Nuggets press on without Karl; meet Rockets

Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets continue their push toward the postseason without head coach George Karl tonight against a desperate Houston Rockets team.

The Nuggets have played without Karl, who is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy to combat throat and neck cancer, for the third straight game on Saturday against Memphis as the coach continues treatment. The veteran mentor is still adjusting to the feeding tube that was inserted into his stomach during a surgical procedure last Monday.

Denver has won six in row and is 3-0 on its current trip but sits just one- half game ahead of Dallas for the No. 2 spot in the competitive Western Conference.

The Nuggets, who are being piloted by lead assistant Adrian Dantley on their trek, last swept a four-game road trip in April of 2005. Meanwhile, the team is aiming to sweep the season series against the Rockets tonight for the first time since the 1977-78 season.

J.R. Smith scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter on Saturday, as the Nuggets used a huge final period to defeat the Grizzlies, 125-108. Smith made 11-of-16 field goals, including a 7-for-10 performance from beyond the arc.

"I got it going, but the most important thing was that we got it going as a team," Smith said. "We got out in the open court, (and we got some easy shots)."

Carmelo Anthony donated 24 points and six rebounds, while Chauncey Billups ended with 22 points. Nene donated 13 for the Nuggets, who outscored Memphis, 40-23, in the fourth.

The Rockets dumped hapless New Jersey on Saturday when Luis Scola poured in a career-high 44 points on 20-of-25 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds, as Houston got past the Nets, 116-108, at the Toyota Center.

Scola topped his previous career-high of 30 for the Rockets, who have won three of their last four games but are a distant 5 1/2 games behind Portland for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Kevin Martin chipped in with 20 and Aaron Brooks posted 18 and seven assists as Houston has now won eight straight against the Nets.

"It's a game obviously we really needed to get," said Rockets coach Rick Adelman. "People look at their (Nets) record and think it should be an easy win, but they have a very good center and a very good point guard. They seem to have a feel for how they want to play. I'm just glad to get this win."

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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