Clippers wrap up Texas two-step in Houston

Basketball Betting Lines

12/03/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angles Clippers finish a quick two-day swing of Texas Wednesday when they face the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.

The Clips lost a tough one in Dallas on Tuesday when Jose Barea's three- pointer with 50.2 seconds to play lifted the Mavericks to a 100-98 comeback victory over Los Angeles.

Zach Randolph scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Baron Davis added 22 points for the Clippers, who have lost eight of their last 10 contests.

Al Thornton had 23 points and nine rebounds, while rookie Eric Gordon had 13 points in the loss. Marcus Camby recorded six points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles.

"A really disappointing loss for us," said Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy after the game. "We played so well, but in the fourth quarter we did a terrible job defensively. We settled for quick, long three-point shots, (and) they just weren't good shots. That allowed them to get out into the open court and score easy buckets."

The Clippers remain on the road for two games, against Memphis and Minnesota, after leaving Houston.

A shorthanded Houston team fell in Denver on Sunday when Chauncey Billups scored 28 points -- including 24 in the second half -- and dished out 10 assists to lead the Nuggets to a 104-94 victory over the Rockets.

Houston was without Tracy McGrady (sore left knee) and Brent Barry (calf) for the second consecutive game.

Yao Ming scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Rockets, which had a four-game road winning streak snapped. Ron Artest posted 13 points and six blocked shots, while Rafer Alston contributed 16 points and six assists in the loss. Luther Head, a night after scoring 21 in a win over the Spurs, scored only three points on 1-of-7 shooting in the loss.

McGrady is expected to be sidelined for three weeks as he rehabilitates his knee.

The Clippers, who are just 1-5 away from Hollywood this season, have lost eight of their last 10 games in Houston.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.