Lakers shoot for another season sweep of Warriors

Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pacific Division foes square off for the last time this season on Monday when the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers head up the California coast to take on the Golden State Warriors.

The Lakers - Warriors rivalry has been rather lopsided in recent years and LA will be shooting for a ninth straight win over Golden State tonight, and a sweep of the season series for the second straight year. Overall, the Lakers are a gaudy 24-4 in their last 28 meetings with the Warriors.

Most recently, LA took care of second place Phoenix in the desert last Friday when Kobe Bryant finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, as the Lakers earned a 102-96 victory over the Suns.

Andrew Bynum had 18 points and nine boards for the Lakers, who have won two in a row after losing a season-high three straight. Pau Gasol, Ron Artest and Derek Fisher each scored 15 points in the victory as Los Angeles took the season series with its Pacific Division rival, 3-1.

"We just took what they gave us," Bryant said. "Shot distribution was pretty good. I think all in all we attacked wherever they put two guys. Wherever they doubled we did a good job spacing out, making shots, shot the three-ball pretty well. That opened the game up for us."

The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a rare win on Saturday after rookie star Stephen Curry finished with 35 points and Monta Ellis added 31 to help Golden State end a six-game slide with a 124-112 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Curry, who was one point off his career high, added 10 assists and six rebounds, while Ellis was playing in his second contest since a six-game absence. They sank five three-pointers apiece to lead Golden State's potent long-distance attack, as the Warriors finished 16-of-27 from beyond the arc overall.

"Oh, it's great to see," Warriors head coach Don Nelson said of Curry and Ellis. "They've played some really good games together and of course they've played some not-so-good games together. It's great to see when they share the ball and take care of each other when they're open."

Corey Maggette added 20 points in the victory, which got Nelson closer to Lenny Wilkens' all-time record for coaching wins. In his 31st season as an NBA head coach, Nelson now has 1,327 wins and is six away from breaking Wilkens' record of 1,332.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.