L.A. Lakers At Memphis
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Los Angeles), SportSouth (Memphis)
Prediction: Grizzlies 95, Lakers 88

Oddsmakers currently have the Grizzlies listed as 5½-point favorites versus the Lakers, while the game’s total is sitting at 193.

With turmoil plaguing the team for most of the season, Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant decided to take a break from present-day happenings and focus on the past. The future Hall of Famer celebrated Tuesday’s seventh anniversary of his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors by watching the game in its entirety for the first time. As a treat to fans, he broke in his relatively new Twitter account by sending out messages while the game was being re-broadcast. Bryant may need to channel some of his 2006 performance Wednesday as he faces off against a Memphis club allowing the second-fewest points per game in the league (89.4)

Los Angeles lost its last outing, a 95-83 result against the Bulls on January 21. The Lakers failed to cover in that game as a 1-point favorite, while the 178 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

Team record: 17-24 SU, 16-25 ATS
Current streak: lost 3 straight games.

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of the LA Lakers last 8 games on the road
LA Lakers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Memphis
LA Lakers are 10-5 SU in their last 15 games when playing Memphis

When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Utah are 7-3
After playing Chicago are 7-3
After a loss are 3-7

Memphis made a minor move Tuesday, dealing Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and a heavily protected future draft pick to the Cavaliers for forward Jon Leuer and a trade exception. The deal was conducted with business in mind – it saves the Grizzlies $6 million against the salary cap and eliminates the need to pay a luxury tax bill of roughly $4 million. “It’s a trade that had to be made … so that we can keep our core together and we move forward,” Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I hate to lose Mo and Wayne and Josh but it’s part of the business of basketball.”

Last time out for Memphis, they were an 82-81 loser as they battled the Pacers at home. The Grizzlies failed to cover in the match as a 6-point favorite, while 163 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Team record: 26-14 SU, 23-16-1 ATS

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 6 games at home
is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 6 games when playing at home against LA Lakers

When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
Before playing Brooklyn are 4-6
After playing Indiana are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5

The post Los Angeles Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Free Betting Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

A humbled Peyton Manning, with reporters hammering away on deadline and videocameras shut off after the last postgame question had been answered, took his family into the Ravens’ locker room on Saturday night to visit a fellow future Hall of Famer.

Manning eventually found Ray Lewis, according to Ravens media director Chad Steele in a caption accompanying a photograph he posted to Twitter.

“Great moment @ 1.5 hours after the game, Peyton Manning and his family waited to congratulate @raylewis52,” Steele’s tweet said.

Lewis, who will retire after the playoffs to cap a 17-year career, will play on after the Ravens stunned the host Broncos 38-35 in two overtimes, a loss that goes down with the most devastating in Denver history.

“Certainly we did a lot of good things this season, but as of right now, it’s hard to think about anything besides the loss tonight,” Manning said afterward.

Manning did enough in regulation to help his team win, despite the first two turnovers. But he also was not perfect. He wasn’t at his best, whether it was due to the weather or the pressure of leading his new franchise to a playoff win.

“I probably wasn’t quite as good as I wanted to be,” Manning said, “and it probably cost us a couple scoring opportunities.”

On Denver’s second possession of overtime, he stopped and threw across his body to the middle of the field and into the arms of Ravens cornerback Corey Graham at Denver’s 45. Baltimore ran five plays and gained 16 yards before Justin Tucker sailed his winning kick down the middle.

“Yeah, bad throw,” Manning said. “Probably the decision wasn’t great, either. I thought I had an opening, and I didn’t get enough on it, and I was trying to make a play and certainly a throw I’d like to have back.”

Lewis, who led the Ravens with 17 tackles over this nearly 77-minute game in 13-degree weather, kneeled down to the ground and put his helmet on the rock-solid turf when it was over.

“I’ve never been a part of a game so crazy in my life,” Lewis said.

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