Once again the Lakers have dropped the first game of the NBA
playoff series but look for them to take care of business in Game 2 at home.
Despite the big number on the betting odds board I fully expect Kobe and crew
to cover.
Victory seemed to be in the bag for Kobe Bryant and company
early on in Game 1 but the Dallas Mavericks hung around and eventually went on to
capture a hugely important advantage in the series.
The L.A. Lakers were up by nine at halftime but Dirk Nowitzki
really turned it up in the second half (especially in the fourth) to stun the
hosts.
In the end, the deadly shooter finished with 28 points on
11-of-22 shooting and also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. It was a pretty
balanced effort all-around though as four other players reached double figures
with Jason Kidd contributing 11 assists, five rebounds and three steals despite
a poor shooting night.
For the home team, Kobe Bryant had a typically brilliant
night, pouring in 36 points on 14-of-29 from the floor. He nailed four
3-pointers and also had five rebounds.
Pau Gasol had a nice night as well, filling the statsheet
with 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. But it wasn't as effective of a
game for inside partner Andrew Bynum, who had only eight points and five boards
in the loss.
The Lakers still actually held a distinct advantage in the
paint (46-36) but could not pull away from the pesky Mavericks. They'll look to
make things right here in a pivotal Game 2.
Lakers should even things up
Add another cover to an already impressive streak for
Dallas. The squad is now an impeccable 10-0-1 ATS over its last 11 games
heading into Wednesday's contest.
That leaves the Mavericks at 4-0-1 ATS over their previous
five matchups on the road, aiming to make that a fifth win here in Game 2.
Now the Lakers have covered in only two of their past eight
games at Staples Center yet that doesn't mean NBA odds makers are backing down.
They have Phil Jackson's crew favored by seven points for
this encounter with 7.5 also available at certain sportsbooks. The total is
sitting around the 187 mark.
This may be a risky move but I actually think the Lakers
come out with a point to prove on Wednesday and win quite comfortably to even
up the series and cover the spread.
Going down 0-2 would be devastating and I just don't see a
Kobe Bryant-led team falling into such a big hole.
The Lakers were up by 16 at one point in Game 1 and I see
them building up a similar lead – however this time expect them not to collapse
down the stretch.
In the stats L.A. actually had the edge in a majority of
categories, including rebounds, second-chance points and points in the paint as
mentioned earlier. On Wednesday, if they play well again, that should translate
into a big Game 2 win.
NBA Free Pick: Lakers tie the series and cover the
rather large number as well