Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Lakers look to roll over the Thunder, the Jazz get a visit from the Rockets, and the Habs aim for a win over the Thrashers.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
There are just four games on the NBA’s schedule for Tuesday night, including Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on the road against Oklahoma City. Los Angeles got past Chicago 117-109 on Saturday night, as Bryant poured in 28 points to go along with seven assists, and Pau Gasol added 23 points. The last time the Lakers and Thunder met was February 24, with L.A. winning 107-93 on the road.
Chicago will host Detroit on Tuesday night, while Golden State is at San Antonio, and Utah gets a visit from Houston. The Jazz are coming off a 101-94 win over the Thunder, with Deron Williams picking up 24 points and 11 assists. Utah also topped Houston the last time the two teams met, as Carlos Boozer scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 101-94 Jazz home victory back on March 4.
A break from the Madness . . .
The National Invitational Tournament offers up the only college hoops contests on the Tuesday night schedule, with Auburn vs. Baylor and Florida vs. Penn State in quarterfinal action. The NIT quarterfinals will conclude on Wednesday night, with the semifinals being held on March 31, and the championship April 2.
Headlines…
Curt Schilling announced that he is retiring from baseball…Japan defeats South Korea in extra innings for the World Baseball Classic title…Lance Armstrong is expected to ride on the Tour de France…New Jersey is suing for the right to allow sports betting in the Atlantic City sportsbooks. For the latest updates on that and Barney Frank’s campaign on behalf of gambling choice, check out betting news.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The National Hockey League offers up eight games on Tuesday night, including Montreal at home to Atlanta. The Canadiens were unable to beat the rival Maple Leafs on Saturday night, getting a pair of goals from Maxim Lapierre in a 5-2 defeat. Jaroslav Halak stopped 37 of 42 Toronto shots. The Thrashers skated to a 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay on Saturday, with Johan Hedberg making 29 saves.
Rounding out the NHL’s Tuesday slate: Minnesota at the Rangers, Washington at Toronto, Columbus at Tampa Bay, Anaheim at Nashville, Los Angeles at St. Louis, Detroit at Edmonton, and Vancouver at Dallas. The Stars’ playoff chances took a hit on Saturday afternoon when they fell 5-2 to the Sharks in San Jose. Dallas forward Brad Richards suffered a broken hand and will be out indefinitely.
Rounding out the Roundup . . .
The end of the World Baseball Classic leaves baseball fans with just Grapefruit and Cactus league action until the regular season finally gets underway in a couple of weeks. Tuesday’s exhibition action on the diamond includes games between the Red Sox and Yankees, White Sox and Indians, and Nationals and Orioles. Vegas oddsmakers don’t like the chances of either Washington or Baltimore to win their respective league pennants this year; the Nats are at 60/1 in the National League on that prop, with the O’s at 50/1 in the American League. The other longshots heading into the regular season: Seattle (50/1) and Kansas City (50/1) in the AL, as well as San Diego (50/1) and Pittsburgh (75/1) in the NL.