The Sacramento Kings didnt see much of Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry during the fourth quarter of their loss to the Golden State Warriors earlier this week.

Golden States last opponent, however, saw plenty of them.

Following big nights from Ellis and Curry, the Warriors look to win their season-high third straight when they visit the Kings on Saturday night.

Golden State completed a six-game homestand 3-3, winning the final two games this week.

The Warriors (8-12) rallied for a 93-90 win over Sacramento on Tuesday with Ellis and Curry, as well as starting center Andris Biedrins, on the bench for almost the entire fourth quarter as coach Mark Jackson opted to stick with mostly reserve players.

Jacksons starting backcourt, though, played a huge part in a 119-101 win over Utah on Thursday. Ellis had 33 points and Curry added 29, including 13 in the fourth quarter, as the duo combined to shoot 65.7 percent and lift Golden State to its highest-scoring game of the season.

“At their best, Id put them up against anybody in the game,” Jackson said. “We know what theyre capable of doing. The challenge to them is not to tease us.”

Ellis averaged 9.7 points while shooting 27.9 percent over the previous three games, missing all nine of his 3-point tries in that span before going 3 for 7 on Thursday. Curry was playing his sixth game after missing nine with an ankle problem and finished with a season-high 12 assists – the Warriors are 13-4 in his career when he has 10 or more.

In the win over Sacramento, Ellis scored 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting before Jackson went to his bench and Curry was 1 of 7 for three points before sitting.

The Kings (7-15) will try to slow them down again after snapping a five-game losing streak with a 95-92 win over Portland on Thursday.

While Marcus Thornton led Sacramento with 20 points, John Salmons had season highs with 19 points and eight rebounds and hit the go-ahead jumper with 2:55 to play.

It was a rare good night for Salmons, who is averaging 7.6 points – a little more than half his average with Milwaukee last season. He had scored in double figures only once in his previous 12 games.

“Hes too proud of a pro to have a season-long bad game,” coach Keith Smart said. “I always knew that from knowing him around the league as a pro, that somewhere down the line his game is going to come back to him. The guy is really working. Im happy that he played well, and so is the team.”

His big night helped the Kings, the second-lowest scoring team in the Western Conference with 90.8 points per game, finish with more than 93 points for only the second time in 11 games.

Sacramento has won back-to-back games just once this season but improved to 5-4 at home with Thursdays victory. It has won three of its last four home games against Golden State, topping 120 points twice.

DeMarcus Cousins will try to bounce back after struggling with foul trouble against Portland and finishing with eight points. He had 21 points and 15 rebounds against the Warriors on Tuesday.

Sluggish defensive play is one reason the Chicago Blackhawks are on their longest road losing streak since setting a dubious franchise record eight years ago.

Their recent visits to Calgary dont inspire much confidence.

The Blackhawks attempt to avoid a six-game road losing streak and beat the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome for the first time in two years Friday night.

Chicago (29-16-7) opened its season-high nine-game road trip with a 3-2 overtime loss at Vancouver on Tuesday, then fell 8-4 on Thursday at Edmonton, the last-place team in the Northwest Division.

Those losses extended the Blackhawks road losing streak to six, their longest since a franchise-record 19-game run of futility Nov. 10, 2003-Jan. 29, 2004.

Theyve surrendered 27 goals during the current skid.

“We need to be better in a lot of areas and were obviously not happy at all,” right wing Patrick Sharp said after scoring two goals in the lopsided defeat to the Oilers. “Weve gotten away from what makes us a good team.

“We need to play defense first and well get our chances from there.”

Chicago defeated the Flames (23-22-6) 4-2 at home Dec. 18, but has dropped its last three visits to Calgary by a combined 15-5 margin.

Patrick Kane has 11 goals and 11 assists in 23 career meetings with the Flames, including four points in five playoff games and a goal in last months home win. The All-Star right wing has six goals and three assists in 11 career games at Scotiabank Saddledome, but was held off the scoresheet when the Blackhawks lost 5-2 in Calgary on Nov. 18.

Kane has just one goal in his last 12 games overall, but has an assist in each of his last two.

