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PRO BASKETBALL — March 31

L.A. LAKERS (-5) at CHARLOTTE (Total 192)
– Sure, it’s likely that the Lakers will be a little miffed after shooting just 35% against Atlanta on Sunday while dropping an 86-76 decision, falling under its season average in scoring by a whopping 31.5 points. That was L.A.’s first loss in the first five games of its current road trip. Interestingly, if you take a close look at the numbers, defense is not the Lakers’ strong suit when they’re the visitor, as they’re giving up almost 47% shooting. Highlights – Pau Gasol has had double digits in rebounds in each of his last six games, and busted out for 36 points against New Jersey on Friday. Lowlights – Charlotte has won six of the last seven meetings, so they certainly have something extra when they step on the floor against this opponent. The one meeting they’ve had this year was on January 27, where Charlotte won a 117-110 double-overtime decision behind 40 combined points by Larry Brown’s new acquisitions, Boris Diaw and Raja Bell. If you recall, Gerald Wallace banged himself up in this game, and had to stay behind in a Los Angeles hospital, missing seven games. He’s shot 58% in the month of March. The Bobcats bear more resemblance to a playoff team than the last time they met, and now sits two games behind Chicago in the East in the race for the final post-season slot.

THE PLAY: CHARLOTTE +5 ***

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All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars
Lines are subject to change

PRO BASKETBALL — March 31

UTAH (+6.5) at PORTLAND (Total 194)
– This series has been dominated by the home team (wins and covers in each of the last six) and that suits Portland just fine, because the Blazers are a solid 22-14 ATS at the Rose Garden this season, and have ripped through Phoenix and Memphis by 20 points apiece in the last two. Brandon Roy is doing his part, hitting 53% or better in three of his last four games, and LeMarcus Aldridge has 71 points, 31 rebounds and seven blocks in his last three. We’re still waiting for Carlos Boozer to bust out offensively; the 6’9″ power forward has averaged only 13 points since coming back from his injury, and he’s shot just 43% in his last five games, far below his career numbers. There’s a rather big scheduling edge for the Blazers here too, as they have had two days of rest while Utah is coming off a win hosting the New York Knicks last night. That becomes more significant when you consider that the Jazz is just 5-12 ATS when playing the second end of back-to-back games.

THE PLAY: PORTLAND ***

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All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars
Lines are subject to change

PRO BASKETBALL — March 31

NEW ORLEANS (-7) at SACRAMENTO (Total 201.5)
– If you wanted to point to one reason the Kings are just 11-25 SU and 14-22 ATS at ARCO Arena, it could be because they have allowed 47.5% shooting to the opposition at home, and 40% from beyond the three-point arc. So while it wasn’t an anomaly when Phoenix came in and shot 49.5% on Sunday, it was the Suns’ own lack of defense that let them down, as Sacramento got 15 points or more from five starters and hit almost 52% in a win. we have been teased by impressive performances from Sacramento before, and they have almost never followed them up with anything positive. New Orleans is obviously more proficient defensively than that, but what might save Sacramento is that the Hornets haven’t played lately like there is a lot of room for error. They haven’t been a good shooting team in recent games, and haven’t reached 100 points in any of their last nine. Plus, it appears as if Tyson Chandler, who gets some garbage buckets in close, and Peja Stojakovic, the team’s best long-range shooter, are going to be unavailable. Still, we’re very wary about the Kings, whether it’s at home or on the road, and there is, after all, a playoff race New Orleans is heavily involved in (tied for #6 in the West and two games out of third). If New Orleans wins this one, it will have to be fueled by its defensive work, and they’ve played nine straight unders to illustrate our point.

THE PLAY: UNDER 201.5 ***

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All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars
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PRO BASKETBALL — March 31

NEW YORK (+12.5) at DENVER (Total 221)
– There’s good news all around for Denver right now. Nene is back in action to bolster the front line after his suspension, and had eight points, two blocked shots and seven rebounds in about half a game against Golden State upon his return. Carmelo Anthony has exploded for 29, 29, 43 and 31 points in his last four games, The Nuggets have covered those four games, and six of their last eight, and haven’t been held under 100 points since March 8. That was against the Houston Rockets, and there is hardly any resemblance between the Rockets and this Knicks team as far as defense is concerned. New York has one of the worst stop units in the NBA, yielding 48.2% from the floor and over 108 points a game. The Knicks have lost eight of their last nine, and Mike D’Antoni’s team hits rough spots from time to time with its up-tempo attack, scoring more than 104 points just once in that nine-game period. Nate Robinson is not lighting up the nets anymore, with just 11 ppg over the last four, and Larry Hughes has gone positively ice-cold, shooting 29% in his last nine. Denver is still fighting hard, just a half-game out of the second overall spot in the West.

