NBA Free Pick – Friday February 11, 2011
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Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks (26-25)
Friday, February 11, 2011 at 8:00 pm EST on ESPN
Last meeting: The Lakers disposed of the Knicks last month 109-87
The Lakers should be feeling good about an impressive win in Boston last night. It is never great for a team to play on back to back nights but the way the Lakers have been playing lately this win over the Celtics was more important for their psyche than their playoff seeding. Even better than the win was that it was very much a team effort with 5 players scoring in double figures led by 23 from Kobe Bryant, who was more efficient than usual. The win also makes the Lakers a perfect 3 for 3 on their current road trip heading into tonight. As you can see above the Lakers steamrolled the Knicks out in LA, I expect that tonight will be a much tighter game but the Lakers should be able to continue their winning ways. FYI – LA is a much better ATS team on the road then at home (14-11 ATS) including all three on their current trip.
It is always exciting when the Lakers come to MSG. The Knicks seemed to have leveled off after an unexpectedly good start and host the Lakers after losing to L.A.’s other team, the Clippers earlier in the week. I don’t know if it is because teams like the spotlight or what but MSG doesn’t offer much a of a homecourt advantage as the Knicks are just 14-11SU (13-11-1 ATS) at home. One of the reasons for their success this year is that they have really sped up their pace and with Amare Stoudemire leading the way they are the second best scoring team in the NBA. Unfortunately they are also the second worst in the league in terms of giving up points too. It appears that rookie guard Landry Fields might be hitting the wall. He may have scored 25 a couple of games ago but in 5 of his last 10 games he has scored 5 or less points. This doesn’t inspire confidence as they need him to make Kobe work on the defensive end, especially if they want to try and take advantage of some tired legs.
The current line on this one is Laker -3.5. While I like the Lakers to win there is not a lot of value in this line right now. You won’t earn as much but I might make an ML play instead.
Check out the latest NBA Basketball Odds here.
Prediction: Assuming that there are no Melo additions affecting either side (you never know) I expect the Lakers to be focused and win on the big MSG stage. They might be a little exhausted after playing Boston but the pace and style of the game will enable them to come through with a victory.
Score: Los Angeles 99 – New York 96
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Los Angeles Lakers Betting Trends:
- LA Lakers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
- LA Lakers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 9 of the LA Lakers last 13 games when playing New York
- LA Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing New York
New York Knicks Betting Trends:
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York’s last 6 games
- New York is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
- New York is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games ,
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York’s last 7 games at home
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