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Free Picks: Free Service Plays for Tuesday, October 17th, 2017

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Free Picks for Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 from some of the nations best and worst handicappers

 
Posted : October 16, 2017 3:49 pm
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3G-Sports

Boston vs. Cleveland
Play: Over 211.5

It's a blockbuster opening night in the NBA on Tuesday, with the Eastern Conference favorites squaring off in Cleveland. The Cavs's have several plays who don't play defense and the Celtics like to shoot the 3-ball. I look for an up-tempo game and this one to go over the total on Tuesday night as my top opinion free play here.

 
Posted : October 16, 2017 3:50 pm
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Red Dog Sports

Bristol Rovers vs. Shrewsbury Town
Play: Shrewsbury Town +145

Shrewsbury is off two 1-1 draws on the road and now play at home where they have 12 wins, 0 losses and 2 draws in their last 14. Bristol has 6 wins and 7 losses (-1 goal difference). I do worry about another 1-1 final but Shrewsbury beat them 2-0 at home last December. Nice value at +145.

 
Posted : October 16, 2017 3:51 pm
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Jimmy Boyd

Celtics vs. Cavs
Play:Under 212

I see some value here in the total on Tuesday's highly anticipated Opening Night matchup between the Celtics and Cavaliers. Not only did these two teams face off in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, they made a blockbuster trade in the offseason. Cleveland traded Kyrie Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder. A deal that was sparked by Irving's demand to be traded.

LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers who have been with the team took that trade personal, as Irving basically said he didn't want to play with them anymore. Needless to say, this is one of the rare times you get a playoff type atmosphere in October. Both teams will be out to make a statement.

I look for that intensity to result in a much lower-scoring game than the number the books have set for this total. Keep in mind there's a lot of new faces on both teams and there's just not going to be that chemistry.

Cleveland has 3 new starters in Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade and Crowder. Boston has two new faces in Irving and Gordon Hayward, plus will be without expected starting power forward Marcus Morris, who figures to be out another week or so with a knee injury. James is questionable for the Cavs, but I fully expect him to play. If he doesn't, that only adds more value to this one going below the mark.

 
Posted : October 16, 2017 3:52 pm
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Wunderdog

Pittsburgh @ New York
Pick: Pittsburgh -110

Defending champion Pittsburgh had a rough 0-2 start allowing 15 goals, but they are back to playing top-notch hockey in winning three of four. They've allowed just 10 goals the last four contests. Goalie Matt Murray stopped 43-of-46 shots in a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers Saturday. Pittsburgh is 74-35 against the Eastern Conference, plus 49-21 versus losing teams. The NY Rangers are home but have a lot of holes. They are riding a three-game skid and getting outscored 9-5. Veterans Nick Holden, Marc Staal, and Paul Carey are getting more playing time while Pavel Buchnevich and Kevin Shattenkirk get fewer minutes because Coach Alain Vigneault is playing things safe and conservative - a mistake. General manager Jeff Gorton invested too much faith over the summer that seventh-overall draft pick 19-year-old Lias Andersson would be ready to make the jump into the NHL. With the Penguins 10-3 the last 13 meetings, back the champs and play Pittsburgh.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:41 pm
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DAVE COKIN

LOS ANGELES LAKERS UNDER 33.5 WINS

This number has been creeping up at Las Vegas books, which is not a surprise. This is definitely Laker country and lots of fans are charged up over the arrival of Lonzo Ball. No knock on Ball here, he’s a wizard with the basketball and I think this team could be fun to watch.

But that doesn’t mean the Lakers will be markedly improved, at least not this season. I think it’s more than fair to suggest a marquee free agent might be heading to SoCal next season, but that’s down the road.

For now, I see the Lakers having the same fatal flaw they had las season, which is horrendous defense. I don’t see an upgrade in that category based on the personnel in place. There will be nights when the Lakers really get it cooking on offense, particularly with what should be a major plus in the passing department thanks to the presence of Ball.

