Joseph D'Amico
Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Boyd of Locksmith Sports is the most consistent handicapper across all major sports that the industry has to offer.
Jordan Haimowitz
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Bobby Conn
One of the sharpest minds in the handicapping business.
Mark Franco
Mark Franco helped start Vegas Insider in 1997 and worked under some of the most well respected handicappers in the Nation.
National Basketball Association Game Capsules
(Friday, March 25th)
Final Score: Sacramento 110, Indiana 93
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) – DeMarcus Cousins scored 18 points with 14 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings handled the Indiana Pacers, 110-93, at Conseco Fieldhouse. Francisco Garcia and Samuel Dalembert both finished with 16 points, with Dalembert grabbing 10 boards. Marcus Thornton and Donte Greene added 15 points apiece for Sacramento, which got 12 points and six assists from Beno Udrih. The Kings improved to 3-1 on a five-game road trip that ends Sunday in Philadelphia. Tyreke Evans, who had been out of the Kings lineup since February 13 with plantar fasciitis, finished with six points and eight assists in just over 17 minutes. Danny Granger paced Indiana with a game-high 20 points and Paul George added 12 points and eight rebounds in the loss. The Pacers remain in the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Final Score: Orlando 95, New Jersey 85
Orlando, FL (Sports Network) – Dwight Howard scored 21 points with 14 rebounds and the Orlando Magic pulled away for their fifth straight win, 95-85 over the New Jersey Nets. Hedo Turkoglu added 20 points and Jason Richardson had 16, but the Magic lost starting point guard Jameer Nelson in the first half to a sprained left knee. Anthony Morrow scored 19 points to lead six New Jersey players in double figures, but the Nets lost for the fifth time in six games. The Magic moved a season-high 21 games over .500 (47-26) but remain entrenched in the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference between the third- seeded Heat and fifth-seeded Hawks.
Final Score: Charlotte 83, Boston 81
Boston, MA (Sports Network) – Dante Cunningham made the go-ahead jumper with 33.9 seconds remaining, as the Charlotte Bobcats rallied past the Boston Celtics, 83-81. D.J. White had 17 points and six rebounds off the bench for the Bobcats, who snapped a four-game skid. Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin added 15 and 14 points, respectively, for Charlotte, which is two games back of the Pacers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Paul Pierce finished with 18 points for the Celtics, who have lost two in a row and three of five overall. Ray Allen donated 14 points, but went 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. Kevin Garnett chipped in with 12 points and nine boards for Boston, which sits two games behind the Bulls for the top spot in the East. Rajon Rondo tallied 10 points and five assists. The loss was Boston’s first at home against an East opponent (21-1) this season.
Final Score: Cleveland 97, Detroit 91
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) – J.J. Hickson scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Detroit Pistons, 97-91. Baron Davis hit a game-sealing three-pointer in the closing moments to cap a 16-point effort off the bench for the Cavs, who halted a four-game slide. Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince each scored 15 points to pace the Pistons, who dropped their third straight.
Final Score: Miami 111, Philadelphia 99
Miami, FL (Sports Network) – Dwyane Wade scored 39 points, LeBron James added 32 and the Miami Heat pulled away for a 111-99 victory over Philadelphia in a late-season preview of a potential playoff series. Chris Bosh added 20 points, giving Miami’s three stars 91 of the team’s 111 points. Still, it took a 34-17 fourth quarter for the Heat to knock off the pesky 76ers for their seventh win in eight games. Lou Williams was a spark off the bench for Philadelphia, scoring a team-best 24 points in less than 25 minutes. Thaddeus Young had 15 points, also off the bench, but the Sixers fell for the second time in three games. If the regular season ended Friday, the third-seeded Heat and sixth- seeded Sixers would meet in the first round of the playoffs.
Final Score: Milwaukee 102, New York 96
New York, NY (Sports Network) – Brandon Jennings finished with a season-high 37 points as the Milwaukee Bucks topped the slumping New York Knicks, 102-96, at Madison Square Garden. Andrew Bogut added 21 points and 17 rebounds while Luc Mbah a Moute scored 12 for Milwaukee, which is now two games behind the Indiana Pacers for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Amar’e Stoudemire paced the Knicks with 28 points and nine rebounds. Carmelo Anthony added 25 points with eight boards and Toney Douglas scored 16 in a reserve role, but it wasn’t enough to stop a five-game losing streak. The Knicks have dropped to 7-11 since acquiring Anthony and currently sit with the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, just 3 1/2 games ahead of Indiana.
