Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an NBA tradition. The nine game slate gets started at 1pm EST and carries us through the night. While the action might be overwhelming to some, we’re helping you weed through the noise. We dug through to find a winner on all nine of the games.
Come check out our favorite plays for each and every game on the NBA MLK Day slate.
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NBA MLK Day Slate – One Play for Every Game
1pm EST – Bucks @ Hawks
Neither team here is really on much of a roll. Both of them enter Monday on the heels a three-game losing streaks. However, my big issue with the Bucks right now is that Giannis Antetokounmpo is still not healthy enough to play a full compliment of minutes. Without seeing more of him, I don’t know if they’ll have the firepower to keep up with these Hawks. Give me the Hawks -2.5 with the Bucks barely able to crack 100.
2:30pm EST – Thunder @ Cavaliers
While each of these teams knows how to score the rock, I’m digging the under at 234.5. The Thunder still aren’t 100% with Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein out for the the game or two. They’ve come in under this number in two of the last three – largely thanks to their league leading defense. They should keep the Cavaliers in check enough for that to cash again.
3pm EST – Clippers @ Wizards
This is a rematch of last Wednesday’s showdown in Inglewood. The Clippers handled that game by a 14-point margin and are only favorites by about half of that number here. While it is road game, the Clippers -7.5 feels like a gift in this one. Bilal Coulibaly being on the shelf shouldn’t hurt matters for them either.
5pm EST – Mavericks @ Knicks
We’ve got another over that I love in this one. This game going over 229.5 seems like an easy play for me. The Mavericks have given up at least 118 points in each of their last three games. Not only that, they managed to win two of those. That’s thanks to them putting up 140 or more in each of the last two. The Knicks will be harder to do that against, but look for a shoutout here.
5pm EST – Jazz @ Spurs
When you see a number like Spurs -16.5, it can seem a bit intimidating. However, with as bad as the Jazz have been lately, I think this is an easy one. They’ve dropped their last two games by a combined 40 points. The Spurs are riding high on a big win over the Timberwolves and should carry that momentum into an easy one here.
7pm EST – Pacers @ 76ers
While the Pacers have been bad, it does feel like they’re starting to find themselves a bit. They’ve won three of their last five games and have done so with a pretty difficult slate in front of them. I think they continue to find a way, which is why I like Pacers ML in this one. Look for everyone’s favorite sleeper Jay Huff to be a factor yet again.
7:30pm EST – Suns @ Nets
Although neither of these teams have been tearing up the twine lately, I do like the over 217.5. The Suns are in the top ten in amount of three-pointers attempted per game with over 40 per. The Nets are top five in terms of allowing them. That alone should be the difference maker when it comes to seeing the over cash here.
8pm EST – Celtics @ Pistons
With each team dropping recent games that they should have probably won, the confidence in each is a touch shaky. However, I love the way that the Celtics have rebounded from there, putting up a huge spot on the Hawks last game. I don’t know that they’ll win the game, but Celtics +3.5 seems like the best spot of the nightcap.
10pm EST – Heat @ Warriors
The Heat are missing Tyler Herro again and the Warriors have found their footing. With that knowledge, I was shocked to see a Warriors -6.5 up on the board. They’ve won their last three by 18.3 points per game, which includes teams that look a lot better than the Heat have in their last five (1-4 with just 114.4 points per game).
If you’d like even more picks for the NBA MLK Day Slate, be sure to check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. The guys are dropping plenty of episodes to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