While the Blackhawks are struggling defensively, the Flames have struggled to score during a 3-3-1 stretch. Theyve been held to two goals or fewer in six of those seven contests.

That trend continued in Tuesdays 3-1 home loss to Detroit, as Calgary tied its season-high three-game home skid from November. The Flames havent dropped four straight on home ice since Oct. 28-Nov. 17, 2010.

“Weve got to capitalize on our chances,” left wing Alex Tanguay said. “We have to score some more goals and make sure we find a way to rack up two points.”

Jarome Iginla, the team leader with 39 points, has just one goal in his last seven games and is a minus-5 in his last three. The Calgary captain also has just one assist in three meetings with Chicago this season.

Michael Cammalleri scored the Flames lone goal in Tuesdays loss. It was his second goal since being acquired from Montreal last month, but his first in five games since finding the net in his Flames debut, a 4-1 home defeat to Los Angeles on Jan. 14.

Cammalleris minus-5 rating in his six games with Calgary ties him with defenseman Cory Sarich for the lowest on the team in that stretch.

Cammalleri has two goals and one assist in his last three games versus Chicago, all coming with the Canadiens.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Detroit Red Wings have had the hot hand in NHL shootouts this season.

Pavel Datsyuk and Jiri Hudler scored shootout goals, and the Red Wings padded their lead over Vancouver in the Western Conference standings with a 4-3 victory against the Canucks on Thursday night.

Detroit has won all six of its games decided by that tiebreaker and its just building more confidence.

“When youve won a few in a shootout youre a confident bunch,” captain Nicklas Lidstrom, adding that confidence starts with Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard and spreads to the shooters.

“Howards been playing real great for us and guys have been confident coming in on our shootouts.

“Weve been switching it up a little bit, having different guys go but guys have been very confident going in there.”

Datsyuk and Hudler both beat Canuck netminder Roberto Luongo on the stick side.

Howard had an easier time as he smothered Alex Edlers attempt when the Vancouver shooter got in too close and forced Mason Raymond to lose control of the puck.

Detroit (35-16-1) won for the ninth time in 10 games to move four points ahead of Vancouver (31-15-5), which has a game in hand.

It was also the fourth win in the last four road games for Detroit, which is now 15-14-0 away from home after struggling away from Joe Louis Arena earlier in the season.

The Canucks closed out a six-game homestand spread over the all-star break with a 3-3 record.

Drew Miller, Hudler and Dan Cleary gave the Red Wings one-goal leads as Detroit moved five points clear of Nashville in the competitive Central Division.

Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Raymond forced overtime for the Canucks who were outshot 43-25 after 65 minutes.

The Wings jumped on the Canucks early and only Luongos acrobatics kept Vancouver close.

“We got taken to school,” said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault who split up twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin in some line juggling to start the third period. “It was obvious to everybody.”

“Obviously, we can play a lot better. Thats no secret to anybody that knows our team. Tonight, the best team on the ice was obviously, by far, Detroit.”

Nudging a point ahead of a conference rival because of the shootout win was not lost on the Wings.

“Thats six critical points when you look at it,” Cleary said of Detroits dominance in the tiebreaker.

“Shootouts are important, not something we take for fun. If you look at it at the end of the season, those are important points – win or lose.”

While Hudler scored his fourth goal in three games and the decisive goal in the shootout, Miller counted after a giveaway allowed Burrows to give the Canucks a 2-2 tie midway through the third period.

“I just told myself Ive got to get out there and make a difference,” said Miller who broke a 17-game goalless drought Tuesday in a victory in Calgary.

“I guess scoring a goal is the best way to do that. You want to get that goal back for your team.”

Cleary was playing despite having a cyst on the back of his knee treated at a local hospital on Wednesday but it didnt stop him from stickhandling in on Luongo for the opening goal.

“It was a little sore as the game went on,” said Cleary who is facing more treatments.

“Its sore right now but, to be honest with you, its easier skating than walking.”

Both Cleary and Lidstrom expect the Wings to keep improving on the road.

“The thing I like is weve got a good goaltender and great balance in lines, weve got a good game plan and were a disciplined team,” Cleary said.

