Durant shows he's more than a scorer with clutch D

Basketball Betting Lines

04/23/2010 -

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -There's no doubting that Kevin Durant can score.

But it took some convincing for the NBA's scoring champion to believe that he could really impact a game when his shots weren't going in - a lesson that proved crucial to the Oklahoma City Thunder's improvement this season.

Durant developed enough on the defensive end that he was asking to guard Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma City's 101-96 victory in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers. He limited Bryant to 2-for-10 shooting while rediscovering his offense to lead the Thunder to the win.

At this point, Thunder coach Scott Brooks says ``it's hard to imagine us being a good defensive team without him.''

Brooks says he still plans to mix up his defense against Bryant, whose team leads the series 2-1.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Betosports Basketball Betting News

<< Jets confident top pick Wilson should fit right in
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) -Kyle Wilson has always been confident he would make it to the NFL.Even when he was trying to beat his two older brothers in any sport they played. And, even when he had trouble getting recruited out of high school.The New Yo

<< Cavs say give Shaq time
CHICAGO (AP) -It's not easy to fade into the crowd when you're 7-foot-1, 325 pounds, and your name is Shaquille O'Neal.Yet, ``The Big Aristotle'' has been ``The Big Invisible'' the past two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers.After a solid playoff ope

<< New York, Philadelphia clash for first time
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York won only five matches a year ago, but new coach Hans Backe has guided the team to three wins in their first four matches this season. New York is unbeaten at newly-built Red Bull Arena in two

<< Fire, Dynamo square off at Toyota Park
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire host the Houston Dynamo in a Major League Soccer interconference matchup on Saturday night. The Fire (1-2-1) are coming off their first win of the season - 2-0 at D.C. United - and will

<< Price, O'Meara share lead with Cook, Sindelar
Savannah, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The teams of Nick Price and Mark O'Meara and John Cook and Joey Sindelar both fired 10-under 62s on Friday to share the first-round lead at the Legends of Golf. Fred Couples, a three-time winner this

Manny's ailing calf leads to DL stint >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday after aggravating an existing right calf strain. Ramirez was forced to leave Thursday's 8-5 loss to Cincinnati in the si

Harvick remains in talks with RCR for 2011 >>
Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick said on Friday he's had numerous conversations with team owner Richard Childress regarding his contract to remain at Richard Childress Racing for 2011 and beyond. Harvick, curre

Columbus wants revenge against Real Salt Lake >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus Crew coach Robert Warzycha said this week he was "actually happy other teams are getting the attention" so far this season in MLS. Columbus had the best regular-season record in MLS the last two year

Woods 'did not expect' warm Masters welcome >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods was surprised by the warm welcome he received while playing the Masters two weeks ago in his first post-scandal start. Woods said on his blog Friday that he did not know what to expect from t

Early elites meet at CommunityAmerica Ballpark >>
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards host the unbeaten Los Angeles Galaxy at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Saturday night. The matchup is an early battle of top-half clubs. with the Wizards (2-1-0) and Galaxy (4-0-0) n

Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.