NBA Western Conference Power Rankings January 1, 2010

Los Angeles Lakers (25-6)       Current Odds to Win the Western Conference: 2/3

The Lakers bounced back from their loss to Cleveland on Christmas Day with a 112-103 win over the Kings. Kobe Bryant scored 38 points and Pau Gasol added 24 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Against division rival, Phoenix they fell behind by 11 points at the end of three and were unable to close the gap in 118-103 loss. The next night in a shootout they beat the Warriors 124-118 led by Bryant’s 44 points. Gasol and Lamar Odom both had double-double in the win. Through 31 games Bryant leads in points per game with 30.4 and assists with 4.5. Gasol is the leading rebounder with 11.8. Next up for the Lakers are the Kings tonight, the Mavericks on Sunday, and the Rockets on Tuesday at home. They will be the visitors when they play the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday, January 6th.

Phoenix Suns (21-12)         Current Odds to Win the Western Conference: 10/1

Last Saturday in a wild one, the Suns lost to the Warriors 132-127 after Golden State outscored them 28-19 in the 4th quarter. They atoned for this loss with an impressive 118-103 win over the Lakers. In this game six players scored in double figures with Amar’e Stoudemire leading the way with 26 points. They followed this up with another win over a NBA power beating the Celtics 116-98. Stoudemire and Channing Frye each added 26 points in the win. Through 33 games Stoudemire leads in points per game averaging 20.5 and in rebounds with 8.5. Steve Nash leads in assists with 11.2 per game.

Dallas Mavericks (22-10)        Current Odds to Win the Western Conference: 8/1

In a 106-101 victory over the Grizzlies, seven players scored in double figures in a total team effort. Jason Terry added 23 off the bench and Erick Dampier had a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Against the Nuggets, once again seven players were in double figures with Drew Gooden adding a game high 19 points along with 10 rebounds from the bench. Last night against the Rockets, Dallas got 46 points off the bench but it was not enough to hold off the Rockets in a 97-94 loss. Through 32 games Dirk Nowitzki leads in scoring; averaging 25.5 points per game, Erick Dampier leads in rebounds with 9.8, and Jason Kidd leads in assists with 9.2. Next up for the Mavericks are the Kings on Saturday and the Lakers on Sunday on the road, and then back home against Pistons on Tuesday, January 5th.

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