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02/03/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carmelo Anthony has battled with injuries and losing streaks since helping the New York Knicks defeat the Boston Celtics in a much- anticipated matchup on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.
Anthony scored 17 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter for a New York squad which blew an early 17-point lead and managed to squeeze out a 106-104 triumph in the season opener for both clubs. 'Melo and the Knicks will take their swings at the Celtics again tonight, only this time they will head north to TD Garden, where New York has dropped its last nine games.
The Knicks haven't won in Beantown since a 101-77 victory back on Nov. 24, 2006 and are just 2-12 in the past 14 matchups at Boston. The Celtics had a healthy Rajon Rondo in the first meeting with New York on Dec. 25, as the speedy point guard registered 31 points, 13 assists and five rebounds. Rondo, however, is out indefinitely with a right wrist injury and has missed the past eight games, with the Celtics going 6-2 in that span.
New York hasn't enjoyed much success lately, losing 10 of 12 games, including Thursday's 105-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls at MSG in the first of three games in as many days. Amare Stoudemire, who scored 21 points in the first encounter with Boston, racked up 34 and 11 rebounds versus the Bulls, while Anthony pumped in 26 points and Landry Fields netted 17 in defeat.
"For the most part, we played extremely hard tonight," Anthony said on the team's website. "We've got to pat ourselves on the back for something. We can go and magnify the turnovers late in the second quarter; we still had a chance to win the basketball game."
The Knicks shot 48.9 percent for the game and are playing back-to-back-to-back games for the first time since Mar. 20-22, 1999, when they beat Boston and lost to both Toronto and Atlanta. The Knicks will host New Jersey on Saturday after their trip to Beantown and own a 4-7 mark as the guest this season.
As previously noted, the Celtics have won six of eight games without Rondo in the lineup and are 7-2 in their previous nine contests. They posted their second straight win with Wednesday's 100-64 decision over the Toronto Raptors, as Paul Pierce finished with 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Pierce explained somewhat how Boston has succeeded without its top floor general.
"We're just starting to play better and be more consistent at home," said Pierce, who is 60 points shy of tying Larry Bird (21,791) for second on the team's all-time scoring list. "When Rondo isn't in the game we've got to be more unselfish."
Ray Allen and Chris Wilcox both added 12 points for Boston, which opened a five-game homestand on a positive note and improved to 7-6 as the host. The Celtics led by as many as 40 points in the fourth quarter, shot 12-of-24 from beyond the three-point line and added 30 assists on 39 baskets.
Pierce missed the first three games of the season with a heel injury and didn't get a chance to face the Knicks on Christmas. In 47 career games against the Knicks, Pierce is averaging 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Pierce led the Celtics with a double-double effort in three games against New York last year, averaging 26.0 points and 10.0 rebounds.
The Celtics will also host the Grizzlies, Bobcats and Lakers on the residency.
<< Rockets welcome Suns to Space City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets will try to halt a two-game slide when
they welcome the Phoenix Suns to South Texas on Friday.
After a poor start to the season, Houston crept near the top of the Southwest
Division by winning nine o
<< Nets entertain improved Wolves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Improved play on the road has kept the Minnesota
Timberwolves respectable this season and they'll try for a third straight
victory as the guest tonight against the New Jersey Nets.
Minnesota is 5-4 away from the Twin Citie
<< Jennings, Bucks visit lowly Pistons
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fear the deer.
Opposing teams are beginning to build some trepidation for Milwaukee Bucks
point guard Brandon Jennings too. Jennings and the resurgent Bucks will hit
the road tonight to take on the lowly Detroit Pistons an
<< Nuggets entertain Lakers at Pepsi Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets shoot for a two-day sweep of Los Angeles
when they welcome a Lakers team that has struggled on the road this season to
the Rocky Mountains.
The Nuggets were in the City of Angels on Thursday and summari
Belichick: No setbacks for Gronkowski >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots head coach Bill
Belichick told the media on Friday that tight end Rob Gronkowski had no
setbacks after practicing on a limited basis Thursday.
Gronkowski's left ankle ha
Welcome back: Sens finally return home to battle Isles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators hope their first home game in nearly
three weeks can get them back in the win column, as the All-Star hosts welcome
the New York Islanders for tonight's battle at Scotiabank Place.
The Senators, who sta
Pacers roll into Big D >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The much-improved Pacers will shoot for a season-high
fourth straight win Friday when they visit Big D to take on their former
coach, Rick Carlisle, and the reigning NBA champion Mavericks.
Indiana opened a br
Sliding Blackhawks make a stop in Calgary >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago has not gotten its club record-tying road trip off
to the best of starts and a trip to Calgary may not be the remedy it is
looking for.
The Blackhawks try to avoid a season-high fifth straight loss overall and
sev
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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