Final Score: Chicago 99, Memphis 96
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – Derrick Rose scored 24 points and recorded a key three-point play with 10.8 seconds remaining, as the Chicago Bulls won their 14th straight game at home with a 99-96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at United Center. Rose also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out seven assists for the Bulls, who hold a two-game lead over the Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Luol Deng added 23 points and six boards for Chicago, which has won three in a row and 11 of 12 overall. Carlos Boozer donated 12 points and nine rebounds. Zach Randolph finished with 16 points for the Grizzlies, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Marc Gasol chipped in with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tony Allen and Mike Conley added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Memphis, which holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 111, Minnesota 103
Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) – Russell Westbrook scored 19 points, dished out eight assists and snagged five steals to lead a balanced attack, as the Oklahoma City Thunder topped Minnesota, 111-103. Kevin Durant added 23 points while Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison and James Harden each scored 13 for the Western Conference’s fourth place team, which improved to 3-1 on a six-game homestand with their 11th win in 13 games. Nazr Mohammed and Serge Ibaka scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, while Ibaka added 10 rebounds in the win. Anthony Randolph had 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have dropped six straight and nine of their last 11 overall. Michael Beasley added 20 points and eight rebounds while Darko Milicic scored 16 in the loss. Minnesota was without double-double machine Kevin Love because of a strained left groin. He also missed Thursday’s game at Dallas and is out indefinitely.
Final Score: Denver 114, Washington 94
Denver, CO (Sports Network) – Starters Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari and reserves Chris Andersen and Al Harrington each scored 17 points, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 114-94 victory over the Washington Wizards. J.R. Smith added 14 points and Nene scored 10 in a well-rounded effort that earned Denver its ninth straight home win. Jordan Crawford scored 19 points to lead the hapless Wizards, who fell to 1-34 on the road this season. They have dropped three in a row and nine of their last 10 overall. The Nuggets have won three straight overall, and seven of their last nine, to solidify their No. 5 position in the Western Conference. They are 3-0 on a four-game homestand that ends next Wednesday against the Kings.
Final Score: New Orleans 106, Phoenix 100
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) – Chris Paul poured in 22 points, including several key buckets at the end of the game, as the New Orleans Hornets overcame losing forward David West for the season with a 106-100 win over the Phoenix Suns. The team received devastating news early Friday, losing West for the season because of a torn ACL he suffered during Thursday’s 121-117 overtime victory over Utah. But several players stepped up in his absence. The club got 19 points from Carl Landry, and Jarrett Jack added 17 in the win, New Orleans’ third in four games. The Hornets kept their playoff hopes in good standing as they remain in seventh place in the Western Conference — a half-game behind Portland and two games ahead of Memphis. Grant Hill and Marcin Gortat each had 18 points for the Suns, who have dropped two of their last three and remain in 10th place in the West. Gortat left in the third quarter and did not return after suffering a broken nose when he walked into Suns guard Steve Nash’s head following a Hornets bucket. Jared Dudley and Aaron Brooks both came off the bench to contribute 17 points in the loss.
Final Score: Portland 98, San Antonio 96
Portland, OR (Sports Network) – Nicolas Batum’s alley-oop tip-in at the buzzer gave Portland a 98-96 win over San Antonio at the Rose Garden. Portland trailed by six points, 96-90, with just over a minute to play, but Andre Miller put in a layup and, after misses at both ends, he stripped the ball from Tony Parker and put in a layup with 30.5 seconds to play. Manu Ginobili then lost the ball and Batum was fouled with 0.9 seconds to play, making both free throws to tie the game. Steve Novak threw the ball out of bounds, giving Portland a chance for the win and the team took advantage as Miller sent up a pass to the rim and Batum put it home for the victory. Miller and Batum each had 21 points as Miller added eight assists and six rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who have won five of six to stay a half-game ahead of New Orleans for the sixth spot in the Western Conference. Ginobili had 21 points and seven assists and Parker had 15 points, but eight turnovers as the Spurs lost back-to-back games for the first time since dropping two in a row at New York and Boston on January 4-5. San Antonio now holds a five- game lead over the Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference and a 6 1/2-game lead over Dallas for the top spot in the Southwest Division.
Final Score: Golden State 138, Toronto 100
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Monta Ellis scored 27 points and led seven Golden State players in double figures in a 138-100 rout of the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors set an NBA season-high with 84 points in the first half. Dorell Wright tallied 26 points, Stephen Curry 23 and David Lee 21, including the first made three-pointer of his career. Everything seemed to be falling for the Warriors. They scored 45 in the opening quarter, ended the game shooting 61.4 percent and snapped a six-game slide. Leandro Barbosa and DeMar DeRozan each scored 19 for the Raptors, losers of three in a row. Ed Davis had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while James Johnson tallied 14 points in defeat.
Final Score: LA Lakers 112, LA Clippers 104
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – Kobe Bryant poured in 37 points and dished out six assists, as the Lakers held off the Clippers, 112-104. Pau Gasol added 26 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who have won six in a row and sit five games behind the Spurs for the top spot in the Western Conference. Ron Artest donated 15 points and five boards for the Lakers, who are 5-0 on a seven-game homestand. Andrew Bynum returned from a two-game suspension to record 11 points and 12 rebounds. Mo Williams had a season- high 30 points to go with six assists for the Clippers, who have lost eight straight as the guest in this series. Blake Griffin tallied 22 points and six boards.
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