Free Picks: Service Plays for Monday February, 6

Marc Lawrence

Utah Jazz at New York Knicks
Prediction: New York Knicks

As much as we liked Utah on Saturday, were just not interested in all that jazz tonight. We realize that the Garden hasn't exactly been a whoopee spot and, yes, the Knicks are cold of late while the Jazz are hot. However, series history make that one-sided series history reminds us that the lights are brighter near Broadway as the Knicks have remarkably covered the last 13 in a row dating back to February of 2005. There's also plenty of value to be found tonight as New York?s 4-6 SU and 2-8 ATS mark in front of the MSG faithful this season finds them priced right. So in this ?noisy hall where there's a nightly brawl look for the Jazz to fall to 3-8 SU and 2-9 ATS after meeting the Lakers. We recommend a 1-unit play on New York.

Rob Vinciletti

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Orlando Magic
Play: Orlando Magic +1

The Magic fit a solid system here that plays on home dogs of 4 or less with rest off a road dog win at +5 or more, vs an opponent off a win by 10 or more points. These home dogs are 23-5 ats. Another system which plays against the Clippers is to play against road favorites with a win percentage of less than .800 off a road favored win by 20 or more points and scored 105 or more points if our team scored less than 90 in their last game. These road favorites have failed to cover 22 of 29 times since 1990. Orlando has played much better in their last two games and should emerge with a win and cover here vs the Clippers.

Jim Feist

Raptors vs Wizards
Pick: Under

Two of the more offensively challenged teams will meet here on Monday as the Raptors play at the Wizards. Toronto is 29th in the NBA in scoring with just 86.8 ppg. Washington isn't much better, coming in at 26th (89.1 ppg). The Raptors did break the century mark last time out, just the second time this year they have scored more than 100 points. But who was that against? The Wizards of course. Don't expect that same output on the road today at Washington. The Wizards have broken the century mark five times, though they have scored just 89 and 81 in their last two games. These clubs have already met once in Washington this season and that turned into a 93-78 Washington win with the game going UNDER 183. Today we get a bit higher total at 186. I look for a very similar outcome to last time these teams played in Washington. I'm taking the UNDER here on Monday.

Free NBA release for 2/6: New York Knicks -4 over the Utah Jazz. The Knicks are showing good value at home as a small favorite over the Jazz. Utah has had the luxury of playing 15 of their 22 games played this year at home. They've only had two road games in the last month. Despite having that luxury, the Jazz have only managed 98.2 points/game while allowing 99/game in their last five outtings. New York is just 2-2 in their last four games, but a perfect 4-0 ATS. Despite having to play the Bulls and the Celtics, the Knicks have averaged 97.4 points/game while only allowing 94.2/game in their last five. The Knicks have won or covered against Utah in ten straight games. They're also 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite of 0.5-4.5. Utah is just 2-5 ATS in their 7 road games this year, and 0-6 in their last six trips to New York. Plus, it doesnt hurt the Knicks if the fans are a little bit wilder than usual after last nights Super Bowl. We'll take the home chalk here, NY Knicks -4. Our Free Picks are 159-82-1, and 15-2 L17. Sign up today at iseewinners.com to receive all of our free releases via email. Thank you, and good luck.

SPORTS WAGERS

Edmonton +151 over TORONTO

After two games against Pittsburgh and one against the Sens on Saturday night, this could be a big letdown spot for the Maple Leafs, especially with two road games on deck beginning tomorrow in Winnipeg and ending Thursday in Philly. James Reimer has been hearing for two days how great he's been in back-to-back shutouts and that he's back to being the James Reimer we witnessed last season. A hiccup here by Reimer would not surprise, as the backstop is a mediocre talent. The Oilers will come in here healthier than they've been in a while. Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent Hopkins are both back in the lineup and the Oilers have responded with three wins in a row over Colorado, Chicago and Detroit. Over those three games, they’ve scored 16 times. Edmonton has picked up points in five straight games, as they split two OT games against San Jose and Vancouver prior to those three wins. In summarizing, the Oilers have picked up points over Chicago, Detroit, Vancouver and San Jose in its most recent games. Those are four Cup contenders and there's no question that they'll be amped up for this one. Overlay. Play: Edmonton +151 (Risking 2 units).

PHOENIX +127 over Detroit

We'll play this in regulation only because Detroit is undefeated in the shootout this year. For the Red Wings, this is the final game of a tough four game trip (five, if you count the one before the break) that saw them play the first three in Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton. They’ve picked up five of a possible six points thus far and they return home after this one for a six-game home stand. For the Coyotes, this is anything but another game. The Red Wings are a strong draw, meaning that the arena won't be half empty like it usually is. The Coyotes have lost seven in a row to the Red Wings and they have to be sick of losing to them. One of those losses occurred just a couple of weeks ago in OT. The Coyotes catch the Red Wings in a vulnerable spot. Detroit is also without Jimmy Howard for a couple of weeks and that makes a big difference, as Ty Conklin and/or Joey MacDonald are not the same high calibre goaltender as Howard. The Coyotes have two wins in their past three games over Ottawa and San Jose and those are definitely confidence boosters. Look for them to carry that over here, as they go all out against what might very well be a semi-interested visitor. Play: Phoenix +127 (Risking 2 units).

SPORTS WAGERS

PHILADELPHIA -4 over L.A. Lakers Pinnacle

Kobe Bryant spent a lot of time in the Philadelphia area. He went to school there, spent his youth there and he always looks forward to playing here. That's nice, it really is but so what. In previous years it might mean something because the Lakers were a force. This year they're not and every team in the NBA loves to beat the Lakers and even more so on their home court. The 76ers are no different. They haven't beaten the Lakers since 2009. This season, Philly is the superior team and they'll play as hard as they've played all season for this one. Philly is 12-3 while the Lakers have three wins in 11 road games. L.A. will play its third straight on the road here after games in Denver and Utah. They have the Celtics and Knicks on deck and Celtics/Lakers is as classic a rivalry as Duke/North Carolina. This is a cheap lay on the 76ers in a great spot to get this proverbial monkey off their backs and they will respond. Play: Philadelphia -4 (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).

Utah +125 over NEW YORK

On a sad note, Amar'e Stoudemire lost his brother in a car accident yesterday morning and will miss this game. Stoudemire is a big loss because he scores and rebounds well but more than that is the Knicks state of mind. Playing a basketball game under these conditions will seem completely trivial to the Knicks and it is. It's one thing to lose a parent to natural causes but to lose a younger brother in a car accident is devastating and it'll affect the whole team. We saw a similar situation last season when Senators assistant coach, Luke Richardson lost his daughter. The Sens played the next night and were soundly defeated. This is really one of those rare angles that present an opportunity and while our condolences go out to the family and without trying to sound insensitive, this is a must play in a high percentage situation. Play: Utah +125 (Risking 2 units).

Sam Martin

Missouri at Oklahoma
Prediction: Oklahoma

Clearly Missouri is the better team in this matchup, but this couldn't be a worse scheduling spot for the Tigers, who are coming off the biggest win of their season in a three-point victory against Kansas, and if that letdown wasn't big enough they also have a big lookahead spot here with a date against Baylor on deck. Oklahoma is an underrated home team, going 9-3 on their home court, and they play good enough offense to give Missouri fits here. An outright win wouldn't surprise us, but we look for a close game regardless of who the winner is.

Vegas Experts

Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards
Play: Toronto Raptors

The Washington Wizards are the worst team in the NBA, coming into this matchup off four straight losses, including a loss to Toronto. They have only won four games all season and have a terrible against the spread record of 8-16. Toronto just beat Washington over the weekend with their 106-89 home win and should win this matchup on the road outright. They are getting four points in this matchup against Washington and its going to be an easy cover for the Raptors.

Sean Murphy

Oilers @ Maple Leafs
PICK: Under 5.5

The Oilers have been involved in back-to-back wild, high-scoring games, but I expect a return to the norm on Monday night in Toronto.

Keep in mind, Edmonton was held to only three goals on 23 shots less than a week ago against Colorado. On the season, the Oilers are averaging only 2.6 goals per game, and that number drops under 2.3 goals per contest on the road.

Edmonton runs into a Leafs team that is surging, on the strength of excellent play between the pipes. Note that Toronto has posted three shutouts in its last five games.

However, let's remember that this is a rather 'flaky' Leafs squad. Yes, they potted five goals on Saturday night in Ottawa, but just three nights earlier they could muster only one goal against the Penguins.

It's not as if the Leafs are an offensive juggernaut. They're averaging just under 2.8 goals per game on home ice this season. Not surprisingly, they've posted an 11-16 o/u record here at Air Canada Centre.

These two teams hooked up twice last season, with each of those games reaching exactly five goals. It's interesting to note that the losing team scored a grand total of one goal in those two contests.

The fact that both teams hung a crooked number on the scoreboard on Saturday only serves to give us additional value with the 'under' in this spot.

Steve Janus

Memphis Grizzlies -109

This is a great spot to back the Grizzlies at home as a small 1-point favorite. Memphis should be extremely motivated to win this game after losing consecutive games on the road to Oklahoma City and Boston. They will also be out for some revenge against the Spurs, who have already beat the Grizzlies twice this season, including a 10-point win at Memphis last Monday.

The Spurs come in riding a four game winning streak, but each of their last three wins have came at home. While you can't ignore the fact that San Antonio went on the road and beat Memphis, you have to consider the fact that the Spurs are just 3-8 straight up and 4-7 ATS in 11 road games this season.

The Grizzlies did just play on Sunday at Boston, but playing consecutive days hasn't been a huge problem for this team over the last couple seasons. Memphis is 21-4 ATS when playing on back-to-back days over the last 2 seasons. They are also 22-9 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 over the last 2 seasons!

Nelly

Suns / Hawks Under

The Suns still have a reputation has a higher scoring team but under Alvin Gentry this teams runs at a much slower pace and currently ranks 22nd in the league in scoring at 92.5 points per game. Only once in the last twelve games have the Suns hit triple-digits and they have failed to top 91 in seven of the last twelve games. On the road the numbers for Phoenix go down even further, scoring less than 90 points per game and this is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league which keeps the scoring numbers at a lower level. Atlanta has quietly built one of the best records in the NBA but they have had back-to-back ugly performances at home to fall to a still impressive 16-8. Over the last five games Atlanta is scoring just 93 points per game and that includes an overtime contest. The Hawks are one of the best defensive teams in the league, allowing just 91.1 points per game, with even better numbers in recent weeks. The 'under' is 16-7 in 23 Phoenix games this season and both of these teams have had an 'under' lean for the season. In road games the 'under' is 9-3 for the Suns and the 'under' has hit in four of the last six meetings in this series. Coming off back-to-back losses, Atlanta will be focused on the defensive end and this game projects as another low scoring affair between teams that are not as high scoring as many assume.

NHLPredictions

Red Wings / Coyotes Over 5.5

The Red Wings are coming off a dramatic loss to the Oilers on Saturday, where they came from behind to take the lead and then lost in shootout with a 5-4 final score. The Red Wings will wrap up their 5 game road trip (with the All Star break in the middle) tonight against the Coyotes. Detroit is 35-16-2 on the season but just 15-14-1 on the road. Phoenix has won 2 of their last 3 games, and are looking to get back on track. The Coyotes are 23-21-8 on the season and 11-10-4 at home. Detroit is averaging 3 goals per game over their last 5 games, and have scored 3 or more goals in 10 of their last 11 games. Over their last 5 games the Red Wings are averaging 3.20 goals against per game, and are now without starting goalie Jimmy Howard which won't help that cause. The Coyotes are averaging 2.80 goals per game and 3.00 against per game over their last 5, and have scored 3 or more goals in 3 of their last 4. These two teams have met 3 times this season, with just 1 of the 3 going OVER the posted total, but both finished with 5 goals scored. Although they both managed to stay under the total they relied on their goalies, as the teams combined for 68 and 69 shots in those two contests. Mike Smith has allowed 20 goals against over his last 6 starts (3.33 GAA), while the Red Wings will go with either back up Ty Conklin or Joey MacDonald tonight - neither who compare to All Star Jimmy Howard. Take note that the OVER is 6-2 in their last 8 meetings overall, and the OVER is 9-3-3 in their last 15 meetings in Phoenix. These two teams don't like each other because of recent postseason meetings, and always seem to play high tempo games. I like the value we are getting with the OVER 55. goals tonight, and I will lay a unit on it.

Frank Jordan

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Play: Oklahoma City Thunder -1

Oklahoma City is coming off a bad 11 point loss at San Antonio and it is a rough start to a five game road trip. Portland is just 14-10 on the year, but 11 are at home. Earlier in the year Portland went into Oklahoma City and not only won but they won by 10. Look for the Thunder to bounce back in a booming way as Durant goes off for 40 and the Thunder get their revenge from last month. Play Oklahoma City

Dave Price

1 Unit New Jersey Nets +9.5

The Bulls have lost 16 of their last 18 in New Jersey and are just 3-12 ATS in their last 15 road meetings in the series. The Nets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss, 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU loss and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog. Bet the Nets.