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🏀 NBA Bets for MLK Monday
Seattle just played the perfect game plus NBA best bets today
We were treated to some great football this weekend, but one team stood above the rest. Every favored team won this round, but the Seattle Seahawks didn't just beat the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. They became the first team in NFL history, regular season or playoffs, to hit six specific statistical benchmarks.
Achieving two or three of these marks is common for a winning team. Hitting all six simultaneously requires a level of execution the league has never seen before. Seattle scored 40+ points, rushed for 150+ yards, committed zero turnovers, allowed zero touchdowns, accumulated fewer than 10 penalty yards, and returned a kick for a touchdown.
The most staggering part is the combination of zero touchdowns allowed and fewer than 10 penalty yards. Seattle committed only two penalties for a total of 5 yards in the entire game. Mike Macdonald's defense played with extreme aggression without crossing the line into holding, pass interference, or personal fouls. San Francisco was held to just two field goals, one from 40 yards and another from 56. Seattle's defense forced three turnovers, recovering fumbles by Brock Purdy and Jake Tonges plus an interception by Ernest Jones IV.
While the defense was perfect, the offense provided the clean volume needed to reach historical status. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 116 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. His three rushing touchdowns tied the franchise record for the most in a single playoff game, a mark previously held by Shaun Alexander from 2004. Sam Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions.
The special teams spark came immediately. Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff 95 yards [WATCH] for a touchdown, setting the tone before the offense even took the field. It was only the fourth time since 2000 that a kickoff was returned for a touchdown to open an NFL playoff game, and it set a new franchise record for the longest kickoff return in Seahawks playoff history.
The 35-point margin of victory ties the franchise record for the largest playoff win, matching the 43-8 dismantling of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. For the 49ers, the 35-point defeat is the second-worst in their postseason history, trailing only a 46-point loss to the New York Giants in the 1986 Divisional Round.
Seattle didn't just win. They played a statistically perfect game, and the NFL has never seen anything quite like it.
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🏀 MLK Day Best Bets in the NBA
by Ed Egros - Follow on X @EdWithSports
This year marks the 40th anniversary of celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On every occasion, the NBA has held some of the bigger matchups possible.
From as early as 1p.m. ET, you can catch some of the top teams in the league like the Thunder, Spurs and Pistons in action. Using Jaxon’s AI tools, here are some best bets for the holiday:
Thunder -6.5 at Cavaliers (-110)

You know you’re having a dominant first half to the season when you can go 5-3 in your last eight games and still have a sizable lead in the conference.
That’s exactly what’s happening to Oklahoma City. If there is a weakness to point out for this team, it involves rebounding. Phoenix had 20 more boards when they beat the Thunder, Charlotte had 19 more, and against Miami, the Thunder had a worse offensive rebounding rate by nearly 20 percentage points.
That concern should not be a problem against Cleveland. Both teams average nearly the same number of total rebounds per 100 possessions.
More importantly, the Thunder lead the NBA in turnover percentage forced (17.8%). With the Cavaliers already being without Darius Garland because of a toe injury, watch for OKC to run up the score with points off turnovers.
Bucks at Hawks O230.5 (-110)

When looking at basketball totals, one of the first statistics I examine is pace. Offensive and defensive competence matters, but I want to know how many possessions to expect.
Here, I anticipate a ton of them. Atlanta owns the second-fastest pace in the NBA with 103.15 possessions per 48 minutes. They also rank first with 3.6 transition points added per 100 possessions and Milwaukee’s defense ranks 29th in transition efficiency allowed (117.1 points allowed per 100 possessions).
Atlanta's transition defense isn't much better, allowing an effective field goal rate of 63.5% (27th in the NBA). It could be especially problematic in this matchup because the Bucks lead the league in corner three-point percentage (45.2%). With two offenses not using much of the shot clock while more than able to find open looks, a lot of points should be scored here.
Clippers -7 at Wizards (-108)

Los Angeles will not have Kawhi Leonard for this one because of left knee irritation. And yet, there are many reasons why the Clippers should still cover this sizable spread.
For starters, they still have James Harden, who ranks among league leaders with 10.9 free throws per 100 possessions. They also have Ivica Zubac, who's helped the Clippers to the second-best mark in the league with a 72.1% effective field goal rate at the rim. Against the Wizards' eFG% at the rim of 68.4% (26th), the gameplan should be obvious for LAC.
More generally, it's hard to find too many places where Washington can keep this game competitive. They rank 29th in overall defensive rating (120.9), last in point differential (-11.6) and last in net rating (-11.2).
The Clippers are on an uptick, having won their last five games. They should comfortably make it a six-game winning streak.
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🏀 NBA Player Props on MLK Day
The NBA's Martin Luther King Jr. Day slate features plenty of opportunities to exploit mismatches and injury-driven usage spikes. Here are three props where the numbers, matchups, and situations align for high-probability plays.
Keyonte George Over 23.5 Points (-110)
The line moved from 22.5 to 23.5, signaling the market is reacting to a depleted Utah roster. George is averaging 23.8 points per game, ranking in the 94th percentile among combo guards. Lauri Markkanen is out, along with Georges Niang. Markkanen's absence vacates nearly 20 shot attempts and a massive chunk of usage.
George's usage rate of 29.1%, already 89th percentile, should push toward 35% in this game. His ability to get to the line is his floor. He ranks 96th percentile in free throw attempts at 7.0 per game and shoots 90.6% from the stripe. His true shooting percentage of 61.4% ranks 87th percentile.
The Spurs rank 3rd in defensive rating, but their scheme funnels opponents into the midrange, exactly where George thrives. He has a 47% shot frequency from midrange, ranking 95th percentile. His points per shot attempt (1.23) ranks 87th percentile. With Devin Vassell also out for San Antonio, the perimeter defense is weakened.
Luguentz Dort Over 1.5 Three-Pointers Made (-120)
Dort averages 2.20 three-pointers per game on the road, jumping significantly from his 1.44 home average. In his last 10 road games, he's averaging 2.70 makes, hitting the over in 80% of those contests.
Cleveland ranks dead last in the NBA in effective field goal percentage allowed on threes at 38.7%. The Thunder will be without Jalen Williams, leaving more shot attempts to be distributed to Dort. He attempts 5.5 threes per game (81st percentile) with a 71% shot frequency from three (89th percentile). His non-corner three frequency is 53%, ranking 91st percentile, and Cleveland ranks 28th defending that area. Against Cleveland this season, Dort has averaged 3.50 makes per game.
Bobby Portis Jr Over 11.5 Points (-110)
Portis has been on a tear recently. Over his last 20 games, he's averaging 15.1 points, hitting the over in 75% of those contests. Over his last 10 games, he's averaging 14.2 points with a 70% hit rate. On the season, he's averaging 13.0 points and clearing 11.5 in 58.5% of games.
Atlanta ranks 25th in defense against opposing bigs for points props. They rank 20th in effective field goal percentage allowed at 55.2% and 20th at the rim at 67.5%. Portis is in the 92nd percentile for midrange shot frequency and 99th percentile for long-midrange attempts. Atlanta ranks 18th against midrange shots.
Portis shoots 53% from the corners, ranking 96th percentile, and Atlanta ranks 21st defending corner threes. With the Bucks likely to play faster than usual against Atlanta's 2nd-fastest pace, Portis should see plenty of opportunities.
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