be able to say that.
22 11-14
Sacramento
There are rumors that Ron Artest is becoming a bit of a nuisance around the Kings' camp.
This will go down as the season's least surprising development so far.
23 11-16
New Jersey
Coach Lawrence Frank has no answer to Vince Carter's struggles and until he does this team
won't even finish tops in the Atlantic division
24 11-15
New Orleans
Injuries, injuries, injuries. I say shut the season down and officially enter the Greg Oden
sweepstakes before Chris Paul seriously hurts himself.
25 10-15
Boston
No Paul Pierce can't be encouraging news for Celts backers. The play of youngsters Al
Jefferson and Tony Allen certainly should be though.
26 7-19
Charlotte
Let's just say the Charlotte Bobcats have been a disappointment this season. That's a tough
thing to do when you were just 26-56 SU a year ago.
27 12-18
New York
Isiah Thomas' decision to start David Lee was a stroke of genius. Knicks fans just hope it
isn't enough for Thomas to keep his job.
28 9-17
Atlanta
Word has it head coach Mike Woodson is going to tweak with his lineup. Not a bad idea
considering his team is just 4-11 SU and 5-10 ATS over their last 15 games.
29 6-22
Memphis
Has anyone see a Grizzly bear in Tennessee? How about a professional basketball team? Yeah,
thought that was the answer.
30 7-19
Philadelphia
Now that Allen Iverson is gone, Sixers fans will probably spend more time watching Ohio St.
basketball games instead of Philly ones.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (covers.com): ats records as of 12/27/2006.
1 LAL
2 IND
3 GS
4 DEN
5 DAL
6 PHO
7 MIN
8 DET
9 TOR
10 UTA
NBA PLAYOFFS- (covers.com): toronto in unfamiliar territory.
The Toronto Raptors are used to being a sub.-500 team, but they`re not used to being a
first-place one.
The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors (12-16) look for their sixth win in seven games at
the Air Canada Centre when they meet the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. The Raptors
are 1-point favorites and the total is set at 188 1/2.
Coming into this season, Toronto had a .391 winning percentage all-time with a record of
341-529, and had finished above .500 just three times in its 11-year history. Heading into
this contest, they`re atop the Atlantic for the first time since Nov. 25, 2003, when they
were 6-7.
This season Toronto is 7-3 at home, where it will play five of its next six, including
tough matchups against Chicago and Phoenix.
The Raptors also are a surprising 5-4 without Chris Bosh, the team leader with 20.5 points
and 12.2 rebounds per game. Bosh is recovering from a sore right knee and is expected to
resume running this week.
The Raptors return home after going 2-2 on a West Coast trip capped by a 110-97 loss to
Seattle on Saturday. T.J. Ford had 24 points and nine assists for the Raptors, who trailed
by 14 points after one quarter and never overcame the deficit.
Fred Jones, who had 19 points off the bench, said he saw positive signs on this trip.
``Last time when we went out West, we were 0-5. This time we`re 2-2. So that`s positive.``
he said. ``We`re making a step forward. But of course, we`re not happy with losing these
games. We`re not happy with a losing record. It`s growing pains.``
Top overall draft pick Andrea Bargnani finished with just 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting from
the field in the loss to the Sonics. One night earlier, he drained a game-winning 3-pointer
in overtime of a 101-100 win over Portland. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 11.3 points and
five rebounds per game during the road trip, but made just 3 of 17 3-point attempts.
The Raptors have won four straight from the Timberwolves thanks in part to shooting 49.0
percent (47-for-96) from beyond the arc in those contests.
Minnesota (12-13) got a lift from a rookie in its last game, and avoided an embarrassing
loss. Randy Foye`s runner with 1.8 seconds to play gave the Timberwolves a 100-98 win over
Chicago after they blew a 25-point lead.
``That`s what I do best, make plays for myself and make plays for other people,`` said
Foye, who finished with a career-high 25 points. ``You would see the last seven minutes of
every game in college (at Villanova) I had the ball and I wasn`t scoring all the time. I
was making plays for other people, but if they took that away from me I scored.``
Foye also showed his defensive skills when he altered a potential game-tying shot by Andres
Nocioni at the buzzer.
Kevin Garnett finished two assists short of his first triple-double since April 9, 2005. He
had 26 points and 14 rebounds against Chicago for his 22nd double-double this season, tying
him with Utah`s Carlos Boozer for the league lead.
In 21 career games against the Raptors, Garnett is averaging 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and
4.5 assists. He`s recorded double-doubles in five straight games against them. |
