| NBA Playoff Prediction: LA Lakers vs Utah Jazz |
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| Written by Scott Burgess | |||||||
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Wednesday, 07 May 2008
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 The Utah Jazz want to walk out of Hollywood with atleast one win tonight when they take on the L.A. Lakers, who are up 1-0 in their Western Conference best of seven series. The Lakers took Game 1, 109-98 as 8-point home favs. Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have the Lakers as 6 ½-point favorites over the Jazz with the over/under set at 210. Get your NBA Playoff Prediction in now at SBGglobal.comThe Lakers Kobe Bryant was officially named MVP yesterday and you can bet he’ll show his gratitude with a big game tonight. Kobe finished last game with 38pts, six rebounds and seven assists, but most notable was his free throw shooting which was great as he hit 21 of 23. “I don't think anybody has been able to guard Kobe," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "He's just a great player. He can shoot the ball long range, he can shoot the 3-pointers way out past the 3-point line, he can put the ball on the floor. You come running at him and he catches you (by surprise). It's hard to go double-team him and keep him from doing everything he wants to do. Pau Gasol had 18pts and 10 rebounds while Luke Walton had 15pts off the bench. As a team the Lakers outshot the Jazz from the field, from beyond the arch and at the free throw line. But the Jazz attempted way more shots than the Lakers, if they made more it could have been a different game. The Lakers are now 4-1 SU against the Jazz, 5-0 SU in the playoffs and 7-3 ATS on two days rest. The Jazz made more attempts at the basket but they just didn’t fall. They put up 22 more shots from the field and nine more 3-pointers. Mehmet Okur was the top producer with 21pts and 19 rebounds while Carlos Boozer had a low 15pts, but a high 14 rebound. The Jazz outrebounded the Lakers 58-41 including 25-8 on the offensive end. They need to be more disciplined on fouls as they had 34 fouls leading to the Lakers making 38 of 46 from the line. The Jazz have averaged 91 PPG in their last five and on the road they are averaging 102 PPG. They are 2-2 SU on the road in the playoffs and 4-3 SU overall in the playoffs. They are 6-12 ATS on two days rest. Recent Trends to Consider
GAME: Utah Jazz (58-31) at L.A. Lakers Lakers (62-25) DATE/TIME: Wednesday, May 07 - 10:30 PM EST LINE: SBGglobal.com TOTAL: 210 PICK: Los Angeles -6 ½ The Bottom Line: The Lakers are money in the bank, during the regular season, and in the playoffs. Kobe can’t be beat in the fourth quarter. Get your NBA Playoff Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit.                        |
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