Hornets try to stop Lin, Knicks at MSG

Basketball Betting Lines

02/17/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some think New Orleans will put an end to the Lin-sanity that has engulfed New York City on Friday. Others think it will eventually be Carmelo Anthony.

The thought was Jeremy Lin and Anthony could be in the starting lineup together tonight as the Knicks shoot for an eighth straight win against the Hornets in Madison Square Garden.

However, Anthony was ruled out again on Friday morning as he continues to recover from a strained right groin. New York coach Mike D'Antoni said the All-Star could be available Sunday when Dallas visits Gotham.

New York's recent resurgence, of course, has coincided with Lin's rise from obscurity along with Anthony's absence from the lineup.

Lin continued his unlikely surge Wednesday, setting a career-high in assists for the second straight day and handing out nine of his 13 helpers in the first half, as the Knicks built a big lead on the way to a 100-85 win over the Sacramento Kings.

New York has won seven games in a row for the first time since last season, all with big contributions from the former benchwarmer and new starting point guard.

Wednesday's runaway win came one night after Lin, with a then-career high 11 assists, kept the ball himself and buried a game-winning three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in Toronto.

He only played three quarters against Sacramento, scoring 10 points and sitting the entire fourth in a lopsided win.

"That's great on a night like that," said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni. "The next game he might score 30. Whatever we need to win, he'll do."

The Knicks had seven scorers in double figures and improved to 15-15, reaching .500 for the first time since they were 6-6 after a loss at Oklahoma City on January 14.

Amare Stoudemire had 11 points in his second game back and Landry Fields led New York with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

"We need to make sure we put our egos aside," said Lin. "When we put our egos aside and buy into coach D'Antoni's system, we're going to win."

Those "egos" could be amped up when Anthony finally does return. The superstar has been a disappointment since arriving from Denver at last season's trading deadline, often being called a "ball-stopper" and criticized for not allowing his teammates to get involved with the offense,

Lin, on the other hand, has been able to score and distribute, compiling 136 points in his first five starts -- the most by any player since the NBA merged with the ABA in 1976 -- and dishing out the career-best 13 assists vs. Sacramento.

"I know I'm not a selfish player. People around me know I'm not a selfish player," Anthony told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. "I do everything I can to make people around me understand I'm not a selfish player."

The Hornets, meanwhile, opened up a six-game road trip in Milwaukee on Wednesday by earning a 92-89 win. Marco Belinelli led the Hornets in that one with 22 points as New Orleans snapped a six-game road losing streak.

Chris Kaman added a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza netted 14 points for the Hornets, who have won two straight after dropping 23 of their previous 25.

"We're a fighting team," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "We have a little bit of grit about us. It's too bad you don't have a stat for heart and intensity."

NOLA, which will also visit Oklahoma City, Indiana, Cleveland and Chicago on its trek, is just 3-9 on the road this season and has lost six straight games to New York. The Hornets have dropped three in a row and 14 of 20 at MSG.

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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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