But I’m one who ardently believes winning offense is predicated on tenacious defense. Since I can’t foresee even marginal improvement on that end of the court, I also can’t see a big leap from last season’s 26 Lakers wins. Getting to 34, which is what it would take to lose this prop, is a pretty significant jump. I think the Lakers will be doing well if they get to 30 wins, and I’m therefore playing this prop Under.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:45 pm
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Brandon Lee

Astros vs. Yankees
Play:Yankees -135

We cashed in on New York Monday in a easy 8-1 win at home in Game 3 and will fire right back with the Yankees in Game 4. Once again NY has a big time edge on the mound. Sonny Gray takes the mound for the Yankees and will bring his solid 3.31 postseason ERA and 3.09 ERA over 9 career starts against the Astros. He's also facing a Houston offense that is in a big time slump in the ALCS. The Astros have scored just 5 runs total in the series. Yankees offense finally got going at home and figure to keep it going here against Lance McCullers, who posted a 5.14 ERA in 13 road starts and was awful in his lone start in the ALDS against the Red Sox, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in 4 1/3 innings at Boston.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:46 pm
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Mike Lundin

Penguins vs. Rangers
Play: Penguins -110

The New York Rangers are off to their worst start in 37 years with losses in five of their first six games. This looks like another tough matchup as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night.

The Pens have won three of four since taking a 10-1 beating from the Blackhawks on October 5. Sidney Crosby ended a four-game goal-scoring drought by scoring twice in Saturday's 4-3 victory over visiting Florida and he had four goals and seven points in four meetings with the Rangers last season. We can also note that New York netminder Henrik Lundqvist posted a poor 4.34 GAA against Pittsburgh.

The Penguins are 6-1 in the last seven meetings in New York, and I would not recommend putting any money on the Rangers until they show some life. I like the price we get on the Penguins at here at Madison Square Garden

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:46 pm
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John Martin

Astros vs. Yankees
Play: Over 8½

The Yankees busted out for 8 runs yesterday. They should stay hot at the plate tonight, while the Astros have their bust out in Game 4. Sonny Gray has struggled of late in going 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA in his last two starts, giving up 9 earned runs, 18 base runners and 3 homers in 8 innings. Lance McCullers is 0-2 with a 6.93 ERA in his last three starts for the Astros. McCullers is 6-12 with a 4.97 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 29 road starts in his career. Gray has given up 11 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings in his last three starts against the Astros.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:47 pm
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Tennis Insiders

K Pliskova vs. D Gavrilova
Play: K Pliskova +134

- Gavrilova faces a short turnaround following a dramatic 7-5/3-6/6-7 defeat in the Hong Kong final late Sunday night (local time)

- She spent 3hrs 13mins on court during the final, and has flown +4000 miles to Moscow.

- Pliskova is 14cm taller than Gavrilova and should thrive in these quick conditions with her big serve & groundstrokes

- She'll also have chances to attack the Gavrilova second serve

- 6th match in 8 days for Gavrilova, take the physically fresher Pliskova to win

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:48 pm
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Scott Rickenbach

Maple Leafs vs. Capitals
Play: Maple Leafs +125

Playoff revenge for the Maple Leafs after they blew a 2-1 series lead in April and lost to Washington. Toronto comes into this game with a 4-1 record this season while the Capitals are already showing some flaws as they've dropped 3 of their last 4 games and just got annihilated by the Flyers 8-2 on Saturday. The hotter team playing with revenge and also available at a solid underdog price is offering significant value here.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:51 pm
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Matt Fargo

Penguins vs. Rangers
Play: Rangers +100

It has been an ugly start for the Rangers as they are still adjusting to the absence of top-line center Derek Stepan who was dealt in the offseason and the offense has suffered. New York is 1-5 and in five games, it has scored two goals or fewer and needs to find a spark. This is the worst start for the Rangers since 1980 and facing the Penguins is not ideal but a win over an elite team can go a long way in fixing what may be wrong. Henrik Lundqvist will be back in net after resting Saturday and he has been solid with the exception of one bad game at Toronto. He has allowed five goals in three home starts. Pittsburgh is 3-2-1 which is a disappointment by its standards being the two-time Stanley Cup champions and it hits the road where it is 1-2. The offense has been a problem here as well especially Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel who have been on a line together this season, have combined for just two goals in six games, and just one goal at even strength. That helps New York and its defense that has put up solid numbers that have been skewed by allowing three empty net goals which is second most in the league. Going back, the Rangers are 54-25 in their last 79 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:51 pm
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Jack Jones

Celtics vs. Cavs
Play: Over 212

The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers have made some offseason changes, most notably the trade of Kyrie Irving to Boston. But not a whole lot is going to change between these teams. They are both elite offensive squads who play suspect defense.

