This past Sunday the Lakers had a chance to end the Houston Rockets 22 game winning streak, but they came up just a bit short.  One of the critiques of the winning streak of the Rockets has been that they haven’t really played any of the elite teams while they were at full strength.  The Lakers are no exception.  They were without Pau Gasol, their star forward who has helped catapult them all the way to first in the West, before sinking into second behind the Rockets.  The Lakers are 6-4 in their last ten, after winning nearly 90 percent of their games since the Gasol trade.  If the Rockets slip up at all the Lakers will be ready to take back first place, but first they have to get healthy.  Gasol is expected to miss only a few games with an ankle injury, and then hopefully emerging center Andrew Bynum will return for the playoffs.  What should also be noted is that Kobe Bryant is playing, and playing very well with a hurt finger.  That hasn’t stopped him from being second leading scorer in the NBA with 28.2 a contest, and hearing chants from every NBA arena of “MVP, MVP!”

The Utah Jazz are currently in fourth place in the West, which would ensure them a home playoff series.  However, as I’ve mentioned in previous stories, the West is a very tight race.  For example, only six games separate the ninth place team and the first place team.  The standings can look entirely different by the time the season ends in about 20 games, or so.  The Jazz will do what they can with the help of star players Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams.  This duo combined is averaging over 40 points a game, and makes them a defensive nightmare for just about every team. 

If the Lakers are healthy I pick them by a few points, however if they aren’t I think the Jazz eventually wear them down and take the victory at home. 

Two of the more exciting NBA teams will meet when the Boston Celtics travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks.  The Boston Celtics have already clinched a playoff spot, and with under 20 games to go they look like they are a virtual lock to have home court advantage throughout the playoffs.  The Dallas Mavericks are currently only 2.5 games behind the Houston Rockets for first place in the West.  However, since things are so tight in that conference that puts them all the way back in the seventh seed.  By this time next week the Mavericks could either be out of the playoffs, or in first place.  Very crazy indeed. 

For the first time since the 2003-2004 season, the Mavericks might finish with a below .500 record on the road.  Their record currently stands at 15-19 on the road.  The road record, of course, won’t effect them in this game, as they get to play at home.  Things appear to be looking up though, as the Mavericks have won five games in a row, and Jason Kidd seems to be settling in to his second go around with the team.  Kidd is averaging almost 10 assists per game, and has also been a bonus on defense, averaging 2.5 steals a contest. 

With the best record in the league you would also expect the best road record, and you are right, it stands at 23-8.  The Celtics have spent the entire season answering tough questions about how they will hold up in the playoffs and how they will do against seasoned teams.  That’s impossible to tell right now, but if their recent record of 9-1 suggests anything, then they are probably going to be very tough to beat in the playoffs.  This is a very tough game to decide, but I feel the Celtics are up for the challenge and will take it home by a couple of buckets. 

NBA Betting

For the best NBA betting on the web, join Sportbet.com for all the action and none of the hassles! Our online sportsbook offers 24 hour sports betting lines on all major sporting events, so you can participate in sportsbook gambling anytime from anywhere through our secure online server. Make future bets, prop bets, parlays, straight bets, and many other types of sports bets.