Sean Murphy Handicapper Review & Free Sports Picks

Sunday NBA Free play. My selection is on Minnesota minus the points over Los Angeles at 3:10 pm et on Sunday.

The Timberwolves were in a tough spot on Friday as they returned home on one day of rest following a successful three-game road trip and were 'upset' by the Pelicans thanks to a second half collapse. We'll call for them to rebound on Sunday as they host the Clippers. Minnesota has now lost three games in a row ATS and that's notable as it hasn't dropped the cash in four straight games since early December. The Clippers are coming off a narrow three-point win over the lowly Kings on Friday. Note that Los Angeles, despite being undermanned, shot the lights out and won in spite of getting off only 71 field goal attempts. Generating offense might be a problem again here, noting that the Clips have hoisted up 80 or fewer field goal attempts in three straight games and run into a T'Wolves squad that is sure to be in a foul mood off Friday's defeat. Take Minnesota.

My selection is on Northwestern plus the points over Iowa at 3 pm et on Sunday.

Northwestern may be 10-13 on the season but it has faced one of the toughest schedules in the entire country by most metrics so not a lot more could have been expected. The Wildcats enter this game off an embarrassing 84-44 loss at Illinois last time out. They've had three days to shake off that defeat - their second in a row. On the flip side, Iowa has had a few days to pat itself on the back after a perfect two-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest and enters riding a five-game winning streak. The Hawkeyes have covered the spread in consecutive games and that's notable as they haven't strung together more than two straight ATS victories since a four-game streak in mid-December. While Iowa has done a terrific job of limiting its opponents scoring opportunities, Northwestern has found a way to push the pace a little bit, hoisting up more than 60 field goal attempts in seven of its last 15 contests. The last two games haven't gone well for the Wildcats but prior to that they had limited 10 of their last 12 opponents to 27 or fewer made field goals - the type of effort that would likely keep them within arm's reach in this matchup. While Iowa has been winning by margin, it has actually gotten off 56 or fewer field goal attempts in six straight games. Of note, it has shown some regression defensively in recent contests, allowing its last three foes to connect on 28, 23 and 26 field goals. Take Northwestern (8*).

Playoff Game of the Year. My selection is on New England plus the points over Seattle at 6:30 pm et on Sunday February 8th.

We won easily with the favored Eagles in last year's Super Bowl but I'm taking a contrarian approach and backing the underdog Patriots in this year's edition. All casual bettors are going to hear leading up to this game is how the Pats don't stand a chance after essentially being gift-wrapped an AFC Championship with not only an easy schedule but the Broncos losing QB Bo Nix. I absolutely love the fact that New England enters this game with a 'nobody believes in us' attitude and that starts from ownership right on down through management, the coaching staff and the players. This is without a doubt a team with a giant chip on its shoulder, not to mention one playing with 'house money' well ahead of schedule in Mike Vrabel's first year at the helm. All the credit in the world to the Seahawks - we went against them in their two playoff victories. However, here we find Seattle going from laying less than a field goal at home against a familiar divisional opponent in the Rams to laying almost a handful of points on a neutral field against an upstart Pats squad. I do think there are areas where New England is well-suited to attack Seattle. The Seahawks benefited from facing a Rams offense led by statue-esque QB Matthew Stafford but now face a true dual-threat in Drake Maye. I also don't think the Pats defense gets enough credit for the way it has quite simply locked down the opposition down the stretch and in the postseason. New England is well-positioned to take away the Seahawks running game and force QB Sam Darnold to win this game. Maybe he does it - he's certainly proved me wrong before - but I feel the Seahawks are laying too many points. Take New England (10*).