The Cavs got a nice replacement for Irving in Derrick Rose, who looks rejuvenated in the preseason. And they added Dwyane Wade and Jae Crowder. This is a Cavs team that averaged 111.4 points per game last season while giving up 107.4 points per game. They are going to start Kevin Love at center this season, which is a move that will maximize their offensive potential, but leave them vulnerable defensively.

The Boston Celtics put up 107.5 points per game last season and gave up 105.9 points per game. They won't miss a beat offensively with Irving in place of Isaiah Thomas. They may be slightly better defensively, but playing Al Horford at center and surrounding him with guards and small forwards is also a move to maximize offensive potential.

The Celtics and Cavs have combined for 211 or more points in eight of their last 10 meetings, and 216 or more in seven of those. I think there is some value with the OVER tonight, especially when you consider this 212-point total is the lowest for any Boston/Cleveland game in the last nine meetings.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:52 pm
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Dave Price

Rockets vs. Warriors
Play: Under 229

This has been an UNDER series and I think that continues tonight. The UNDER is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between the Rockets and Warriors. They have combined for 226 or fewer points at the end of regulation in 8 of their last 9 meetings with their highest output being 233 points during that span.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:53 pm
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Larry Ness

Toronto vs. Washington
Pick: Washington -135

The Toronto Maple Leafs gave the Washington Capitals all they wanted in last year's first round playoff series (led 2-1), before falling in six games. Toronto is 4-1-0 to open the new season and will take the NHL's top offense on the road Tuesday night when they visit the 3-2-1 Washington Capitals. The Maple Leafs are averaging 5.20 GPG (tops in the NHL) and also own the best power-play percentage in the league (30.8 percent). Washington had earned points in four of its first five games with captain Alex Ovechkin posting nine goals but then got blasted on Saturday in Philadelphia, where the Flyers celebrated their home opener by winning 8-2! “We need to realize that we can’t just give away the puck all the time,” Washington center Nicklas Backstrom told reporters. “If we don’t realize that quick it’s going to be a long season.”

Toronto has won four of five to start the season, led by its offense. However, the Maple leafs are allowing 3.80 GPG, which ranks 29th of 30 teams.“We’re not playing near as good as we were at the end of last year, not even close,” Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babco told reporters. “But we’re probably playing better than we wercke at this time last year. We have more talent, but we can still play way better than we are playing and we plan on getting better.” Auston Matthews is showing no signs of a sophomore slump with five goals, three assists and a plus-7 rating in the early going after his overtime tally in a 4-3 victory at Montreal on Saturday.

Washington is dealing with the loss of defenseman Matt Niskanen (hand), who was put on long term injured reserve and will be out until at least Nov. 7. John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov and Brooks Orpik are the only blueliners available who played significant minutes with the team last season while the Capitals will need to rely on youngsters Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos, who have combined to play four NHL games. Evgeny Kuznetsov leads the NHL in assists (11) and is tied with Backstrom for the team lead with 11 points.Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL with nine goals but has just one assist.

The Capitals have given up 22 goals but No. 1 G Braden Holtby has surrendered only 10 in his four starts, going 3-1-0 with a 2.47 GAA and .923 SP. Holtby is 6-2-1 with a 2.17 goals-against average versus Toronto in the regular season and will match up against Toronto's Frederik Andersen, who is 2-0-1 with a 2.67 GAA against the Capitals but owns a 3.76 GAA and .880 SP to open this season. That won't cut it against the Caps.

 
Posted : October 17, 2017 12:54 pm
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