Lidstrom, who has played on great Detroit clubs in the past, said skill helps but theres plenty of grit on these Wings.

“Were a very solid group,” Lidstrom said.

“Were not a faster team that scores nice goals all the time. We can grind it out and stay with teams and get wins that way too.”

Kesler said it was one of those games where the Canucks just couldnt generate offence.

“You have to take the positives out of it,” said Kesler. “We obviously fought through a lot.

“Were down twice, three times in the game, and battled back every time and got a point out of it, which was important.”

Luongo, who robbed several Wings on break-ins, said a slow start is part of the peaks and valleys of a long season.

“You dont want this to go on forever obviously,” he said after his first start in nine days.

“We know were a much better team than that and good teams find ways to perform, especially in big games like that.

“Even though we didnt have our best game tonight, I thought we found a way to get a point.”

Notes

The teams conclude their season series Feb. 23 at Joe Louis Arena Winger Chris Higgins was out of the Canuck lineup with the flu Andrew Alberts drew in as a seventh defenseman Howard, who got the day off from practice on Wednesday, made 25 saves when the Wings blanked Vancouver 2-0 on Oct. 13 Datsyuk was also allowed to skip the practice after he and Howard participated in the all-star weekend Tomas Holmstrom was back in the Detroit lineup after sitting out Tuesdays 3-1 win in Calgary with soreness in both knees after injections last week.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams was instrumental in helping Mark Turgeon get the job at Maryland.

Now he has to face his former assistant for the first time when the fifth-ranked Tar Heels travel to College Park for Saturdays ACC matchup.

Turgeon was a former player for Larry Brown at Kansas, coaching under Brown and then Williams for four seasons with the Jayhawks. When long-time Maryland coach Gary Williams left in May, Roy Williams helped lobby for his former assistant with Terrapins athletics director Kevin Anderson.

“I had discussions with Mark and (Kevin) over a two-day period,” Roy Williams said. “Just thought it was a great fit for Mark, that he would do a great job at Maryland for everybody. I thought it was a win-win for both parties.”

The friends have never faced each other.

“Its going to be weird coaching against him,” Roy Williams said. “Ive always wanted him to win every single game hes been involved with.”

Turgeon, meanwhile, was ejected when he drew back-to-back technical fouls with 7:29 left in regulation of Wednesdays 90-86 double-overtime loss at Miami. The Terrapins (13-8, 3-4) trailed by 16 points before rallying.

“I think he was just trying to send a message to our guys that hes a fighter,” assistant Scott Spinelli said. “Hes very passionate about his players. He wants to teach them life lessons for basketball.”

Maryland fell for the fourth time in five games despite Terrell Stoglins career-high 33 points. Stoglin leads the ACC – and is fourth in the nation – with a 21.8 scoring average.

“If we play together, we can come back, it doesnt matter,” Stoglin said. “We did it without our head coach, too. It showed that five guys on the court, we can play together, we can come back no matter what.”

North Carolina (19-3, 6-1) continues to lead the country in scoring (84.1 ppg) and rebounding (46.3 per game). The Tar Heels, however, are looking for improvement after shooting a season-worst 31.0 percent in their fourth straight win, 68-53 at Wake Forest on Tuesday.

“I told my team Im tired of saying theyre good shooters,” Roy Williams said. “Start making the dadgum things in the game.”

Tyler Zeller had 18 points and 18 boards while John Henson added 14 and 12 for the Tar Heels, who enjoyed a 55-40 advantage on the glass.

Harrison Barnes had 13 – 4.3 below his average – but sprained his ankle, and Roy Williams says his leading scorer will “hopefully be ready to play on the weekend.”

Point guard Kendall Marshall, second in the nation with 9.5 assists per game, added a season-high 14 points against the Demon Deacons. He believes the shooting woes wont continue.

“You have to look at that as a positive that we are getting great shots and just keep working to get in extra shots and hope they go in next time,” Marshall said.

The Tar Heels have dropped their last three visits to Maryland. Zeller and Barnes combined for 46 points in the lone meeting between these teams last season, North Carolinas 87-76 home win Feb. 27.

Stoglin scored 28 in that loss – his highest total of last season.

