The NBA on MLK Day has been a sports tradition since 1986, and there are seven games on the NBA schedule for Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025. The action begins at noon ET with Hornets vs. Mavericks and will also include a matchup between exciting young rosters in Rockets vs. Pistons as well as a battle between two of the last three NBA champions in Warriors vs. Celtics. The Celtics are favored by 10 in the latest MLK Day NBA odds via SportsLine consensus, while the Rockets are favored by 8 and the Mavericks are favored by 6.
So which teams should you be picking in those games, and how can you build an epic NBA MLK Day parlay to give yourself a vested interest in the NBA on MLK Day schedule? Before making any MLK Day NBA picks or NBA parlays, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 14 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 136-99 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $3,000. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has scoured the MLK Day NBA odds and locked in five confident NBA best bets. If you successfully parlay its sports betting picks, you’d be looking at a massive payout of around 25-1. You can only see the model’s NBA picks at SportsLine.
Top 2025 NBA MLK Day picks
After simulating every game 10,000 times, the model says the Detroit Pistons cover as 8-point road underdogs against the Rockets on Monday. After winning only 14 games last season, the Pistons are 21-21 just past the midway point of the season and are a surprising eighth in the East. Cade Cunningham has been a driving force in the turnaround, with the former No. 1 overall pick averaging 24.3 points, 9.4 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, the Rockets (28-13) have also taken a step forward this season and are currently second in the West, but are just 1-5 against the spread over their last six home games. The model predicts that Cunningham puts together a big game, predicting he finishes with 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds on average while Detroit covers in nearly 70% of simulations. See which other NBA parlay picks to make here.
How to make MLK Day NBA parlays
The model also jumped on four other NBA matchups where it says the line is way off, including a double-digit favorite that covers comfortably. You can only see the model’s NBA on MLK Day best bets and NBA parlay at SportsLine.
What are the model’s top NBA MLK Day picks, which double-digit favorite is actually undervalued, and which NBA matchups should you target for an epic 25-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to see the MLK Day NBA best bets from a model on an 135-97 run on top-rated picks, and find out.
