Cavaliers top Lakers for first Staples Center win

Basketball Betting Lines

02/16/2007 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James poured in 38 points and hit the go-ahead jumper with just over three minutes left, as the Cavaliers secured their first win at the Staples Center with a 114-108 triumph over the struggling Los Angeles Lakers.

James went 10-of-16 from the field and feasted at the foul line with an 18-for-22 effort, as the Cavaliers won for the fourth time in five contests leading to the All-Star break.

"It was important to be aggressive tonight," James said. "I just wanted to be aggressive and the guys fed off it."

The Cavs snapped a seven-game road skid versus the Lakers, winning an away contest against them for the first time since Dec. 7, 1997.

"LeBron James attacked tonight," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "When he attacks he is hard to guard. He finished at the rim. When he plays like this it's contagious to our team."

Kobe Bryant had 34 points and missed just one of his 15 free throws, but the Lakers fell for a fifth consecutive time overall and for a fourth straight time at home.

This marks only the third time in Phil Jackson's coaching career he's had a five-game losing streak, one coming with Chicago and two with the Lakers. He's never had a six-game losing streak in his 16-year NBA coaching career, and will try to avoid that when the Lakers take the court again next Wednesday at home against Portland.

"They took the ball right to us and we didn't have an answer for it," Jackson said.

Lamar Odom ended with 20 points for the Lakers, who lost for the 11th time in 15 contests.

James nailed a fadeaway jumper with 3:05 left to give the Cavs a 102-101 lead, and after a Bryant turnover on a bad pass, Sasha Pavlovic drilled a three- pointer.

The Lakers were able to get as close as one, as Bryant made a three-pointer with 34.3 seconds left, but James was then fouled with 20.1 seconds left.

Then came the turning point.

James hit the first free throw, but missed the second. LA's Ronny Turiaf couldn't secure the rebound and Anderson Varejao got the rebound. James was fouled and sank two free throws with 11.7 seconds left for a 112-108 margin.

Bryant then missed a three-pointer and Varejao put the final touches on Cleveland's win with a pair of free throws.

Varejao ended with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Larry Hughes scored 14 and Eric Snow had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Sasha Vujacic scored 14, while Smush Parker and Andrew Bynum each had 12 for the Lakers.

The Cavs led 29-28 after one quarter and were clinging to a 56-54 edge at the half. It was 91-85 Cleveland going into the fourth.

Game Notes

Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas sat out his second straight game due to attend to a family health issue...It's off to Las Vegas for the NBA's biggest stars, as this was the final game on the schedule before the midseason contest at the Thomas & Mack Center...Bryant had a streak of 36 straight free throws coming into the game and made his first seven in this game before missing early in the third quarter...Drew Gooden had 12 points, while Pavlovic and Donyell Marshall each had 11 for the Cavs.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.