NBA Free Pick – Wednesday February 9, 2011
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Los Angeles Clippers @ New York Knicks
Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 7:30 pm EST on NBA TV
Pointspread: Knicks -7
Over/Under: 214 ½
The Los Angeles Clippers will look to snap a four-game losing streak when they play the New York Knicks tonight at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV.
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Los Angeles continues to struggle as of late with just three wins in its last 10 games and losses in its last four. The Clippers were pummeled by Miami 97-79 this past Sunday as an 11 ½-point road underdog and did not fare much better last night in a 101-85 loss to Orlando as a 9 ½-point road dog. They are currently 19-32 straight-up on the year and 25-25-1 against the spread. This recent downturn has left them hopelessly buried in the Western Conference in 13th place.
The human highlight reel, Blake Griffin continues to be the main attraction for LA. He is fourth in the NBA in rebounds with 12.8 a game and averaging 22.6 points a game. Despite his efforts, the team has really sputtered in the absence of its top scorer Eric Gordon, who is out until later this month with a wrist injury. Baron Davis is averaging 12.4 points a game and has done a good job recently in helping to fill the void.
The Clippers are averaging 98.6 points a game but giving 101.4. They are shooting 45.6 percent from the field, but are ranked 28th in the league from three-point range, hitting just 33.2 percent of their shots. Behind Griffin, LA is ranked sixth in rebounds with an average of 42.7 a game.
New York has only been marginally better than LA lately with six losses in its last 10 games and three in its last five. The Knicks are coming off a 117-103 victory over Philadelphia this past Sunday as a four-point home favorite after losing to the 76ers 100-98 as a 4 ½-point road underdog last Friday night. They are now 26-24 SU overall and a solid 31-17-2 ATS. New York is 11 ½-games behind Boston in the Atlantic Division and in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference.
Amar’e Stoudemire is largely responsible for the Knicks turnaround this season. He leads the team in points, with an average of 26.3 a game and rebounds, with 8.7. Raymond Felton is second on the team in scoring with 17.2 points a game and leads in assists with 8.9. Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari are both averaging over 16 points a game to round out their potent offense.
New York is second in the NBA in points per game with 106.5, but is ranked 28th in points allowed; giving up an average of 106 a game. It is shooting 46 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from beyond the three-point line. The Knicks remain one of the best teams in the NBA from the foul-line; converting on 80 percent of their attempts.
Los Angeles is 1-5 ATS in its last six road games and 1-3 ATS in its last four games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of its last five games.
New York is 4-1 ATS in its last five games at home and 6-2 ATS in its last eight games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of its last seven games.
Head-to-head, the Knicks have won the last three games both SU and ATS including a 124-115 victory earlier this season as a one-point road underdog. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of the last six meetings.
The best play in this game could be the ‘over’ as these two teams should be able to eclipse the 214 ½ point total. Recent trends in this series also favor the Knicks to cover the seven points at home against a Clipper team that has to be a bit road weary after their recent Florida swing.
The odds makers have the New York Knicks as a -7 point favorite with an over/under of 214.5.
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