Kobe sick; Can Thunder upset Lakers?
Kobe Bryant missed the Lakers shootaround Tuesday afternoon at the Ford Center with flu-like systoms but Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Kobe “usually plays in these type situations,” adding he’s just taking a little “R&R.”
Pau Gasol, sidelined by a hamstring injury, will not play. If Kobe and Gasol are both out the Thunder might have a legitimate shot at upsetting the defending champions in the Ford Center.
Watching the Lakers Friday night at home in a loss to Dallas, you would have sworn you were watching the Clippers, not the Lakers. They were that bad.
The Lakers aren’t playing well early as Ron Artest tries to mesh with the defending champions. The Lakers remain the team to beat in the NBA, but so far they’ve been very ordinary without Gasol.
Coming off a 5-1 night making picks, the only loss being Houston’s surprising win in Utah, Kobe probably plays which is why I’ll go with the Lakers.
LA Lakers 99, Thunder 96: The Lakers are vulnerable, especially if Kobe doesn’t play or is limited. One key is whether Kevin Durant gets back on track. Asked whether he puts much stock in Durant’s 3-of-21 shooting Sunday night, Artest answered with an emphatic ‘No.’
Miami 96, Phoenix 91: A matchup of two undefeated teams. D-Wade and the Heat should survive at home but Steve Nash is dishing out dimes at an alarming rate.
Cleveland 96, Washington 91: The Cavs have won two in a row but the vastly improved Wizards could pull the upset, although that’s a tall task in Cleveland.
Denver 104, Indiana 100: Carmelo Anthony leads the league in scoring (37.7). The Pacers are at home but the Nuggets find a way to stay undefeated.
Portland 102, Atlanta 100: The Trail Blazers haven’t brought their A game, yet. They better tonight or the Hawks could post an invauable road upset win.
Boston 96, Philadelphia 91: The Celtics have been impressive early. No one has really pushed them. The Sixers, at home, have a shot at posting an upset but Elton Brand needs to come up big.
Orlando 97, Detroit 92: Everyone wrote off the Magic as if last year’s Final appearance was a fluke. They’re proving it wasn’t a fluke. Detroit is at home but go with Dwight Howard, who could dominate the undersized Pistons.
Chicago 100, Milwaukee 90: The Bulls, 1-2, looked good against San Antonio, not so good their other two games. The Bucks are bad. Now Michael Redd is out. This is one Chicago should win to get back on track.
Dallas 102, Utah 96: The Jazz has not played well. The Mavericks are coming off a sweep in LA, including a win over the Lakers. The Mavs end their odd start of winning all road games and losing all home games with a win over the slumping Jazz in Dallas.
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I guess you didn’t know what you were saying about the Celtics. Best team in the league hands down. Everyone else is an underdog against them, whether at home or the road.