Vegas likes Lakers, Heat for NBA title

Las Vegas has spoken.

The Los Angeles Lakers, augmented by the additions of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, and the defending champion Miami Heat are the consensus favorites to lift the 2012-13 championship. The odds vary from book to book, but the — home to Sin City’s largest gambling operation — puts L.A.’s odds at 5-2 and Miami’s at 9-4, followed by Oklahoma City at 9-2.

The Spurs? Either a huge insult or a great value at a paltry 10-1. likes their chances even less, giving them 18-1 behind seven other teams. Take solace, Spurs fans. At least one had Dallas as a 15-1 underdog when it won the championship in 2010-11.

Barcelona again brings out best in Americans

BARCELONA, Spain — Gold medal at stake or nothing at all, the U.S. Olympic basketball team was bringing its best Tuesday.

Being back on the Dream Team’s turf required it.

Carmelo Anthony came off the bench to score 23 of his 27 points in the first half, and the Americans beat Spain 100-78 in a rematch of the 2008 gold-medal game — and possible preview of the next one.

LeBron James added 25 points, and Kevin Durant had 13, including 10 in the first 31/2 minutes of the third quarter to help the U.S. break open the teams’ final exhibition game before heading to London.

“We knew that this was a big game,” U.S. guard Chris Paul said. “When Coach K talked to us, he told us this was probably the biggest game here in Barcelona since the ’92 team was here, so we approached it like that, and it was a good win for us.”

The teams played a memorable gold-medal game four years ago, with the Americans pulling away for a 118-107 win after leading by only four points with under 21/2 minutes left.

This one turned out much easier once the U.S. controlled the final three quarters.

Pau Gasol scored 19 points, and Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka, a native of the Republic of Congo who became a Spanish national last year, had 16.

Both teams have been weakened by injuries, with the U.S. missing Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, all key contributors in Beijing, along with Derrick Rose. The Spaniards are without point guard Ricky Rubio, and All-Star center Marc Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernandez have battled injuries this year.

They’re still the best two teams in the world and favored to meet again in the Aug. 12 gold-medal game. Spain might have a different look, as Marc Gasol was held out of this one while recovering from a left shoulder injury and backup point guard Sergio Rodriguez also sat out.

Payday coming for free agent Green

Eleven months ago, Spurs guard Danny Green was on a flight to Slovenia, staring out the window across a vast ocean and toward an unknown future.

He had agreed to spend the NBA lockout overseas, playing for a modest paycheck and some much-needed experience. He did not know if there would be a job waiting for him when he returned stateside.

“It was kind of a difficult situation,” Green said.

Green couldn’t help but flash back to that flight this week, in the early hours of free agency.

After establishing himself as a bona fide NBA player in 2011-12, starting 38 games at shooting guard for a Spurs team that made the Western Conference finals, the 25-year-old Green has earned a pay raise — in San Antonio or elsewhere.

The Spurs have extended Green a $2.7 million qualifying offer, more than triple the pro-rated $854,389 he earned last season, giving the team the right to match any offer sheet he signs on or after July 11.

For the first time in his four NBA offseasons, however, Green can exert a modicum of control over his future.

“It’s the exact opposite position from where I was a year ago,” said Green, who was waived three times in two seasons after becoming Cleveland’s second-round pick in 2009.

“Instead of my agent calling teams, trying to get them interested, teams are calling me. It’s a better position to be in.”

Utah is one team that expressed interest Sunday, the first full day of free agency. Green expects there will be others.

For the Spurs, who ended with the best record in the Western Conference last season at 50-16, the crux of this offseason is to bring back as many pieces as possible, rather than recruit major reinforcements from outside.

Tim Duncan, the Spurs’ 36-year-old pace-setting power forward, is the team’s first free-agent priority.

A notch below are Green, forward Boris Diaw and backup point guard Patrick Mills.

After spending his first two seasons bouncing between Cleveland, San Antonio and the Development League, and beginning 2011-12 as a non-guaranteed training camp invitee, the light went on for Green last season.

He is set to cash in after averaging 9.1 points and 3.5 rebounds and shooting 43.6 percent from 3-point range during his first season as an NBA regular.

Green was the only Spurs player to appear in all 66 games during the regular season and averaged 10.3 points in the first two rounds of the playoffs against Utah and the L.A. Clippers.

The Spurs have shown interest in bringing Green back, despite an 8-for-31 shooting slump against Oklahoma City in the conference finals.

Green says more is at stake for him than just the number of figures on his next paycheck.

“A lot of young guys are just looking for the money,” said Green, who won a national championship at North Carolina in 2009. “For me, it’s a balance of the money, the team, the fit. I’ve been in a winning organization my whole life. I want to continue to be on a winning team.”

Though Green is determined to explore other options during the free-agency process, he says he would like to return to the Spurs.

“I really do like San Antonio,” Green said. “Hopefully, they have faith in me and will do what they need to do to bring me back.”

The Spurs have made an offer. Green’s future, for the first time, is in his own hands.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN