The NBA is treating us to a loaded afternoon slate on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I have a few plays for the afternoon games to dive into.
We had another profitable day on Sunday, moving us to 29-12 since the start of 2023.
Let’s keep things rolling with a couple of favorites on Monday:
NBA best bets record to date
NBA best bets today
- New York Knicks Moneyline (-135) vs. Toronto Raptors
- Boston Celtics -7.5 (-115) vs. Charlotte Hornets
- Julius Randle 15+ Rebounds (+265)
New York Knicks Moneyline (-135) vs. Toronto Raptors
Since Tom Thibodeau took over as the New York Knicks’ head coach, there hasn’t been a team in the NBA better than the Knicks on the second night of a back-to-back.
New York is fresh off a win (and cover) against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, and it is in a prime spot to get another win against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden.
The Raptors and Knicks have split their first two games this season, but Toronto needed a 50-point game from Pascal Siakam to beat New York.
The Raptors are one of the worst road teams in the NBA (5-13 straight up this season), so I’m going to fade them here.
The Knicks are a top-10 team in net rating and have turned things around since shortening their rotation. I expect them to stay strong on back-to-backs.
Boston Celtics -7.5 (-115) vs. Charlotte Hornets
The Boston Celtics won’t have Jaylen Brown on Monday, but I still think they’re going to dominate the Charlotte Hornets for the second straight game.
Boston comes into this game with the third best against the spread record in the NBA, and it’s taking on a Hornets team that is a dreadful 4-10 against the spread as home dogs this season.
Boston ranks No. 1 in the league in offensive rating while Charlotte is dead last. That discrepancy is going to make the difference in this game, especially with Gordon Hayward (doubtful) and Kelly Oubre (out) likely sidelined for this matchup.
Don’t overthink this, Boston has the best record in the NBA for a reason.
Julius Randle 15+ Rebounds (+265)
I’ve been debating taking a Julius Randle rebound ladder for quite some time, and I think Monday is the matchup to do it.
Randle has 15 or more boards in four straight games, picking up double-digit boards in 10 straight matchups.
Taking Randle at DraftKings for 13+ (+105) and 15+ (+265) rebounds is the way I’m going here, especially since Toronto ranks 28th in the NBA in rebounding percentage over its last 10 games and 15th for the full season.
Randle is averaging 14.4 boards per game over this 10-game stretch, and he’s averaging 10.5 on the season. He’s committed to the glass in a big way for the Knicks, so this is a chance for us to cash in on some plus odds on his recent surge.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
—
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.