Los Angeles Clippers @ Washington Wizards
Saturday February 4, 2012 – 7:00 PM ET
Verizon Center, Washington, DC
NBA Sportsbook Line: Los Angeles Clippers

When the Wizards drafted Wall a couple of years ago, many would have argued that Washington would be challenging for a playoff spot before the Clippers, but that simply hasn’t happened. The Wizards won just four of their first 22 games this season, and are fighting to stay out of the basement in the West.

Betting Clippers Wizards Line: Los Angeles Clippers

A big part of the Clippers’ early success that not a lot of people have been talking about is their home record this season, and the number of games they have played at the Staples Center compared to on the road. Los Angeles has won 10 of 12 games at home, but just three of their seven road games. The Clippers are going to have to show more of that high-flying home act on the road as they bring lob city around the country, and considering that Washington is just 3-9 at home this season, that’s a good place to start. The list of players averaging at least double digits in points for Los Angeles includes Griffin, Paul, Billups, Caron Butler, and Mo Williams, so there is no shortage of scoring capabilities on this team.

Betting Clippers Wizards Line: Washington Wizards

The same cannot be said about a Washington team that ranks 26th in the NBA in scoring, and has struggled to shoot the ball both at home and on the road. Wall isn’t even the team’s leading scorer with just over 15 points per game. That title currently belongs to Nick Young, who is averaging close to 17 points per game. Wall does have an average of 7.2 assists, but the problem is that as good as he is at creating there isn’t enough talent on this team to finish. Jordan Crawford has been a decent addition in terms of overall scoring numbers, but he can still be very inconsistent, and his play at the defensive end leaves a lot to be desired.

Betting Clippers Wizards Line: Outlook & Pick

There are several reasons why the Clippers have been an ideal sportsbook review option this season, including the fact that few thought they would be this good so early on. However, Los Angeles has found ways to get the job done and made a statement by climbing to the top of the West standings so quickly. The one area where the Clippers have struggled has been on the road, but that shouldn’t be a problem against a Washington team that logged just four wins through 22 games.

Betting Clippers Wizards Pick: Los Angeles Clippers

First off, enter the Denver Nuggets, who are second in the Northwest Division right behind the potent Oklahoma City Thunder. They came into this year in total disarray. They had several players that had bailed because of the lockout and went overseas to play and they were not able to sign their starting center Nene until the lockout was over.

Coach George Karl has his players buying into the fact you have to move the ball and they run as evidenced by the 108 a night they put up to lead the league in points but that all may come crashing down this Saturday when they play their third game in three nights in Portland’s Rose Garden, always a tough environment to adapt to for visitors.

The sports betting misery starts Thursday when they have to go to Los Angeles to play the Lakers, the next night, they host the up and coming ally-oop show known as the Los Angeles Clippers and then on to Portland, who won 9 of their first 10 at home this year.

Unfortunately, Portland had Denver’s number the first time they played in the third game of the season for the Nuggets.

Denver had won the first two but had played Utah the night before that first loss and fatigue showed that night as Denver was only 4 for 20 from the three-point line in the 9-point beat down when failing to cover.

Overall, Nuggets have been good against the spread at 14-7 but Saturday doesn’t figure to be their day. Lay the lumber.

As the New York Giants will be getting ready Saturday night for what will be the biggest game of most of their lives in the Super Bowl, the New York Knicks will be licking their wounds and playing in their third game in 3 nights.

They have to host a tenacious Chicago Bulls team Thursday, travel to face archrival Boston and then host the lowly New Jersey Nets at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks have not been playing well straight up or against the number as they started the season 5 and 15 against the spread.

In a stretch from January 12 to January 28 New York lost 9 of 10 games with the win coming against the Charlotte Bobcats, who opened the season with the worst record in the lead at 3 and 19.

Sure, the Nets are no world beaters themselves having won only 7 of their first 22 games but they showed signs of putting it together on January 25 when they shipped into Philly and beat a good Philly team in overtime behind Deron Williams’ 34 points and 11 assists.

Both clubs like to go up and down the floor but the feeling is that if the Nets are getting 3 or more points here, they will be the play to end the week on the right note.

