NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (1/19)
The 2025-26 National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of nine games scheduled on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, including three tip-off times of 3:00 p.m. ET or earlier. The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks meet at 1:00 p.m. ET on Peacock, while the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers meet at Rocket Arena at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock. At 5:00 p.m. ET, the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks meet at Madison Square Garden at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock, while the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons wrap up the holiday TV schedule at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock.
Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Monday, January 19th.
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Monday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Phoenix Suns (-295) at Brooklyn Nets (+240) | O/U 218.5 (-110/-110)
The Suns (25-17) and Nets (12-28) meet at 7:30 p.m. ET. Phoenix makes its fourth stop on a six-game road trip, looking to build upon a 106-99 win at New York last time out, the first win in three tries on the trip.
Phoenix is on fire against the number lately, going 8-1 against the spread (ATS) in the past nine games, while going 14-2 ATS across the previous 16 outings dating back to December 18th. It is also 8-2 ATS across its past 10 road games, and 15-4-1 ATS in the past 20 games away from home.
This is the first of two meetings this season between these two teams. The road team has won five in a row outright in the series since February 7th, 2023, while also covering each of those road victories. The over has cashed in five of the past seven meetings, while going 7-3 across the past 10 encounters since February 16th, 2021.
The Nets have won outright just once in the past seven games, while going 1-3 ATS in the past four outings. The under has cashed in four of the past five games for Brooklyn, and it is on fire against Phoenix lately, with the under hitting in four of the past five games and eight of the previous 11. We’re going to go low on the total. And, let’s back the Suns laying the points, too, as Phoenix has been cover kings lately.
Picks: Suns -8 (-108) & Under 218.5 Points (-110)
Boston Celtics (+126) at Detroit Pistons (-148) | O/U 223.5 (-115/-105)
The Celtics (26-15) and Pistons (30-10) meet at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit for the fourth time this season. Detroit has won two of the three previous meetings this season, while going 2-1 ATS in those games. That includes a 119-113 win on October 26th as 2.5-point favorites in the only previous meeting this season in Detroit, while the over (227.5) cashed in that one.
The Pistons have won three of the past four meetings outright, while going 3-1 ATS in the past four meetings and 5-2 ATS in the past seven in the series since October 26th, 2024. The under is 4-1 in the past five installments, however.
Boston racked up a 132-106 win last time out as a 3.5-point favorite on Saturday as the over (230.5) cashed, but that was a rarity. The under was 3-0 in the previous three games, while going 12-5 in the past 17 games since December 11th. While Boston has won and covered the past two games, it is 2-4 ATS in the past six games.
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (ankle) is questionable, so that’s also a concern for the Celtics. The Pistons have no notable players on the injury report.
Detroit hammered the struggling Indiana Pacers 121-78 as a 15.5-point favorite last time out on Saturday, as the under (225.5) cashed. Detroit has won five of the past six games outright, while going 4-2 ATS in the span. The under has cashed in nine consecutive outings, too.
Let’s roll with the Pistons to get the job done, and we’ll go low on the total based on Detroit’s crazy trend of going low lately.
Picks: Pistons -3.5 (-106) & Under 223.5 Points (-105)
Miami Heat (+180) at Golden State Warriors (-215) | O/U 238.5 (-114/-106)
The Heat (22-20) and Warriors (24-19) meet at Chase Center in San Francisco at 10:00 p.m. ET in the final game of today’s holiday.
Miami begins a five-game road trip through the Pacific Division, wrapping up on January 25th in Phoenix. The Heat are flying high after posting a 122-120 victory against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, cashing outright as a 10.5-point underdog as the over (235.5) cashed. Still, the Heat are just 2-4 straight up (SU) in the past six games, but 3-1 ATS in the past four outings, as the over has also cashed in three of the past four games.
The Warriors are playing the seventh contest in an eight-game homestand. Golden State has won three straight outings, while going 5-1 SU/ATS in the first six games of the homestand.
The over has cashed in the past two games, averaging 131 points per game (PPG), while allowing 114.5 PPG. Miami has scored 119+ points in three in a row and five of the past six outings. They’ve also allowed 113+ points in back-to-back games, and seven of the past 10 outings. The over is 4-2 in the past six games, while going 9-4 in the past 13 contests at home.
Miami has won three in a row in this series, including a 110-96 win in the first meeting this season in South Florida as a 10.5-point favorite, as the under (234.5) cashed. The Heat are 5-1 SU/ATS in the past six meetings, and the under has cashed at a 6-0 clip in that span. The Heat have won and covered the past two trips to San Francisco, too.
Let’s back the Heat to carry over the momentum from their win over Oklahoma City. Take the points, and let’s go low on the total based on the overwhelming series trends.
Picks: Heat +6 (-110) & Under 238.5 Points (-106)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe