Free Picks: Service Plays for Tuesday December, 4

Art Aronson
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Oklahoma City vs. Brooklyn
Pick: OverFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
This is one of the lower totals lines for a game we have seen the Thunder involved in this year.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
OKC has scored at least 100 points in eight straight games and are averaging 105 points a game this year. OKC has seen the total points fly OVER in seven of the last ten games.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Brooklyn Nets are coming off a blowout loss to the Miami Heat that snapped a five game winning streak. The Nets were held to just 89 points by the Heat. I expect the team bounce back and score a few more points at home in this game. The Nets can score, averaging 95.3 points per game on the year.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Nets are good defensively but are going to be hard pressed to stop a Thunder team that is a powerhouse offensively and are coming in rolling off five straight wins. Brooklyn will be looking to avenge a double digit loss to the Thunder last year.

Bruce MarshallFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
South Dakota State vs. Minnesota
Pick: South Dakota St.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
We're picking our spots these days going against a surging Minnesota side that has only lost to No. 2 Duke and has been extending the margins on most recent foes. Tubby Smith has several scorers to call upon and is getting increasing contributions from PF Trevor Mbakwe, who looks to be most of the way back from last year's knee injury. But Scott Nagy's SDSU is a Summit League powerhouse with an experienced squad of deadeye shooters led by G Nate Wolters (20.8 ppg) and F Jordan Dykstra (54% triples). Last season the Jackrabbits pushed Elite 8 Baylor in the Big Dance and lost by only 3 at the buzzer to a very athletic Alabama team in this season's opener. The Jacks should at least be able to keep things interesting at The Barn. Play South Dakota State

Rob Vinciletti
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Miami Heat vs. Washington Wizards
Play: Miami Heat
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Wizards fit a negative system here that plays against home dogs with 3 or more days rest, that are off a road dog loss and scored 90 or less, and are taking on an opponent like Miami that are in off a home game where they scored 90 or more. Miami has covered 26 of the last 34 here in Washington and 9 of the last 13 vs teams who average 91 or less points per game. Washington has failed to cover 4 of the last 5 vs teams who average 91 or more. Look for Miami to get the cover in this one.

Ray Monohan
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
Play: Los Angeles Lakers
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Clearly the Lakers have not gotten off to the start they were hoping for (insert Mike Brown joke here). The overall numbers and a surprising loss at home to Orlando have the Lakers as just 2 point favorites @ Houston, huge value against a team they beat by 11 points already this season at Staples.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
You can bet that Kobe Bryant will be angry from the loss and further fueled by a duel with The Beard - James Harden. The Black Mamba will lead Los Angeles to victory as they start a difficult stretch of 3 games in 4 nights.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Grab the dough on this one but probably stay away from L.A. in subsequent games @ New Orleans and @ Oklahoma City.

Jim FeistFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards
Pick: Washington Wizards
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Miami is not going to care about this one, not with a national TV game on deck Thursday against the surging NY Knicks. The Heat is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a win and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning percentage below .400. Washington is going to be sky-high for this one with the defending champs in town and the Wizards are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 vs. the NBA Southeast. And the Heat is 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings. Play the Washington Wizards.

Dave CokinFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
George Washington vs Bradley
Pick: Bradley
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Youthful George Washington off a nice win vs. Manhattan, but ball handling issues against pressure are a problem for the Colonials. Vastly improved Bradley should force turnovers tonight, and I see the Braves winning comfortably.

NellyFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Wyoming + over Illinois State
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Illinois State has an excellent team this season and the Redbirds should compete well in the Missouri Valley with the favorites Creighton and Wichita State. Dan Muller is still a first year head coach with Illinois State though he inherits a team that reached the Valley championship game and has four starters back in action. Illinois State lost point guard Nic Moore however and fill-in Kaza Keane did not play in the last game. Illinois State is coming off back-to-back crushing losses, knowing they are a team that needs a non-conference resume builder. After taking Northwestern to overtime, the Redbirds gave highly ranked Louisville a great game on Saturday, only to lose by three. The Redbirds poured a lot into that game and this will be a tougher match-up than most expected. Wyoming is an overlooked team in the Mountain West but Larry Shyatt has reenergized the program as the new (and former) head coach. The former Clemson leader has the Cowboys off to a great start at 8-0. The early season schedule did not offer many great tests but Wyoming beat the Pac-12 tournament champion from last season by knocking off Colorado over the weekend. The Wyoming defense is outstanding, allowing just 55 points per game on less than 37 percent shooting and that slow pace will cause problems for an Illinois State team that is more up-tempo. Wyoming has also been an excellent shooting team on offense and at the line, an area where Wyoming should have an edge in this game. Illinois State has the experience edge but it will be tough to follow-up the Louisville game with a crisp performance and Wyoming continues to prove they are better than anyone expected.