Good luck with your sportsbooks betting.

Those West Coast sophomores with designs on the Triple Crown can take a step in that sport betting direction Saturday at Santa Anita in the Grade 2 $200,000 guaranteed Robert B. Lewis Stakes, a major prep for the Santa Anita Derby on April 17.

Originally known as the Santa Catalina Stakes, the late great Bill Shoemaker owned this race back in the day with 7 victories and stars like Sham, Derby winner Ferdinand and Juvenile Eclipse champ Declan’s Moon have graced the charmed circle after the Lewis.

Last year, Anthony’s Cross rebounded after a wide trip in the Sham to win the Lewis in game style by a nose with a 91 Beyer.

Saturday a competitive group of 8 will face the starter in the mile and a sixteenth Lewis and from the rail out Isn’t He Clever kicks it off.

This Sunland Park invader is 3 for 4 career but the lone loss came at the demanding distance of 7 furlongs when he lost ground in the lane as he is trying to route for the first time against the toughest test yet. He does have a right to get the trip as kin to Sharp Writer, who took 2 routes on his way to an over $200,000 career and the value should be there.

Bob Baffert’s Liaison will be a handful. He lost his debut when breaking poorly, but is 3 for 3 since and has trained the proverbial hole in the wind for this. Fresh from a victory in the Grade 1 Cash Call, there is plenty of speed in here to promote his late betting websites punch.

Groovin’ Solo just graduated but he has a right to show more speed with the blinks added. His breeder, owner and trainer, Myung Cho, has had a penchant over the years of having his horses run big in some very tough spot. And the blood is there as this guy is kin to Grade 1 winner Street Hero.

I’ll Have Another has been sidelined since catching a sloppy strip in the Hopeful and although he has never been sent long, both of his siblings won routing. The concern is the absence of Joel Rosario, who was up for the first 2 starts but rides Empire Way in this race.

Sky Kingdom could be the speed component of the Baffert runners but he was not disgraced when 4th in the Cash Call and has trained fast for this race.

Rousing Sermon, who was beaten in a photo by Liaison in a wide Cash Call Futurity, kept his legs moving last Sunday with a solid :47.40 spin in anticipation of this race.
The Cal-bred is proven at Anita and he just shows up and runs hard every single time.

Empire Way was hooked wide in the Cash Call but he came from 9th at the top of the lane to finish fifth beaten less than 3 lengths. His future is bright as he is kin to champion Royal Delta, who won the Grade 1 BC Ladies Classic last year.

Chips All In will break from the outside so his hand may be forced to show speed from the get go. He’s only lost once, and that was in a comeback situation and you could easily see him getting a solid trip.

In a very tough fray, this is the way it figures to set up. Isn’t He Clever will gun and try to steal it but he will have company with Groovin’ Solo, I’ll Have Another and maybe Chips All In.

These three will vie down the backstretch while Rafael Bejarano saves ground with Liaison. They will take closer order at the top of the lane but that is when Liaison will make his move and quicken to clear.

He will be followed home by Sky Kingdom and Rousing Sermon. Players could do worse than keying Liaison on top in the trifecta and then use the other pair mentioned along with I’ll Have Another, Empire Way and Chips All In.

Good luck on the sports betting sites.

LOS ANGELES — Blake Griffin got Mozgovd attempting one of his high-flying dunks, hitting the floor and taking the Los Angeles Clippers down with him.

Timofey Mozgovs hard foul on the All-Star came in a dominant third quarter that helped Denver win 112-91 on Thursday night and end the Clippers season-high four-game winning streak that included a victory against the Nuggets last weekend.

Danilo Gallinari scored 21 points, including all five of his 3-pointers, Ty Lawson added 18 points, Arron Afflalo 15 and Mozgov 11 for the Nuggets, who had lost two straight overall and three in a row to the Clippers, their longest active losing streak against any team.

Mozgov sent Griffin to the court and he struck his head.

“It rattled me a little bit,” said Griffin, who missed both free throws. “It was a good foul, a hard foul.”

