NBA Power Rankings – Cavs, Lakers still on top, Nuggets coming on

Online betting players are still banking on a Cavaliers-Lakers NBA Finals matchup, or should we say, a LeBron-Kobe matchup. But hot on their heels is another member of their celebrated 2003 draft class.

1. (1) Cavaliers (32-11): Ten of the Cavs’ next 10 games are at home, beginning with Thursday’s showdown with the Lakers. 

2. (2) Lakers (32-9): The Lakers’ supporting cast is starting to pick up the slack for the battered Kobe Bryant, but are the rumors of Andrew Bynum being on the trade block valid?

3. (8) Denver (26-14): When he is 100% healthy, no one in the league can stop Carmelo Anthony one-on-one in the half-court. If the Nuggets can shore up their defense, they’ll be right there at the end of the season.

4. (5) Dallas (27-14): Four of the Mavs’ next five games are on the road, where Dallas is a respectable 14-7, which is good for their sportsbook odds.

5. (4) Boston (27-12): The Celtics have dropped four their last six, including three in a row at the Garden. Kevin Garnett is practicing, which is encouraging for their NBA betting odds.

6. (7) Atlanta (26-14): If Jamal Crawford continues to perform, scoring 17 points off the bench, he’ll be the free-agent pick-up of the year.

7. (3) San Antonio (25-15): The Spurs being a six-game homestand on Wednesday against Utah, and they’ll be looking for as many points as possible with the “Rodeo Road Trip” on the horizon.

8. (12) Portland (25-17): Brandon Roy tweaked his hamstring, but said he’d play Wednesday night in Philadelphia as the Trailblazers began a tough road stretch. Can these guys get a break on the injury front?

9. (6) Orlando (26-15): The Magic are free-falling, and they’re struggling badly on the road, losing six of their last eight away from home.

10. (13) Houston (23-18): These guys aren’t going to go away, and that’s because they protect their homecourt, where they are 13-5.

11. (11) Phoenix (24-18): The Suns have lost five of their last six, showing that you can only go so far by not caring about defense. If they even put a little effort into it, their NBA betting odds would get better.

12. (9) Oklahoma City (23-18): They’re young and inconsistent, but something says that none of the top teams in the West want to face this team in the first round of the playoffs.

13. (19) Memphis (22-18): The Grizzlies have won nine in a row at home, and it looks like O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay are learning how to play together. Now imagine if you throw Allen Iverson into the mix....oh, wait a minute.

14. (17) Charlotte (20-19): The Bobcats may be the hottest team in the league with five straight wins, and their defense is scary good.

15. (16) New Orleans (21-19): The Hornets have cooled off a bit since beginning 2010 on a high note, but the offense is really starting to click, starting with Chris Paul, of course, but Emeka Okafor has stepped up his game.

16. (10) Utah (23-18)

17. (14) Toronto (21-21)

18. (20) Miami (21-19)

19. (15) Chicago (18-21)

20. (21) New York (17-24)

21. (18) Los Angeles Clippers (18-22)

22. (26) Sacramento (15-25)

23. (23) Golden State (12-27)

24. (22) Milwaukee (16-23)

25. (29) Washington (14-26)

26. (24) Indiana (14-27)

27. (28) Detroit (14-26)

28. (25) Philadephia (13-27)

29. (27) Minnesota (9-33)

30. (30) New Jersey (3-37)

Golden State should be in the top half of the rankings just on entertainment alone, and Washington has played well in the midst of the Gilbert Arenas fiasco. Finally, New Jersey would be the best NBA betting option for the John Wall sweepstakes, but the real question is: could they beat Wall and his No.1-ranked Kentucky Wildcats?

The Betting Edge at BetOnline has everything you need before you head to the sportsbook to make your sports betting picks, so check it out daily.