Basketball Betting

Lone Warrior: Ellis can't do it all

Basketball Betting Lines

02/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Monta Ellis is taking the term 'workhorse' to a new level for the Golden State Warriors. Usually reserved for running backs, the previous expression fits Ellis' contributions to a tee.

Ellis has started all 45 games he has played in and is averaging 41.8 minutes per contest this season, second most of any player in the NBA. Ellis is on pace to shatter all of his personal marks and has seen 40-plus minutes of action in 30 games in 2009-10. He has competed the entire 48 minutes of a game 10 times this season, including all 53 minutes in an overtime loss to Denver back on January 20.

A second-round pick of Golden State in 2005, Ellis has scored 30 or more points eight times in his previous 14 outings and is sixth in the NBA with 26.0 points per game. In a win over Chicago on January 18, Ellis scored 36 points on 14-of-39 shooting and recorded the most shots by a Warrior since Hall of Famer Rick Barry was 20-of-39 for 42 points back in 1975. Golden State just dropped its sixth straight game on Tuesday against Houston, as Ellis shot 13-of-22 for 34 points, but the rest of the team combined to shoot 36.8 percent. Impressive rookie Stephen Curry failed to help out and fellow scoring threat Corey Maggette is battling a hip injury on the bench.

"We just weren't very good. Our D-leaguers looked like D-leaguers. Our rookie (Curry) didn't have a very good game. Monta had a very good game but he just didn't have any help," said Warriors head coach Don Nelson, who is the second- winningest coach in NBA history and just 11 wins away from breaking Lenny Wilkens all-time record.

It doesn't help that newcomer Raja Bell is out for some time after undergoing wrist surgery. Ellis has been on fire since the Warriors acquired Bell in November, averaging 27.7 points, 5.6 assists, 2.28 steals and 43.1 minutes over 36 games. Before the deal Ellis was recording 19.3 ppg.

Ellis hopes to get some help Wednesday in the finale of a three-game road trip at Dallas. The Warriors (13-34) could use a boost as well with the upcoming trade deadline, but it might not be worth it since they're 13 1/2 games off the eighth and final postseason spot in the West.

IT'S BEEN A ROUGH DEBUT FOR RAMBIS

The Minnesota Timberwolves have posted consecutive wins just twice this season under new head coach Kurt Rambis, and haven't won three in a row since January of last season.

The struggling squad can achieve that feat later this week against the mighty Dallas Mavericks on the road. The odds are certainly stacked against the T'Wolves since they've dropped nine in a row away from the Twin Cities. Al Jefferson is the lone star with a team-best 17.8 points per game, but players such Corey Brewer, Ryan Hollins and Kevin Love have stepped up their game.

Brewer is averaging 17.7 ppg in his last 11 contests, while Hollins is posting 17.5 points per game in his previous two.

"That's your job in the NBA. If you are a big in the paint, you should be able to score and produce off feeds from your teammates or just be ready on any given night," Hollins said on the team's site. "This isn't a team where pretty much the core guys are here, we are all new and we are all learning each other. The biggest thing is my connection with the point guards, I'm starting to get a better connection with Jonny [Flynn] and Ramon [Sessions]."

In order to improve his second unit, Rambis has been bringing Kevin Love off of the bench the last four games and he responded by scoring a career-high 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against the Knicks. Don't expect that to happen against the Mavericks.

Minnesota (11-38) is last in the Western Conference.

PAUL'S INJURY OPENS DOOR FOR COLLISON

Darren Collison had to have known playing time in New Orleans was going to be few and far between with All-Star Chris Paul running the floor. Paul is the Peyton Manning of the Hornets with his ability to spread the ball around and make everyone better.

Now Paul has to worry about making himself better and will have surgery on his left knee Thursday to repair a meniscal tear, the team announced. Paul will have the procedure performed in Pensacola, Florida by Dr. James Andrews. A timetable for Paul's return will be determined following the surgery.

"Obviously you never want to be in this position to replace a guard like Chris Paul in the middle of the season," said New Orleans general manager and head coach Jeff Bower. "We want to continue to take advantage of the talent and skills that Darren (Collison) and Marcus (Thornton) have shown over the course of this season."

Collison is averaging 15.2 points, 8.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in 10 games as a starter for Paul. He had 16 points and 14 assists in a win over Phoenix on Monday, just one day after netting 17 points and handing out a Hornets franchise rookie record 18 assists. Those are some pretty sweet numbers, but it won't help erase the loss of Paul. Paul averaged 20.8 points, 11.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game in January.

Center Emeka Okafor has been throwing his weight around to the tune of 12.3 points on .587 shooting and 9.3 rebounds in his previous seven contests. The Hornets (26-22) have lost two of their last three games and sit just a full game behind Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the West.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, Houston and Memphis are in the same boat.