Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 08 May 2009 / Leave a comment

The Lakers put in some hard fouls as they overcame the Rockets in LA but Houston are sure to repay the compliment in Texas on Friday night, says Nick Shiambouros. Meanwhile, it's all square between the Magic and the Celtics...

The Los Angeles Lakers sent a message to the Houston Rockets that they will not be intimidated by a bigger team in a 111-98 victory at home on Wednesday evening . This was a bad tempered affair and Kobe Bryant nearly came to blows with Ron Artest late in the fourth quarter after Bryant elbowed Artest in the chest. Amazingly, Artest showed a lot more restraint that Bryant who was very fortunate not to be ejected. Earlier Derek Fisher was rightly ejected after striking Luis Scola with his head late in the third quarter.

As mentioned previously, Houston are the more physical team but I was surprised that the Lakers crossed the line with some pretty hard fouls. I am sure Houston will repay the compliment at home on Friday night. Bryant scored 40 points on Wednesday but Houston will try to contain him inside so look out for more fireworks in this game. The series is tied at one game apiece and I think the Rockets have a fair chance of winning this one. The Lakers will be without Fisher who has to serve a suspension for his transgression the other night.

The Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 112-94 in a huge effort at home to square the series at one game apiece. Eddie House scored 31 points in a dominant performance for Boston. Orlando will be pleased to have won a game in Boston and they will have a chance to take the lead in the series on Friday. The Magic are trading at [1.6] in this one which is about right. The Celtics will fight to the end but they have played a lot of minutes and are short handed on the bench.

The Denver Nuggets travel to Dallas with a two game lead in the series on Saturday and the Mavericks have to win this to have a realistic chance of staying in the series. All the pressure will be on Dirk Nowitski and the Mavericks but I really like their chances in this one. Dallas are very tough on their home court and they will try to keep the scoring low. Denver have a tendency to press hard against good defensive teams which often results in turnovers. I think the Mavericks can contain Denver and I will be backing Dallas with -4.5 points in the handicap.

The Cleveland Cavaliers destroyed the Atlanta Hawks 105-85 with another dominant display on Thursday. This game was effectively over in the first half with Cleveland holding Atlanta to just 35 points. The half ended with LeBron James making a three point shot two steps inside the mid-court line to send the crowd in to a frenzy.

At times this resembled a pre-season game as Cleveland scored at will. The Cavaliers look unbeatable at home in the post season and are healthy and well rested. The signs are looking ominous and, with the Cavaliers leading the series 2-0, I can only see one result when they meet on Saturday.