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Lakers still huge chalk in Game 4
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If you thought 9.5 points was way too much respect for the Lakers at home, maybe you think 7.5 points is too much as well.
That's the number oddsmakers at have opened Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The Lakers struck back with an important win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night. Now Los Angeles can even things up in the series with another win on home court in Game 4 on Thursday. Click here to see the handicapping matchup report and betting trends.
Los Angeles got past Boston 87-81 on Tuesday night, but failed to cover the 9.5-point spread. Kobe Bryant finally got going and unleashed 36 points and seven points for the Lakers.
After shooting a combined 20-for-47 in the first two games of the Finals, Bryant found his shot again and hit 60 percent from the floor after going 12-of-20. Sasha Vujacic was also a nice surprise for Los Angeles in the win as he chipped in with 20 points, four more than he scored in Games 1 and 2 combined.
While Bryant put up his best scoring total of the series, Boston's Paul Pierce went the exact opposite route. Bryant was a defensive deterrent on Pierce all night, holding the Celtics' leading scorer to only six points on a pitiful 2-for-14 shooting.
Kevin Garnett also had a poor game by his standards with 13 points on 6-of-21 shooting. With Pierce and Garnett both struggling, Ray Allen tried to pick up the slack but his team-high 25 points weren't enough to secure a win.
Boston also had to deal with an injured Rajon Rondo in the game, as the Celtics' point guard suffered a sprained left ankle in the third quarter. The ankle injury limited Rondo to only 21 minutes, down from the 33 minutes per game he has averaged throughout the playoffs so far.
Barring any setbacks with the ankle, Rondo is expected to play in Game 4.
After the Lakers failed to cover the 9.5-point spread in Game 3, the oddsmakers switched things up for Game 4 as the Lakers opened as a 7.5-point favorite at .
Total bettors will also see a slight change in the Game 4 line. In Game 3, the total was set high at 195.5, but the combined score of the 87-81 contest fell well under that total. The result was a 191.5 total for Game 4 at , which you can get live odds and great bonuses for becoming a member.