Gallinari said, “We know that once Blake takes off, its almost impossible to block his shot. So youve got to find him before he takes off. Timo was able to be on the weak side at the right time. It was a tough foul, but sometimes youve got to do it.”

Credit former Clipper Andre Miller with the suggestion.

“He had a lot of dunks on us in the first half, and Andre Miller said, The next time he tries to dunk the ball, lets try to put him on his behind, ” Al Harrington said. “He almost still made it, but it was a hard foul and he missed. It was a definitely a statement for us, defensively, and it set a precedent for how we were going to play the rest of the game. Teams try to bully us because we play so fast, so it was good to be on the other end of it for once.”

Griffin led the Clippers with 18 points, Chris Paul added 15 points and nine assists, and Caron Butler had 11 after missing a victory Wednesday night at Utah with a sore lower back. Earlier Thursday, Griffin and Paul were voted to the starting lineup for the All-Star game, giving the Clippers two players on the team for the first time since 1976.

“Im humbled,” Griffin said. “A lot of guys deserve that and I appreciate the fans voting me in.”

The Nuggets pulled away in the third when they outscored the Clippers 32-16 while shooting 65 percent. Gallinari hit consecutive 3-pointers to open the quarter, and Harrington closed it with back-to-back 3-pointers.

“They got out in transition and we did a poor job of getting back,” Griffin said. “We kind of went cold there in the third. We were definitely tired. Four games in five nights is tough, but its no excuse. We got to protect our homecourt better than that.”

In between, Mozgov had nine points while Los Angeles slumped to 7 of 19 from the floor. Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Clippers closed within 10 points midway through the period before getting outscored 14-5 going into the fourth.

“We knew we had to be more aggressive throughout the game, especially with them playing a back-to-back,” Gallinari said. “We did it and we were able to come up with a good stretch and were able to win the game in the third quarter.”

All five of the Clippers starters began the fourth on the bench, although Paul checked in 2:10 into the period with his team trailing by 21. He was the only starter to return and he sat down for good a couple minutes later, leaving Mo Williams to run a second unit that never posed a threat. Williams finished with 13 and Randy Foye 17.

“Its gone,” Paul said of the result. “Hopefully this doesnt happen again.”

Chauncey Billups, who had 32 points Sunday in the Clippers 109-105 victory at Denver, had eight points and three assists against his old team.

The Clippers led most of the first half before Denver outscored them 9-4 to lead 54-51 at the break.

Notes

Nuggets reserve G-F Corey Brewer wasnt with the team for personal reasons. Coach George Karl said he thought Brewer could be out the rest of the week. Billups played in his 1,000th career NBA game as did the Nuggets Miller. Rihanna, Billy Crystal and Don Cheadle were among the sellout crowd that included retired Nuggets coach Dan Issel.

The Los Angeles Lakers have done a nice job taking care of business at home.

That hasnt been the case on the road.

The Lakers begin a season-high six-game trip Friday night when they face a Denver Nuggets team coming off an impressive victory in Los Angeles.

With Tuesdays 106-73 rout over league-worst Charlotte, Los Angeles (13-9) improved to 11-2 at home. The Lakers, though, are off to their worst road start in nine years with a 2-7 record.

“Im excited to get on the road and play,” said Kobe Bryant, the league leader with 30.0 points per game. “Im extremely confident that well play much better.”

Lakers coach Mike Brown hopes that means a better effort on the boards. Despite having two of the NBAs better rebounders in Andrew Bynum (12.1 per game) and Pau Gasol (9.5), Los Angeles has been outrebounded by eight or more three times while losing four of five on the road.

“There are a handful of things weve got to do better on the road,” said Brown, whose team plays three games in four nights. “As of late, its been rebounding, but it also has to do with execution too.”

That definitely didnt happen in the Lakers last visit to Denver, where they committed 15 turnovers, missed 19 of 23 from 3-point range and shot 39.8 percent in a 99-90 New Years Day defeat.

Bryant scored 16 points in that game to become the sixth player to reach 28,000, but he missed 22 of 28 shots. It was the fewest field goals made in his career with at least 26 attempts.

