LANG
15 DIME - NUGGETS
A stomach bug/flu is running through the Lakers' team right now. Kobe felt lousy last night at Minnesota but gutted it out and started, but he wasn't right and scored just 13 points and played only three quarters. He didn't want to go to the hospital afterwards, but that tells you how bad of shape he was in. Andrew Bynum didn't even play and needed and IV. Now you can beat the worst team in the league when two of your top players are under the weather, but you're not going to beat the Nuggets less than 24 hours later - especially when the Nuggets are sitting there in the high altitude of Denver just waiting to get payback after getting blown out by the Lakers by a 127-99 score last week. You don't think Carmelo, A.I. and company aren't going to want to step on the Lakers when they're down and hurting just like LA did to them when they were at the Staples Center? Exactly my point. Denver rolls by 15+ in a route as the Lakers lose their fourth in a row in Denver.
5 DIME - MAVS
I don't care that the Spurs are undefeated at home. No Duncan; No chance. Simple as that. The Maverics beat the hell out of San Antonio in the first go-round with Duncan in the line-up, rolling 105-92 at home. Why shouldn't they beat them up good in this rematch with Duncan watching from the bench in street clothes? Plus, Dallas has won and covered four straight in the series.
5 DIME - NORTHERN IOWA
Nice spot to make a small play on Northern Iowa minus the points at home against short-handed Iowa. The Hawkeyes will be without starting point guard Jeff Peterson, leaving them with potentially just eight players in uniform. Worse yet, they might not have a true point guard available, altough there is a slight chance guard Tony Freeman, who has yet to play this season, might return from a foot injury. That spells trouble for a Hawkeye team that's averaging 18.2 turnovers a game this season and committed a season-high 29 in a 72-67 overtime loss to LA-Monroe in last Friday's first-round loss of its own Hawkeye Challenge Tournament at home as a 7 1/2-point favorite. And in its only other excursions away from home in tournament play, Iowa got drilled by Utah State, 75-62, and Bradley, 67-56. Northern Iowa is 6-1 overall, including 4-0 at home, and has won each of the last two meetings.
Free Pick: Raptors (Daily Video)