Is Iron Man and the Lakers a bit rusty?

Dwight Howard might think that after ditching the cape and opting to wear an armor instead, nothing can now stop him and the Lakers on their quest for the much coveted O'Brien trophy. Well if kryptonite can't, no team can, right?

That certainly wasn't the case last night when they battled Melo and the Knicks on the Garden. In fact, it was Melo who was unstoppable until the Iron Man, yes, decided to use some irons and hit him with a hard foul.

The Knicks dominated much of the game, and the only time the Lakers were within hailing distance is after Carmelo walked into the locker room. Even Kobe's 31 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists were not enough,  in the end, to silence the Madison Square Garden fans.

Knicks owned the Lakers, 116-107, and are still the team to beat with a 17-5 record in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers with all the stars and might they have, need to learn, and learn quickly, that before they can fly, they first need to protect their nest. D-Fence. They just gave up 116 points last night, and Antawn Jamison just staring at Steve Novak leisurely shooting three's in the corner, did not help their cause. Are they getting rusty and slooow to get back on defense? Mentally, it seems that they are just a few steps closer towards seeing a shrink.  It's a pity seeing the future hall of famer, on his 17th season, leading the league in scoring and a 5-time world champion, Kobe Bryant, just keeps falling short of taking care of business on the court.

 Meanwhile, all the Lakers Nation can do is pray that Steve Nash can return as soon as possible. Of course, they will be a better team with a healthy Steve Nash and Pau Gasol on the lineup, offensive-wise. On defense, they just need to stop opponents from scoring, period. D'Antoni lashing at a reporter on camera that they practiced for half an hour on defense, the quote of the year so far, were signs that even the coach is cracking under stress. No, the Iron Man and the Lakers are not  rusty at all. They just need to get rid of all the emotional baggage right now, and wining will come back naturally to the team. They need to win first though,  before they can feel better again. Will it be the chicken or the egg?

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Next up:

LA Lakers at Washington, Friday, December 14
New York home to Cleveland, Saturday, December 15

Here is the Bet On Sports  Complete Matchup tool to check on Lakes stats.

To bet on your team, go to NBA Betting Lines.

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SAN @ POR - NBA Matchup 12.13.12, 10:30 PM

The fans at Rose Garden will be treated to a game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers when they take their seats on Thursday.

Oddsmakers currently have the Spurs listed as 7-point favorites versus the Trail Blazers, while the game's total is sitting at 201½.

San Antonio was a 99-96 loser in its last match on the road against the Jazz. 

Last time out for Portland, they were a 92-74 winner as they battled the Raptors at home. 

San Antonio:
Team record: 18-5 SU, 15-7-1 ATS 

The total has gone OVER in 8 of last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 6 games when playing Portland

Portland:
Team record: 9-12 SU, 8-12-1 ATS 

Injury News:

 SAN ANTONIO SPURS

LAYER	POSITION	DESCRIPTION
Stephen Jackson	G	Out Indefinitely (hand)
Kawhi Leonard	G	Out Indefinitely (quad)

 PORTLAND TRAILBLAZER

PLAYER	POSITION	DESCRIPTION
Nicolas Batum	G	Day-to-Day (back)
Wesley Matthews	G	Day-to-Day (hip)
Elliot Williams	G	Out Indefinitely (achilles)

Here is the Bet On Sports  Complete Matchup between the 2 teams

Next up:
San Antonio home to Boston, Saturday, December 15
Portland home to New Orleans, Sunday, December 16

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LAL @ NYK - NBA Matchup 12.13.12, 8:00 PM

The Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks will both be trying to pick up a win on Thursday when they battle at Madison Square Garden.

Oddsmakers currently have the Knicks listed as 6-point favorites versus the Lakers, while the game's total is sitting at 206½.

Los Angeles lost its last outing, a 100-94 result against the Cavaliers on December 11. The Lakers failed to cover in that game as a 6.5-point favorite, while the 194 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

The Knicks were a 100-97 winner in their most recent outing on the road against the Nets. They failed to cover the 3.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (197) made winners of OVER bettors.

Los Angeles:
Team record: 9-13 SU, 9-13 ATS
Current streak: lost 3 straight games.

New York:
Team record: 16-5 SU, 13-8 ATS
Current streak: won 2 straight games.

Here is the Bet On Sports  Complete Matchup between the 2 teams

Next up:

LA Lakers at Washington, Friday, December 14
New York home to Cleveland, Saturday, December 15

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CHR @ ATL - NBA Matchup 12.13.12, 7:30 PM

The division rival Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks are set to renew hostilities on Thursday when they meet at Philips Arena. Oddsmakers currently have the Hawks listed as 10-point favorites versus the Bobcats, while the game's total is sitting at 194. Last time out for Charlotte, they were a 100-94 loser as they battled the Clippers at home. Atlanta won its last outing, an 86-80 result against the Magic on December 12. Charlotte: Team record: 7-14 SU, 9-12 ATS Current streak: lost 9 straight games. The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 6 games when playing Atlanta The total has gone UNDER in 7 of last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta Atlanta: Team record: 13-6 SU, 8-10-1 ATS is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Charlotte is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games  Here is the Bet On Sports  Complete Matchup between the 2 teams   Next up: Charlotte home to Orlando, Saturday, December 15 Atlanta home to Golden State, Saturday, December 15

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