Matt FargoFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Western Carolina vs. Illinois
Play: Western Carolina
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
This is a tough spot for the Illini which surprisingly continue to climb up the polls as they are undefeated at 8-0. They are coming off a come-from-behind win last Wednesday against Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and they have a game at Gonzaga on deck for Saturday so there will not be a whole lot of interest in playing this game tonight. This will be no easy task for Western Carolina which comes in at 3-5 but this is a team not to be taken lightly. The Catamounts are coming off a 17-18 season but are expected to challenge UNC Greensboro in the SoCon North Division. They have three starters back as well as four other players who played key roles last year and while they do already have five losses, the last two were by a combined three point. It will be strength against strength as Illinois brings in one of the top three-point shooting teams on offense while Western Carolina is limiting opponents to just 29.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc. This includes 24.7 percent in true road games. On the other side, the Catamounts are third in the SoCon in scoring, averaging 73.6 ppg on the season and also ranked third in the conference in shooting percentage at 45.0 percent, assists with 14.8 apg, turnover margin at +1.75 and offensive rebounds with 12.9 rpg. Western Carolina has never defeated a top 25 team but we are getting a great number here for it to stay close and the Catamounts fall into a great situation where we play against favorites of 10 to 19.5 points after eight or more consecutive wins, undefeated on the season. This situation is 56-25 ATS (69.1 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, the Catamounts are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record while Illinois is 2-6 ATS in its last eight home games against teams with a losing road record.

SPORTS WAGERS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
BROOKLYN +145 over Oklahoma City
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Thunder have won eight of nine. Six of those eight wins were by double digits and most of those were by 15 or more. Ok City continues to win at an easy pace and the results are not only appealing to the public, but it also has them overpriced. The Thunder have played a rather easy schedule and while they are certainly a top team, they do have weaknesses and they will not continue to win at their current pace.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Nets will be without center Brooks Lopez tonight. Andray Blatche replaces him and can be just as efficient, as we saw when he contributed 17-points and 13-rebounds against the Celtics. Brooklyn is also 7-1 at Barclay’s Center with only loss coming in the teams’ second game of the year when they let up and blew a 22-point lead to Minnesota. It’s also worth noting that the total here is 191½ when the Thunder are averaging 105.4 a game. That strongly suggests the books trust the Nets will set the pace. That’s significant because the Nets are 8-1 when holding opponents to under 100. The total says they will likely do that but no matter how you break it down, it still equates to value when taking back a price like this on the Nets at home.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Harvard +4 -106 over BOSTON COLLEGE
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
An ACC team spotting a small number against an Ivy League club looks appealing but in this case it’s anything but. The Eagles won just nine games a year ago. They averaged just 59 points a game but figured to improve this year with most of the production returning. However, their most important player, 7-foot center Dennis Clifford has been practically invisible this year and played just eight minutes in BC’s last game against Penn State. He’s averaging just six points and five boards a game and the Eagles have already lost to Charleston and Bryant University among others.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
After three consecutive 20-win seasons, including last season's record-setting 26-win year, Harvard had the makings of a dynasty until the cheating scandal wreaked havoc on its roster. That’s not going to deter us, as the Crimson were deep before that and they’re still deep with four players capable of putting up a dozen or more every game and plenty of talent off the bench. Harvard is coming off a 9-point win over Fordham, they’re beating the teams they’re supposed to beat and the Boston College Eagles have not shown enough to warrant this billing.

Charlie SportsFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Phoenix Suns at Memphis Grizzlies
Play: Memphis Grizzlies
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The (7-11) Phoenix Sun of the NBA Western Conference Pacific division will take on the (12-3) Memphis Grizzlies of the Western Conference Southwest division in 2012 NBA action. The Suns have won 2 of the last 3 straight up and Against The Spread vs. Memphis. The suns have dropped 4 of their last 5 straight up on this road trip. The Grizzlies have won their last 3 ATS. Memphis gets the home cover.