The Nuggets (15-7), meanwhile, will try to win for the sixth time in the Lakers last seven visits as they continue their second back-to-back-to-back set of games this season. Denver avoided a season-high third consecutive loss Thursday with a 112-91 victory at the Pacific Division-leading Clippers.

The Nuggets are scoring a league-best 105.7 points per game, but they can also play a little defense. They held the Clippers – the NBAs fourth highest-scoring team – to 59 points the final three quarters after falling behind by 13.

Denver is 13-3 when holding opponents below 105 points.

“When we come out with this type of energy on the defensive end, its tough to catch us,” said Danilo Gallinari, who hit a season-high five 3s and scored 21 points.

The Lakers lead the NBA in field goal defense at 41.4 percent, but the Nuggets have six players averaging at least 11.1 points, led by Gallinaris 17.5 per contest.

Los Angeles has far less balance, with Bryant accounting for 32.0 percent of its offense. However, the Lakers have received a nice boost off the bench from rookie point guard Andrew Goudelock, who is averaging 11.5 points over the last four games.

“We got a lot of shooters on this team, with our second group especially,” Goudelock said. “They can stretch out the floor with Troy Murphy and (Jason) Kapono obviously, and we got Bynum down low, so they cant really double team because if they do, they really have to pick their poison.”

Bynum, named an All-Star starter Thursday along with Bryant, leads the Lakers with 47 points and 29 rebounds in two games versus Denver in 2011-12.

Making his season debut after serving a four-game suspension for knocking down Dallas J.J. Barea in last years playoffs, Bynum totaled 29 points and 13 boards in a 92-89 win over the visiting Nuggets on Dec. 31.

Ohio State Buckeyes @ Wisconsin Badgers – Saturday, February 4

Sports betting line: No line

Why Ohio State Will Win

When you do your homework and assess your sportsbook review on this game, it’s worth mentioning that while Wisconsin is riding a five-game winning streak, it’s not as though the Badgers are lighting up the night sky in the process. It’s true that coach Bo Ryan’s Badgers have rebounded quite nicely from a horrible start to their Big Ten season by ripping off five wins for a 6-3 league record, but this is still a much more limited team than last year’s edition. Without versatile big man Jon Leuer, Wisconsin has fewer options at the offensive end of the floor; moreover, Leuer set great screens and really helped the Badgers with their halfcourt spacing. Wisconsin will have a hard time spacing out Ohio State’s defense, which is particularly solid at the two most important spots on the floor – at the point and in the low post.

Guard Aaron Craft provides lock-down defense for the Buckeyes on the perimeter, and big man Jared Sullinger is around to clean up messes on the glass and within six feet of the rim. Wisconsin does not have anyone as skilled or as agile on the low block as Sullinger is. Ohio State lost at Wisconsin last season, but that Wisconsin team was much more explosive. In this game, Wisconsin will have a hard time scoring on its initial offense, and the Badgers will have an equally difficult time crashing the glass to get second-chance points. Ohio State will win with defense and rebounding.

Why Wisconsin Will Win

The college basketball betting experts who follow the Big Ten Conference for a living know that Ohio State just isn’t getting the job done on the road this season. OSU has had a front-loaded home schedule and few challenging road contests to this point in the 2012 campaign. The Buckeyes won at Iowa and Nebraska – two of the worst teams in the league – and lost to half-decent teams from Illinois and Indiana. Wisconsin has indeed been dinged up at home this season, losing to Marquette, Michigan State, and Iowa, but the Badgers have a lot of pride, for one thing. Second, they have rebounded and rallied around the flag in recent weeks, knocking off a series of opponents, including Illinois. Wisconsin has clearly undergone a positive metamorphosis. It was saddled with so much pressure and so many high expectations in the early part of the Big Ten season, but Bo Ryan has gotten his team to settle down and focus on each game night, not the year’s demands or the wishes of the fan base. Wisconsin is in the right frame of mind to win this game.

Who Will Win

It’s simple: Ohio State is mad – the Buckeyes are tired of hearing how they can’t win on the road. Wisconsin isn’t as loaded as it was last year, while the Buckeyes are deep and formidable. OSU will get it right on the road and win in Madison, Wisconsin.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Ohio State