Well, if the Magic were a Belmont Stakes betting option, they definitely pulled up lame out of the gate. 

Lakers Magic betting - Lakers -6.5, Sunday, June 5, 9:00 PM ET

The Magic were beaten all over the court in a 100-75 mauling at the hands of the Lakers, as they shot 29.9% from the field, and were outrebounded 55-41. Mickael Pietrus was the high scorer with 14 points off the bench, but the Magic’s big three of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu were a combined 6-of-27 from the field. Orlando was also 8-of-23 from beyond the arc, which is their key to the series. Jameer Nelson made his return but didn’t really do much,  adding six points and four assists in 23 minutes.

For the Lakers, it was all Kobe, all day. Bryant had a game-high 40 points to go with eight boards and eight assists, with 18 points coming in the third quarter to put the Magic away. Pau Gasol had 16 and eight boards for the Lakers, who usually look to get everyone involved, but when your star is feeling it like Kobe was, you gotta let him go.

NBA Finals odds are backing the Lakers by 6.5 points to take a 2-0 series lead to Orlando, and this game will be much, much closer. The Magic looked like a deer in headlights on Thursday, and now the nerves are out of their system. Bryant likely won’t go for 40 again, but he knew how important it was for the Lakers to win Game 1, as the Magic won the first game of their series with both Boston and Cleveland. The Magic will make it closer, but the Lakers just want it more.

Lakers Magic betting pick: Lakers to cover

Now, I have no problem with guarantees, like, for example, if someone in the Rachel Alexander said that Belmont Stakes betting players should gamble the farm on the star filly, then fine. She’s actually done something. I don’t even have a problem with Mo Williams’ guarantee that the Cavs would win the series.

But after watching last night’s overtime loss to the Magic, man……Mo Williams needs to shut his mouth. He came out alright, and even had a decent night with 18 points. But he shot 5-of-15 from the field, missed all three of his long-range attempts, and almost half of his points were on foul shots. Because I (and a host of others) laid my faith in him, basketball odds players everywhere are now in trouble. Meanwhile, those who played the Cavs Magic betting matchup in favor of Orlando, well, I say good on ya. Dwight’s even hitting his free throws, and Rafer Alston is playing out of his mind. 

Still, I’m going for Cleveland one more time. Here’s hopin’. If Mo Williams doesn’t score at least 27 points, there is going to be hell to pay.

Basketball odds pick: Cleveland -7.5

It’s not even boxing betting time, but here I am, taking a beating. 

Cavaliers Magic odds - Wednesday, May 26, 8:30 PM ET

The Cavaliers’ supporting cast was nowhere to be found in Game 3’s 99-89 loss. If it wasn’t for LeBron James and some questionable foul calls, the Cavs may have lost by 20. Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West combined to go 11-of-37 from the field.  James had 41 points, nine assists and seven boards, but come on, guys, he can’t do it by himself every night.

The Magic were aggressive, and showed composure every time the Cavs made a run. Dwight Howard was hitting his free throws, and if he can do that consistently, he’s unstoppable, which means Orlando is bound to have great NBA odds whenever he’s in the lineup.

Cavs Magic odds are somehow backing Cleveland by 1.5 points, and since Williams “guaranteed” a victory, he better back it up. He’s been disappointing in the playoffs, as he was signed so LeBron doesn’t have to score 40 points a game. The Magic have been riding the underdog train all series and they clearly has the momentum, but you can’t count on Cleveland being that bad again in Game 4….can you?

Cavs Magic betting pick: Cleveland

Kobe Bryant will be checking out next week’s Champions League betting odds, as he is a big Barcelona fan and wanted to play for AC Milan while growing up in Italy. However, he took some time out form being a soccer fan to save his team from a shattering loss in Game 1 of their series with Denver.

Lakers Nuggets odds - Thursday, May 21, 9:00 PM ET

Bryant scored 18 of his 40 points to power the Lakers to a 105-103 victory, while no other Lakers had more than 13 points (Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher). The Lakers can’t win with Bryant jacking up 28 shots a game….or can they?

The Nuggets really should have won this game, as they had 11 more free-throw attempts than the Lakers (at the Staples Center, that’s impressive), but managed to go 23-of-35 from the line. Carmelo Anthony lit up the Lakers for 39 points, but free throws and a -9 deficit on the glass killed the Nuggets, who may have missed their best chance to win a game in Los Angeles, where they have beaten Denver nine of the last 10 games.

Lakers Nuggets odds are backing the Lakers by 5.5 points, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Nuggets come out after losing a seven-point deficit in the final 12 minutes of the game. They should keep feeding Anthony the ball as much as possible, as he’s too big for Kobe to guard, and well, then there is Trevor Ariza. J.R. Smith is usually a hot hand off the bench, but he was more wrapped in guarding Bryant, for obvious reasons. Defensively, you have to think the Lakers will step up their game on Thursday, and they could have been a little tired after being taken to seven games by the Rockets, while the Nuggets got a break after beating Dallas in five. Look for a much more balanced Los Angeles team. (Basketball betting pick: Lakers to cover)

Everyone who is planning to go against the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA odds because of their 100-92 Game 1 loss at home to Houston: stop, have a beverage, and relax. Everything is fine with the Lake Show.

The Lakers hadn’t played since April 27th, when they wrapped up their five-game series with Utah in the first round. On top of that, Kobe Bryant couldn’t practice prior to the game because of a flu and laryngitis, and it took him 31 shots to get his 32 points. The Lakers were also a terrible 2-of-18 from beyond the arc, and they’re a pretty good three-point shooting team in general. They also struggled from the foul line, going 12-of-19, and Lamar Odom was the biggest culprit, missing five of his six chances from the charity stripe. Any team with good NBA odds are usually good from the foul line, and the Lakers are a good free-throw shooting team, so they should bounce back.

