Today on www.BetUSradio.com: Jorge Gonzalez for NBA picks and analysis, Ken Becks for an NFL Draft Preview and Eric Williams for the NBA and NFL. Can Kings compete? by Mark Rothstein  Suspension costly Ron Artest's reputation certainly precedes him. The Sacramento Kings forward was called for a personal foul against Manu Ginobili in the third quarter of Saturday's Game 1 tilt against the heavily favored San Antonio Spurs. The odds are tilted even more in the defending champions' favor after Stu Jackson, the NBA's senior vice president of basketball operations and the man responsible for doling out discipline, reviewed the foul and suspended Artest for Tuesday's Game 2. The foul in question saw Artest connect with an elbow to Ginobili's jaw while cutting through the lane. Although Ginobili needed three stitched to close a cut inside his upper lip, the incident wasn't considered egregious enough at the time to warrant a flagrant foul call. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters the Spurs did not request a review of the play; nevertheless, Jackson ensured the Kings will be without arguably their best player for Tuesday. For the quickest and easiest depositing methods available, sign-up today at BetUS.com, "for over 14 years they have been the Pioneers and World-wide Leaders in Online Sports, Poker, Casino and Racebook Gaming!" Always receive great odds, huge bonuses and fast payouts only at BetUS.com! BET ON FOOTBALL! Deposit $300 and get $100 in Bonuses! The NBA's decision was enough to stretch the Spurs to 11-point favorites (and climbing) for Game 2 of their best-of-seven series. Those extra couple of points might not be enough, considering the 122-88 beating San Antonio laid on the Kings in Game 1. The Spurs built that entire 34-point margin in the first half; as a result, none of their five starters had to play more than 25 minutes on the night. Artest, on the other hand, scored 16 points with four assists and just two rebounds in a game-high 36 minutes of action. Mike Bibby led all Kings scorers with 17 points, while Bonzi Wells added 12 points and six boards. San Antonio saw seven players score in double digits compared to Sacramento's three. It was total domination from the opening tip-off; now the Kings are staring an 0-2 series deficit in the face unless they can pull off the improbable and win without Artest. Now that the 2007 March Madness has arrived, we are ready to offer everyone college basketball predictions! This isn't quite the way Sacramento supporters expected the playoffs to start. There was hope that San Antonio was vulnerable with Tim Duncan fighting foot problems all season. As it turned out, Duncan (11 points, seven rebounds) was the least of the Kings' problems. Tony Parker showed his skills with 25 points in 25 minutes, and the San Antonio bench was outstanding, especially Rasho Nesterovic and Michael Finley. The story is completely different for Artest's previous employers. The Indiana Pacers upset the New Jersey Nets 90-88 on Sunday, making them the only road team to nail down a Game 1 victory. Peja Stojackovic was relatively quiet in this one, scoring 12 points in 26 minutes and deferring in the late stages to the hot hand of backup sharpshooter Fred Jones (15 points in 27 minutes, including 3-for-4 from behind the arc). The Nets remain 7 -point favorites for Game 2. Are the Pacers, who were considered an elite Eastern Conference team as recently as last year, being overlooked? Or are the Nets actually as good as their torrid 17-5 finish (13-8-1 against the spread) to the regular season? Either way, the advantage the Nets have on paper with their ultra-slick trio of Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson is tempered by New Jersey's paucity of talent on the bench. Only three substitutes made it into Game 1, combining for just nine points compared to 28 for Indiana's supporting cast. The Pacers and Nets go at it starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on NBA-TV. The Kings-Spurs matchup is the nightcap of a TNT doubleheader, which starts at 7:00 p.m. with the Washington Wizards as 4 -point road underdogs versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. The action from SBC Center tips off at 9:30 p.m. Click here to see our NBA odds. Comments or Questions? Email FaceOff@BetUS.com. --- by BetUSradio at 1800-sports.com on April 25, 2006
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