This Monday, January 20, the NBA celebrates the traditional Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day dedicated to pay tribute to the historic civil rights leader, an event that has been held since 1986. In that year, the league decided to pay tribute to King during the third Monday of January, established as a national holiday in the United States.
The first major event of this celebration took place in Atlanta, Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown, where the Atlanta Hawks hosted a game in his honor. Since then, the NBA has continued to celebrate the day with special games in various cities and, beyond the sporting spectacle, by promoting the values of justice, equality and civil rights that King tirelessly championed throughout his life.
This Monday, 8 exciting games will be played, which are detailed below:
Hornets vs. Mavericks
The Charlotte Hornets have had a rather inconsistent season, ranking 14th in the Eastern Conference with only 10 wins. Despite this, star LaMelo Ball continues to provide great moments, averaging almost 30 points and 7.3 assists per game.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks are in seventh place in the Western Conference with 23 wins and 19 losses. However, their superstars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are under evaluation for injuries and might not play. In their absence, players like Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford will have to pick up the slack.
Forecast: Dallas Mavericks are -240 favorites over +199 Charlotte Hornets.
Rockets vs. Pistons
The Houston Rockets, led by Ime Udoka, are experiencing one of their best seasons since the departure of James Harden in 2021. With 28 wins, they are in second place in the Western Conference.
The Detroit Pistons, meanwhile, have a promising young team led by Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Tim Hardaway Jr. Although Jaden Ivey is out for surgery, the Pistons are still looking to get back in contention at 21-21.
Forecast: Houston Rockets favorites with odds of -320 over +260 Detroit Pistons.
Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves
The Memphis Grizzlies, third in the Western Conference with 27 wins, continue the great season of their star player Ja Morant. Taylor Jenkins' squad is looking to keep climbing with the goal of going far in the playoffs.
Minnesota is eighth in the same conference and the departure of the Dominican KAT seems to be significantly missed, especially considering how well he is doing in New York. Their star Anthony Edwards has not yet achieved the necessary chemistry with Julius Randle, who arrived from the Knicks, and expectations are still not being met, so in the middle of the season they will have to reflect on their short-term projection.
Forecast: Memphis Grizzlies favorites with odds of -233 to Minnesota Timberwolves' +194.
Cavaliers vs. Suns
The Cavs are the sensation of the block, the team of the moment, the best in both conferences, along with the Thunder, with the fewest losses and the most wins. Kenny Atkinson has managed to put together a very solid group and everything looks like they could come to fruition if they continue on that path.
The Suns with KD, Devon Booker and Bradley Beal are still not the team that was supposed to dazzle on the boards and dominate in the paint. They are currently 10th with 21 wins and 20 losses. Beal is injured along with Nick Richards.
Forecast: Cleveland Cavaliers are -282 favorites to Phoenix Suns' +231.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. showed us that we all have a role to play in creating change.
Today and always, we pay tribute to his lasting impact on our city and beyond 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hPtdQTRCW9
- Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 20, 2025
Knicks vs. Hawks
The New York Knicks have had a great season, thanks in large part to the arrival of Karl-Anthony Towns and the excellent chemistry with Jalen Brunson, forming one of the best offenses in the league. They are currently in third place in the Eastern Conference behind the Celtics and Cavaliers.
However, they will face one of the rivals that have given them the most headaches in recent seasons, the Atlanta Hawks. Trae Young seems to have the measure of New York being his favorite villain. The Knicks' last regular season win over the Hawks dates back to November 2023. We'll see if today's outlook paints any changes in that regard.
Forecast: New York Knicks are +250 favorites to Atlanta Hawks' +207.
Warriors vs. Celtics
A rivalry that takes us back to one of the last NBA Finals in 2022 where Golden State won the series 4-2. Since then, this matchup has captured the attention of fans and fans alike. This time it is the Boston Celtics who have just been crowned champions of the league and come in second in the Eastern Conference, albeit with some bumps in the last two months.
Golden State, on the other hand, has had a season of restructuring in addition to the departure of its star and Stephen Curry's main ally, Klay Thompson. They are currently eleventh in the Western Conference with 21 wins and 20 losses, just 4 positions away from the bottom of the standings.
Forecast: Boston Celtics are -425 favorites to the Golden State Warriors' +334.
"The time is always right to do what is right."
Join us in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy by striving to make the world a better, safer place for all #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/DN6Y4Bltvu
- Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 20, 2025
Pelicans vs. Jazz
Two of the teams with the worst record in the current season meet in a game that favors New Orleans, which recently recovered its star Zion Williamson and since his return has averaged 21.9 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Last Friday the two teams met with a 136-123 favorable result for the Pelicans where Williamson recorded 24 points and 14 rebounds. Despite the good news, Zion has been listed as questionable due to an illness that could keep him off the court today.
Forecast: New Orleans Pelicans favorites with odds of -605 to Utah Jazz's +450.
Clippers vs. Bulls
The Clippers are fifth in a tight Western Conference with 24 victories despite having suffered the departure of Paul George and the heartfelt absence of Kawhi Leonard who finally returned recently and averages 13.6 points per game, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Yesterday they beat the Lakers in the Angelino classic 116-102 where Leonard played 24 minutes averaging 19 points and 4 assists.
The Bulls are in tenth place with 18 wins and 25 losses. They are coming off 5 losses in a row and want to get out of this slump as soon as possible. The addition of Josh Giddey has not had the desired effect with an average of 11.2 points and 6.6 assists. The good news is the return of Lonzo Ball who was out for a long period of time and could collaborate with Zach LaVine to lift Chicago's offense and take advantage of the good roster they have with stars like Coby White and Nikola Vucevic.
Forecast: Los Angeles Clippers are -201 favorites to the Chicago Bulls' +171.
The NBA will celebrate this special day with these duels full of emotion and meaning, remembering the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight for equality.