NBA odds still have the Lakers as the favorites to win this series, although the Rockets’ win changed the sportsbook line just a little bit. Expect to see a completely different Lakers team tonight when the two meet for Game 2.

Those checking this Saturday’s boxing odds can watch a different type of slugfest, as Chicago is giving the defending champions from Boston all they can handle in a series that is tied at two, with three of the four games being decided by three or fewer points, and one double-overtime classic that has been the game of the playoffs so far. Much has been made of the Derrick Rose-Rajon Rondo matchup, and both young point guards have been fantastic, but the real battle comes from a pair of UConn snipers, Boston’s Ray Allen and Chicago’s Ben Gordon. This clash of snipers will be the deciding factor in these basketball betting odds.

In Game 1, Allen was only 1-of-12, and Gordon dropped 20 in an overtime win for the Bulls. In Game 2, Gordon lit up the Celtics for 42, but it was Allen’s last-second three to cap a 30-point performance to lift Boston to a win. Both had quiet games in Boston’s Game 3 romp, but they were up to their old tricks in Game 4, trading last-second shots in a double-overtime win for the Bulls. Allen had 28 to Gordon’s 22, but Gordon’s three at the end of the first overtime kept the Bulls’ basketball betting chances alive.

These two must be familiar with each other, as Allen starred at UConn between 1993 and 1996, while Gordon also spent three years at UConn between 2001 and 2004, helping the Huskies win a national title. It’s been fun to watch them go at each other, and it’s no surprise that either will be getting the game-winning shot in upcoming games in this series, so basketball betting odds and totals will depend heavily on how these two gunners play.

Those looking at the boxing odds for next week’s fight may have caught a headline on Tuesday morning, when Dallas center Erick Dampier said he would put San Antonio guard Tony Parker “on his back” after Parker lit up the Mavericks for 38 points, mostly on layups, in Game 2’s 105-84 win. The NBA reviewed the comments and decided there was no reason for the foul.

First of all, where was Dampier when Parker was dropping 27 in the first half? Maybe that hard foul should have come in the first quarter? And who is he anyway? He’s got no say in the Mavericks’ basketball betting odds, he’s essentially an extra six fouls a game. It’s kind of amazing he’s been in the league for 12 years. And since he’s been in the league for 12 years, he should know better than to say that in the press. If you’re going to foul hard, go out and do it. Now, referees will have a magnifying glass on him tonight when the Mavericks host the Spurs as basketball betting favorites at home. The Mavericks already have a tough enough task as is; if Dampier is in foul trouble, the Mavericks have no one that can guard Tim Duncan, and Parker will have an even easier time in the lane. Way to draw attention to yourself. It’s dumb moves like this that players should stay away from Dallas’ basketball betting odds.

Much like Kentucky Derby betting players who come to find out that a favorite horse has to be put down, basketball betting players watched on Tuesday night as Dikembe Mutumbo went down in the first quarter of Houston’s loss to Portland. Mutumbo got tangled up with the Trailblazers’ Greg Oden and came down on his left leg, and he immediately clutched at his knee. Mutumbo now says his basketball career is over, and it’s a shame that it had to end like that.

Mutumbo will be go down as one of the best defensive players of all time, winning Defensive Player of the Year four times, leading the league in blocks five times, four times in rebounding, and he was an eight-time All-Star. As great of a player as he was, he may be better remembered for his philanthropic efforts around the league and in his country of Congo.

So what does this mean for Houston’s basketball betting chances? As the oldest player in the league at 42, Mutumbo still gave the Rockets valuable minutes off the bench when Yao Ming needed a spell, and their interior defense also took a hit. Mutumbo was also one of the most well-liked players in the Houston locker room, and many Rockets said how tough it was to watch his career end on a stretcher. However, they could use this as inspiration, so don’t avoid the Rockets’ basketball betting odds just yet.

Those looking at their basketball betting odds this morning got more injury news from the Boston camp, as Leon Powe is out for the season after he tore his ACL in the Celtics’ thrilliing 118-115 win over Chicago on Monday night. So what does it all mean?

It means Boston’s interior defense is a terrible state right now. The Celtics were in bad shape with no Kevin Garnett, and now are down to Kendrick Pendrick, Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Mikki Moore in the post. The Bulls have to take advantage of this if they want to pull off a huge basketball betting upset. If Derrick Rose can get into the paint like he did in his 36-point performance in Game 1, that leaves the likes of Brad Miller and Tyrus Thomas to do their thing down low. Offensively, Davis is their biggest threat in the post, and that can’t be a good sign for those looking over the Bulls vs Celtics odds, if you’re a Boston fan, that is. If Garnett’s absence is like a Kentucky Derby betting player losing his star thoroughbred, what happens when you lose the backup as well?

Still, this was pretty insane at the end of Game 2:

The season is almost over, and it’s almost playoff time, but NBA betting players still have some player props to bet on, such as the MVP award. Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant won it last year, and he’s earned consideration this year, but there’s only one winner, and that is……

LeBron James have simply been the best player on the best team in the league, and since that seems to be the way the MVP is decided, he has to win (how the MVP is decided is a whole ‘nother blog post). James is second in the league in scoring, he’s shot career bests from the free-throw and three-point line, he’s become a much better defensive player, and he’s more forceful at the end of games, which is something we’ve been waiting for since his 30-point second-half outburst against Detroit in the playoffs a couple seasons back. You could make a strong NBA betting case for Dwayne Wade, who leads the league in scoring and has carried Miami to a No.5 seed on his back, and Bryant has been the straw that stirs the Lakers, the best team in the West. But when NBA betting players go to make their choice for MVP, they have to go with Lebron James. Give the “King” his crown.