Magic survive Kobe, Lakers to win fifth straight

Basketball Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter scored a team-high 25 points, and Dwight Howard added 15 points and 16 rebounds, as the Orlando Magic escaped with a 96-94 win over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

Jameer Nelson finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Orlando, which has won five straight and seven of its last eight overall. Rashard Lewis hit four three-pointers and ended with 12 points and six boards.

Kobe Bryant, who missed a potential game-tying shot at the fourth-quarter buzzer, led all scorers with 34 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who have dropped three straight -- all on the road -- for the first time since January 23-27, 2008. Pau Gasol donated a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.

LA, which earned a 98-92 victory over the Magic on January 18 at Staples Center, defeated Orlando for the NBA title in five games last year. It was the Lakers' 15th title in franchise history.

Trailing, 74-64, after three quarters, Bryant hit a pair of jumpers to ignite an 8-0 run and get LA to within two, 74-72, with 8:35 remaining. Orlando answered with a 7-2 burst to grab a 81-74 after a Howard dunk a short time later. On the play, Gasol was issued a flagrant foul, but Howard missed both free throws.

Then, with the Magic up 94-89 in the final minute, Bryant drained a corner three with 26.4 seconds on the clock. After Nelson was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the stripe, Bryant hit a long jumper from the top of the arc with 12.9 ticks left to cut LA's deficit to one.

The shot was originally ruled a three before the officials briefly reviewed it, and the replay clearly showed Bryant's foot was on the line. Carter was then fouled and made 1-of-2 with 9.7 seconds to go before Bryant's medium-range jumper was off the mark as time expired.

The Magic had a 31-24 lead after the first 12 minutes, then went up by double- figures, 38-28, after Mickael Pietrus hit a three-pointer in the early stages of the second quarter.

Orlando continued to hold the lead throughout the period, but Gasol's dunk got the Lakers to within 52-48 heading into the break. A layup and jumper from Matt Barnes and Jason Williams, respectively, allowed the hosts to build a 71-59 lead with 2:27 left in the third quarter, and the Magic settled for a 10-point lead after three.

Game Notes

Despite the loss, the Lakers have won 17 of the last 23 matchups with the Magic and hold a 31-12 advantage in the all-time series...Howard's double- double was hit 50th of the season, which leads the NBA...Orlando will also face the Clippers and Chicago Bulls on its three-game homestand...The Magic shot 41.1 percent from the field, while LA shot only 37.5 percent...Barnes finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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