Wunderdog

Southern Miss at Arizona
Pick: Southern Miss +16.5

Head Coach Donnie Tyndall is in his first season at the helm of the Southern Mississippi men's basketball program. He’s a solid coach who inherits a veteran group, led by senior forward Jonathan Mills (12 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game), and senior guard Dwayne Davis (15 ppg), plus juniors forward Michael Craig and guard Neil Watson. That experience is going to be a big plus heading to the No. 8 ranked team in the country. The Golden Eagles are 5-1 ATS in their last six non-conference games, and are on a 5-1 ATS run overall. They shoot 46% from the field as a team, play stellar team defense and have already beaten an SEC team (Georgia) as a +3 dog. This is a tough situational stretch for Arizona. They are off their first road game at Texas Tech, coming home for tonight’s game, but off to the East Coast to play at Clemson in their next game. Grab the points and play Southern Miss.

Teddy Covers
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Northwestern vs. Baylor
Pick: Baylor
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Northwestern was overwhelmed by Baylor’s size and athleticism last year, thoroughly whipped in a 69-41 home loss to the Bears. Don’t expect a dramatically different result in tonight’s rematch – the Wildcats deficiencies are likely to be on full display once again this evening.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Wildcats were annihilated on their home floor by Maryland in the ACC-Big 10 showdown last week, losing by 20. It didn’t get any better last weekend, when Northwestern held Illinois-Chicago to 31% shooting, won the rebounding battle by 13 and STILL lost at home by six as double digit favorites. Head coach Bill Carmody has limited depth once again, bad news against an athletic, fast paced squad like Baylor. And the Bears have seen (and defended) Carmody’s Princeton offense before – don’t expect the Wildcats scoring woes to end against this caliber of opponent.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Baylor is awash in confidence right now after snapping Kentucky’s 55 game home winning streak last Saturday. And they certainly remember losing outright right here on their home floor as 17.5 point favorites to Charleston right before the Kentucky game, an unfocused effort. Star shooting guard Brady Heslip missed that game following an emergency appendectomy, and senior point guard Pierre Jackson was furious about his lack of leadership in that ballgame, primed to make amends for that performance here. Expect another blowout! Take Baylor.

Sean Murphy
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Oklahoma City vs. Brooklyn
Pick: OverFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
What to expect: Gerald Wallace leads the Nets offensive charge with his best game of the season, while Deron Williams gets in on the act once again, shaking out of his shooting slump to help Brooklyn surprise Oklahoma City with an onslaught of threes early on. The Thunder respond.....with a shooting clinic of their own, as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Martin lead the way with Kevin Durant struggling to find his shot early. This is a physical battle throughout, with both teams spening plenty of time at the free throw line, which ultimately proves to be the difference when it comes to this relatively low total (the total closed at 201 points in this same matchup last season). The Thunder manage to keep their streak of nine consecutive 100-point efforts alive, while the Nets stick around long enough to make things interesting, even without Brook Lopez in the mix. This one plays out nothing like last year's 84-74 snoozefest in favor of the Thunder. Final verdict: Thunder 102 Nets 98

Steve Janus
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Oklahoma City Thunder -4
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
In a matchup between two of the elite teams from East and West, my money is on the Thunder in tonight's showdown against the Nets. Oklahoma City has won five straight and eight of their last nine overall.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Thunder are an impressive 14-4 on the season with 13 of those 14 wins coming by at least 5 points. It doesn't matter if they are home or away you simply can't pass up on the value any time this team is laying 4 points or less.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Nets are a respectable 11-5 on the year, but are not at full strength. Starting center Brook Lopez will be out for a third straight game. Lopez leads Brooklyn with 18.5 ppg. Oklahoma City comes in averaging 105.1 ppg and I have a hard time seeing the Nets keep up without their most consistent offensive threat.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Without Lopez in the lineup Brooklyn lost 89-102 at Miami, despite Lopez's backup Andray Blatche scoring 20 points and 8 rebounds. Blatche was able to take advantage of the Heat's soft defense inside, but will be a none factor tonight with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins patrolling the paint.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
This will likely force the Nets to settle on jump shots, which plays right into the hands of the Thunder. Oklahoma City is a perfect 9-0 ATS vs teams who average 18 or more 3-pt attempts this season.