Locals making good as favorites

In recent weeks, Southern California bettors who prefer to support local teams have had a good run if they’ve been placing money behind the Lakers, Ducks and UCLA basketball.

Let’s start with the Lakers, who have ripped through their NBA competition in going 13-2 against the point spread since Jan. 27.

Recently acquired Pau Gasol looks to be the perfect fit for Coach Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, and the Lakers’ impressive run has finally caught the attention of oddsmakers.

The Lakers have been listed as an underdog only twice since Feb. 1 and favored by at least 9 1/2 points in six of their last seven games, including tonight’s game against Miami at Staples Center.

That’s a far cry from the start of the season when the Lakers were underdogs in five of their first seven games, which included four played at Staples Center.

Another streaking local team has been the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks, who have bounced back from a sluggish first half of the season with nine victories over their last 10 games entering Friday’s matchup against Calgary at the Honda Center.

The Ducks have won against solid goaltenders, including New Jersey’s Martin Broudeur, Detroit’s Chris Osgood, Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff and the New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist.

Although the Ducks are not considered a strong team against the puck spread -- with five one-goal victories since Feb. 7 and a 27-39 record against the line for the season -- bettors have enjoyed a productive money-line streak this month.

Then there’s the Bruins, who have a 7-2 record against the point spread in their last nine games while playing in the ultra-competitive Pacific 10 Conference.

With six of the league’s 10 teams owning seven to nine wins against the spread in Pac-10 play, UCLA’s 10-4 mark against the line stands out.

The Bruins, favorites at Arizona State tonight, have also had to deal with optimistic oddsmakers, who have made UCLA a favorite by at least 12 points in six of 14 Pac-10 games this season.

For supporters of the Clippers, Kings and USC basketball, positive money may not have rolled the way it has for their local rivals but things haven’t been that bad.

The Clippers were 5-6 versus the spread over their last 11 games heading into Wednesday’s matchup against Portland, while the Kings are 5-5 overall over their last 10 games.

The Trojans have the Pac-10’s second best record against the spread at 9-5.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com