NBA Monday Matchups Odds: Points Galore on MLK Day
Over Bettors Rejoice on Big Day
Plenty of Highlights on Big Day of NBA
For many years sports bettors would line up to take the Unders on all games played on MLK Day, but that angle has officially flipped with NBA teams putting on a show in yesterday’s nine-game slate. Let’s take a look at our NBA Monday Matchups Odds recap as we see how the markets performed across the board.
The full game Overs went 8-1 (88.9%) as the high offensive efficiency across the leagues continues. The Lakers and Rockets were the epitome of high offense, no defense as the teams combined for 272 points in the highest NBA scores last night.
LA closed as 7.5-point favorites and managed to cover the spread on last second free throws as they escaped with a 140-132 win against the league’s worst team. LeBron James had 48 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists to help the Lakers snap a three-game losing streak.
The day started with some more high-scoring action as the league-best Boston Celtics ran out 130-118 winners over the Charlotte Hornets to remain atop the NBA standings. The teams faced off for the second time in succession and the market moved slightly towards the road team, who comfortably covered as 8.0-point favorites.
Jayson Tatum passed Boston legends Paul Pierce and Larry Bird for most 50-point games as a Celtic, with his 51 point effort setting the tone for the rest of the days action.
Bucks, Cavs Rally Late at Home
The Milwaukee Bucks were dealt a blow before tip-off with the late news that Giannis Antetokounmpo would sit out.
That saw the market move from -10.5 to -5.0 for the home side who had to overcome a perfect first half from TJ McConnell that saw him erupt for 25 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting. The Bucks used a 39-21 fourth quarter to not only secure a win, but secure a cover for early Bucks bettors that were stuck with a bad closing number.
The Cleveland Cavaliers also needed a fourth quarter push to overcome a fiesty New Orleans Pelicans team that continues to fight without its top two scorers.
Cleveland started the fourth quarter on a 16-2 run to open up a double-digit lead that they ultimately never surrendered as they emerged with a 113-103 win.
The Pelicans closed as 7.5-point underdogs and took a 3-point lead into the final frame before coming undone to a Darius Garland masterclass. Cleveland started the fourth quarter on a 16-2 run to open up a double-digit lead that they ultimately never surrendered as they emerged with a 113-103 win.
This was the only game on the board to stay Under the closing total and that was largely down to the fact that the teams combined for 13 missed free throws on a total that fell nine-point shy of the closing market.
Grizzlies Keep Rolling, Warriors Find Groove
The Memphis Grizzlies made it 10-straight wins as they easily dealt with the spiralling Phoenix Suns. The Grizzlies last lost came at the hands of an understrength Phoenix team and while the Suns started hot again in this one they ultimately weren’t able to keep pace with the hottest team in the league.
The Suns led by seven points at the end of the first quarter and while they hung tough until half time they were simply blown away in the second half. Memphis held their opponents to just 41 points in the second 24 minutes as they ran out 136-106 winners to further boost their net rating average on the season.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors got a much needed boost on the road as they left Washington with a 127-118 win on a night where Steph Curry and Jordan Poole combined for 73 points.
As was the trend last night, it took another fourth quarter push for the winning team to get the job done. The Wizards led by as many as eight points with less than 10 minutes remaining and trailed by just a single point heading into the final 3:23 of play.
Golden State proceeded to close out on a 12-3 run to secure a much needed win on their east coast trip and also covered the -3.0 point spread in the process.
Final Roundup
The Toronto Raptors needed OT to secure a 123-121 road win over the New York Knicks. Scottie Barnes split late free throws in regulation to give the Raptors a 2-point lead, with the second miss resulting in RJ Barrett going coast-to-coast for a game-tying slam dunk with just 0.6 seconds remaining.
The Raptors hit a 3-pointer to start OT and never surrendered the lead in the extra period as they took a 2-1 series lead over their division rivals.
‘The game had already cleared the full game total prior to the final bucket from Barrett, so there were no bad beats to be found for Unders bettors here.’
The Atlanta Hawks secured a huge division win over the Miami Heat as their offense looked back to its best against one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Clint Capela made his long-awaited return for the Hawks and finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Late market support came in favor of the home team, which saw them flip from +1.0-point underdogs to -1.0-point favorites by tip-off.
The Utah Jazz pulled off a big road upset over the Minnesota Timberwolves, who again fumbled a winnable game.
Minnesota saw big market support, closing as 4.5-point favorites after opening at -2.0 in most places. The Wolves led by 8-points heading into the final frame but the loss of Rudy Gobert after just five minutes shone bright down the stretch as rookie Walker Kessler had a career-night to help propel the Jazz to a big road win.
That’s all for our NBA Monday Matchups Odds recap. Be sure to check back tomorrow as we continue to recap market performance and trends.
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