THE PLAY: DENVER ***

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All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars
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PRO BASKETBALL — March 31

OKLAHOMA CITY (+12) at SAN ANTONIO (Total 188)
– The Thunder may be fading just a little; in the last six games they’ve managed only one game in which they won OR covered, and that was a March 22 trip to Minnesota. This is a tough road game for them if San Antonio shows some motivation. Remember that the Spurs went to the Ford Center on March 16 and made just three of 19 shots from beyond the arc as they were bested by a 78-76 margin. San Antonio did a good job of shutting down Oklahoma City’s offense, holding the Thunder to 36%. of course they turned it over 15 times and made just seven free throws, which didn’t help. If some of those fundamentals are still in place, we can see a long night for the Okies. Russell Westbrook’s shooting eye is gradually starting to come back, but Kevin Durant is lacking in shot selection lately (18-for-48 in last three contests). With a day to lick wounds over a loss to New Orleans and with two off days upcoming, revenge works here.

THE PLAY: SAN ANTONIO -12 **

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All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars
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PRO BASKETBALL — March 31

ATLANTA (+3) at PHILADELPHIA (Total 193)
– The Hawks recently went through a bit of a meat grinder, facing San Antonio, Boston and the Lakers in consecutive games, but against mere mortals there has been quite a bit of recent success for Mike Woodson’s team, which has covered ten of its last 12. Atlanta was obviously not intimidated in the City of Brotherly Love last season, winning both meetings in the Wachovia Center. Tony DiLeo, who took over as interim coach after the firing of Maurice Cheeks, has really had his Sixer team hustling for the most part, but there have been some defensive breakdowns of late, as Philadelphia has surrendered 50% or more from the field five times in the last eight games. Not coincidentally, in those five games there was only one covering effort. Atlanta demonstrated that it can shoot poorly (39%) and still beat a good team when they bested the Lakers by ten points Sunday at the Phillips Arena. There’s the top three titans in the East – Cleveland, Boston and Orlando – then there’s the Hawks, in the fourth spot and potentially dangerous again. We’re not shy about taking the points here, especially if Samuel Dalembert, the defensive presence in the middle for the Sixers, can’t go or is not 100% due to his calf injury.

THE PLAY: ATLANTA ***

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All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars
Lines are subject to change

PRO BASKETBALL — March 31

DETROIT (+10) at CLEVELAND (Total 177.5)
– Rasheed Wallace is listed as questionable for this game, still suffering from a calf injury, but then again, Detroit has been questionable in general. Allen Iverson got back to action on Sunday and scored eight points in 21 minutes, but as we know, Iverson’s presence has not led to all the team chemistry in the world. The Cavs are a 67% proposition at home this season (24-12 ATS) and has scored 12 wins in a row, the last two by a combined 50 points. So they are gathering steam as they look to seal up the home court advantage throughout the playoffs. None of the last four opponents have shot higher than 41%, and they’ve coughed it up just eight times a game over the last six. The last time these teams met on this floor, it was no contest, as the Pistons shot just 37% in a 99-78 defeat. Inasmuch as Cleveland has allowed more than 93 points just once in this latest eight-game span, we expect Detroit’s low-octane attack won’t have much more success this time.

THE PLAY: CLEVELAND ***

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All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars
Lines are subject to change

PRO BASKETBALL — March 29

OKLAHOMA CITY (+10.5) at BOSTON (Total 190.5)

It’s no secret that Oklahoma City is one of those teams that’s going to be in the lottery for the NBA draft. At the same time, the Thunder, though not deep in talent, has played hard under the interim coach Scott Brooks, who deserves more assurance of a place in the organization than he’s been given thus far by owner Clay Bennett. Thabo Sefalosha has come aboard and enhanced the defensive attitude a little more in Oklahoma, although four of the last five opponents have hit 48.8% or more against them. Kevin Garnett rested his sore knee against Atlanta last time out (the Celts won anyway), and it looks as though he’ll do so again tonight. Clearly Boston has given up on catching Cleveland for the East’s best record, although they are nip-and-tuck with Orlando for that second spot. Does it really mean anything, when it comes down to it? I’m sure they’ve been thinking about that. Oklahoma City has not been a bad road team, covering 60% of the time. The Celtics, meanwhile, have gotten the money in just one of their last ten home games.

THE PLAY: OKLAHOMA CITY **