Cavaliers top Lakers for first Staples Center win

Basketball Betting Lines

02/16/2007 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James poured in 38 points and hit the go-ahead jumper with just over three minutes left, as the Cavaliers secured their first win at the Staples Center with a 114-108 triumph over the struggling Los Angeles Lakers.

James went 10-of-16 from the field and feasted at the foul line with an 18-for-22 effort, as the Cavaliers won for the fourth time in five contests leading to the All-Star break.

"It was important to be aggressive tonight," James said. "I just wanted to be aggressive and the guys fed off it."

The Cavs snapped a seven-game road skid versus the Lakers, winning an away contest against them for the first time since Dec. 7, 1997.

"LeBron James attacked tonight," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "When he attacks he is hard to guard. He finished at the rim. When he plays like this it's contagious to our team."

Kobe Bryant had 34 points and missed just one of his 15 free throws, but the Lakers fell for a fifth consecutive time overall and for a fourth straight time at home.

This marks only the third time in Phil Jackson's coaching career he's had a five-game losing streak, one coming with Chicago and two with the Lakers. He's never had a six-game losing streak in his 16-year NBA coaching career, and will try to avoid that when the Lakers take the court again next Wednesday at home against Portland.

"They took the ball right to us and we didn't have an answer for it," Jackson said.

Lamar Odom ended with 20 points for the Lakers, who lost for the 11th time in 15 contests.

James nailed a fadeaway jumper with 3:05 left to give the Cavs a 102-101 lead, and after a Bryant turnover on a bad pass, Sasha Pavlovic drilled a three- pointer.

The Lakers were able to get as close as one, as Bryant made a three-pointer with 34.3 seconds left, but James was then fouled with 20.1 seconds left.

Then came the turning point.

James hit the first free throw, but missed the second. LA's Ronny Turiaf couldn't secure the rebound and Anderson Varejao got the rebound. James was fouled and sank two free throws with 11.7 seconds left for a 112-108 margin.

Bryant then missed a three-pointer and Varejao put the final touches on Cleveland's win with a pair of free throws.

Varejao ended with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Larry Hughes scored 14 and Eric Snow had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Sasha Vujacic scored 14, while Smush Parker and Andrew Bynum each had 12 for the Lakers.

The Cavs led 29-28 after one quarter and were clinging to a 56-54 edge at the half. It was 91-85 Cleveland going into the fourth.

Game Notes

Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas sat out his second straight game due to attend to a family health issue...It's off to Las Vegas for the NBA's biggest stars, as this was the final game on the schedule before the midseason contest at the Thomas & Mack Center...Bryant had a streak of 36 straight free throws coming into the game and made his first seven in this game before missing early in the third quarter...Drew Gooden had 12 points, while Pavlovic and Donyell Marshall each had 11 for the Cavs.

Wsbgglobal Basketball Betting News

<< Ducks upend No. 22 Cal
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eleanor Haring scored 17 points to lead Oregon to a 62-42 upset win over No. 22 California on Thursday. Taylor Lilley scored 10 points for the Ducks (15-10, 7-8 Pac-10), who won their second straight game

<< No. 22 USC edges No.19 Arizona
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Young posted 26 points and eight rebounds, as the 22nd-ranked USC Trojans got their first win in Tucson since 1985 by downing the 19th-ranked Arizona Wildcats, 80-75, in a battle of Pac-10 Confere

<< Anderson's late surge carries Cal past Oregon
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Anderson scored 18 points, converted a three-point play with 1:01 remaining to give California the lead, and the Golden Bears held on for a 63-61 win over the 15th-ranked Oregon Ducks. Patrick Ch

<< No. 9 Stanford rolls by Oregon State
Corvallis, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jayne Appel registered game-highs with 28 points and 17 rebounds, as Stanford eased to a 70-55 win over Oregon State at Gill Coliseum. Brooke Smith posted 22 points, seven assists and six boards for th

<< Creamer among the leaders in Hawaii
Oahu, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paula Creamer posted a five-under-par 67 on Thursday to join Paige MacKenzie and reigning Women's British Open champion Sherri Steinhauer atop the leaderboard after the first round of the SBS Open at Turt

Parry and Rumford lead Down Under >>
Lockleys, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Craig Parry, a former two-time winner on the PGA Tour, fired an eight-under 64 on Friday to join Brett Rumford, who posted a 69, in the lead after two rounds of the Jacob's Creek Open Champio

Tampion moves in front at Indonesian Open >>
Jakarta, Indonesia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - European Tour rookie Andrew Tampion posted a five-under 66 on Friday to move to the top of the leaderboard during the suspended second round of the Indonesian Open. He finished 36 holes at eight-un

Keith Foulke retires >>
Winter Haven, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Keith Foulke unexpectedly announced his retirement on Friday. Signed by Cleveland in the offseason, Foulke was expected to be a key contributor in the Indians' revamped bullpen. However, Fou

Devils cap homestand against red-hot Penguins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two teams in the Atlantic Division do battle tonight as the New Jersey Devils welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to Continental Airlines Arena. The Devils are in first place in the Atlantic with 76

Newly-armed Predators aim for another win over Blues >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators will likely have to wait until Saturday for the debut of Peter Forsberg, but they still hope to continue their dominance of the St. Louis Blues tonight at Scottrade Center. The Predators

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.