Richardson's return should help Warriors down the stretch

Basketball Betting Lines

02/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors are just 25-29 and are tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for third place in the Pacific Division, 15 1/2 games behind the division-leading Phoenix Suns.

Golden State, the Clippers and New Orleans/Oklahoma City are just one-half game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The last time the Warriors earned a playoff berth was in 1994.

The Warriors play their first game back from the All-Star break, as they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday to ORACLE Arena. It is the second of four meetings this season between the squads. On January 3rd, Mike Miller poured in 33 points, including a career-high nine three-pointers as the Grizzlies picked up a 144-135 win over the Warriors at the FedExForum.

The Grizzlies have won four of their last five at Golden State. Memphis has won five in a row in the series. Golden State will host the Grizzlies on April 1st at ORACLE Arena, while Memphis will welcome the Warriors on April 6th to FedExForum.

Golden State went into the break on a winning note. On February 14th, Stephen Jackson tied a season-high with 36 points and dished out eight assists as the Warriors pounded the New York Knicks, 120-101, at ORACLE Arena.

Monta Ellis had 23 points and seven assists in the win over the Knicks for Golden State, while Al Harrington added 17 points, nine boards and six assists for the Warriors, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Kelenna Azubuike netted 15 and grabbed seven boards in the victory.

Guard Baron Davis (arthroscopic left knee surgery) is expected to be sidelined until at least mid-March. He leads the Warriors in scoring (20.7 ppg) and assists (8.7 apg).

High-flying Jason Richardson (broken bone in right hand) is probable for Wednesday's contest. Richardson is averaging 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 23 games this season. He last played on December 30th and has missed 22 straight contests.

Andris Biedrins, who is averaging 10.2 points per contest, has grabbed a team- best 9.6 rebounds per game for Golden State.

The Warriors are a solid 19-9 at home this season. They are scheduled to visit the Clippers on Saturday at the Staples Center. Golden State is 1-1 versus the Clippers this season.

Golden State has scored over 100 points in four straight and 12 of their last 16 games overall.

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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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