NBA Picks: Lakers vs Cavaliers NBA Odds – January 21, 2010: The last time the (32-9) Los Angeles Lakers [+3] were at the (32-11) Cleveland Cavaliers [-3], an ailing Kobe Bryant & Co. were snapping LeBron James’ 23-game home-win streak. Tonight, a banged up Bryant and a resurging Lakers team visit the Quicken Loans Arena looking to avenge an embarrassing, 102-87 loss suffered on Christmas Day. All the action for tonight’s NBA Picks: Lakers vs Cavaliers game tips off at 8:10 PM ET (5:10 PM PT) as the first of a TNT-Sports, NBA double-header.
For those of you interested in betting on the OVER/UNDER, NBA Odds makers at SBGGLOBAL.com believe that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers will combine to score a total of 193 points tonight. The last time we witnessed this potential NBA Finals preview, Laker fans were throwing loudly booing their team and the officiating and tossing foam fingers and water bottles on to the STAPLES Center court.
Mo Williams led the way for the Cavs with 28 points that afternoon in Tinseltown, as there were technical fouls handed left and right. “We didn't like that Christmas game,” Lakers superstar, Pau Gasol said. “It was very disappointing on our part. We've got to try to get that ballgame when we play them again. We need to do that. You never want a team to get the confidence they can beat you, especially when it's somebody you might see down the road in the playoffs.”
But everybody knows that in order to beat Cleveland, you have to stop No.23. Trying to do that tonight for coach Phil Jackson will be the tough-minded Ron Artest, who was manhandled by James in their last meeting. “That Christmas game was tough, and then that whole day wasn't too good for me, anyway,” said Artest. “We feel like we're a better team now than when we played them before.”
And if that weren’t enough, there’s always the appealing Kobe vs Shaq story. The Diesel, who recently surpassed the 28,000-point mark for his career, has been sort of criticized of late for handing some tough fouls in the lane. “He's a guy from the old school,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said of O'Neal, who also surpassed 28,000 career points in the win. “He's not going to give up anything easy around the basket.”
The last time these teams shared the same court, O’Neal was making his return to the place that saw him lift three championship banners alongside No.24. In that game, the “Big Aristotle”, as he liked to be called back then, sort of roughed up his former mate a bit. According to the Zen Master, all this occurred with the refs swallowing their whistles.
“He definitely had a presence in the game,” Jackson said of his former star. “I do know it was a factor on Kobe. (Shaq) knocked him down about four times without a call.”
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