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It’s time for yet another betting prediction and pick inside the NBa on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as we take to the Eastern Conference for this next rivalry tilt. The Boston Celtics (26-15) will visit the Detroit Pistons (30-10) for their fourth meeting this season, Detroit leading 2-1. Check our NBA odds series for the Celtics-Pistons prediction and pick. The Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference following their most recent 132-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Following a four-game winning streak, they’ve stumbled with a 3-3 record over their last six games, hoping to even their season series against the Pistons. The Detroit Pistons currently lead the Eastern Conference standings, beating the Indiana Pacers 121-78 during their last game. They continue trending in the right direction with five wins over their last six games, hoping to close this season series against the Celtics with a decisive lead. NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings Celtics vs. Pistons MLK Day Odds Boston Celtics: +3.5 (-115) Detroit Pistons: -3.5 (-105) Over: 224.5 (-108) Under: 224.5 (-112) Celtics vs. Pistons Key Injuries Boston: Chris Boucher (back – Probable) / Josh Minott (ankle – OUT) / Jayson Tatum (achilles – OUT) Detroit: Ronald Holland II (illness – OUT) Celtics vs. Pistons Betting Trends The Detroit Pistons are 17-4 at home. The Boston Celtics are 14-8 on the road. The Pistons are 23-9 as betting favorites. The Celtics are 7-6 as underdogs. The Pistons are 22-18 ATS overall, 12-9 ATS at home. The Celtics are 23-18 ATS overall, 14-8 ATS on the road. The Celtics are 7-3 outright in their last 10 games against the Pistons. Detroit is 6-4 ATS in those games. The Celtics are 2-4 ATS in their last six games. The Pistons are 4-2 ATS in their last six games. The total has gone UNDER in five of Boston’s last seven games. The total has gone UNDER in Detroit’s last seven consecutive games. Keys to Celtics vs. Pistons Matchup Both Detroit and Boston continue their run atop the Eastern Conference in their respective one-two spots, both catching heat over the last 10 games and keeping pace with each other in the standings. The Pistons have the upper hand in this matchup, however, owning the season series 2-1 behind team-high scoring performances from Cade Cunningham. Still, each of their three meetings thus far have been decided by single-digits, so fans should be in for another close battle in their final meeting before a likely playoffs series. The Celtics have exceeded all expectations without Jayson Tatum this season thanks to Jaylen Brown playing MVP-caliber basketball. He currently holds the fourth-shortest odds to win the awards behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Cade Cunningham. On the other side, Cade Cunningham is the favorite to win ‘Clutch Player of the Year’ along with SGA, so we’ll see two of the game’s best going head-to-head once again tonight. Brown is averaging a wild 36.0 PPG against the Pistons this season, but he’ll certainly need Derrick White to assist with his three-point shooting along with Payton Pritchard behind aggressive in driving the lane. While the Celtics are one of the league’s best teams in defending and moving the ball in transition, they average the second-fewest (23.9) assists per game in the NBA, so both Pritchard and White will have to be more fluid in swinging the ball around the perimeters. Despite all this, the Celtics have still found ways to win games and they’d likely be far ahead in the East if Jayson Tatum was healthy and playing. Still, the Pistons are the favorites here for a reason with their size in the paint thanks to Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. Their physical play in the paint has stifled strong offensive teams, so expect the pair to be active once again in rebounding and turning away shots in the interior. Celtics vs. Pistons Prediction and Pick The Celtics and Pistons will conclude their heated season series as Boston owns the chance to tie things up. Jaylen Brown has…

The Buffalo Bills’ firing of Sean McDermott today has apparently shaken up the NFL coaching carousel. In the hours since the Bills dismissed McDermott after nine seasons with the franchise, it has been reported that McDermott plans to continue coaching, that he could be a major player in multiple vacant openings, and now, that things could play out fast with McDermott officially on the market. “Several organizations want to move quickly on Sean McDermott, but timing is the obstacle,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini posted on X, formerly Twitter. “A number of key decision-makers are tied up in in person meetings with other candidates today.” It’s not hard to see why NFL teams would be desperate to bring in McDermott as their next head coach. Of the six openings in the NFL, excluding the Bills, all but one hired a first-time head coach the last time they had a vacancy. For the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, that worked out very well in the form of a Super Bowl win each, but for the others — the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Miami Dolphins — their experiences varied but ultimately didn’t reach the same heights as Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Landing an experienced, incredibly successful head coach could be too alluring for any of those franchises, including the Steelers and Ravens, although McDermott’s playoff woes may be disqualifying, considering their similar complaints with their outgoing coaches. Unlike now-New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh and his old William & Mary teammate Mike Tomlin, McDermott doesn’t have a Super Bowl ring to point to when his playoff struggles are mentioned. And they sure were mentioned in the past few seasons, as the Bills continued to fall at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason. In four of Buffalo’s five trips to the playoffs from 2021 to 2025, the Chiefs defeated the Bills in either the divisional round or the AFC Championship Game. That fact likely made this year’s postseason exit even more painful, as Buffalo failed to reach the conference title game despite the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals, who knocked Buffalo out in 2023, not even making the playoffs. Instead, the Denver Broncos delivered the knockout blow when Wil Lutz nailed a game-winning field goal, capitalizing on a controversial Josh Allen interception and Tre’Davious White being called for pass interference. McDermott finished his Bills tenure with the second-most wins and second-best win percentage in franchise history, behind Marv Levy and Lou Saban, respectively. The post NFL rumors: Insider reveals ‘obstacle’ in teams’ Sean McDermott pursuit appeared first on ClutchPoints.

After the Golden State Warriors beat the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, star Draymond Green would go on his self-titled podcast to talk about the previous win against the New York Knicks last Thursday. Talking about the Warriors’ win over the Knicks, Green would talk about his interactions with Karl-Anthony Towns, finding a way to throw shots while showing respect as well. Green would go on his show to clear the air about what looked like another heated matchup against Towns when Golden State and New York faced off. He would call out Towns after the Knicks star called him a “front-runner,” leading to his retort. “I saw a lot made of my interactions with KAT. I will share those interactions,” Green said. “OG Anunoby and I were sitting there having a conversation. And he came and joined in talking, and he told me that, ‘You’re going to start talking in the last minute and a half of the game, you’re a front runner.’ Now, one thing Karl-Anthony Towns can’t do is call me a front-runner. His voice changes too much to call someone a frontrunner. Because we don’t really know which KAT we’re getting.” Warriors’ Draymond Green on respect for Karl-Anthony Towns D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images As the Warriors are hot with winning five of their last six games, the game against the Knicks was a key victory to help turn around their season, which was pointed out to be mediocre by the likes of Jimmy Butler. Green would continue on his relationship with Towns, going more into their interaction in the game and the “respect” he has for the big man. “I just said some choice words to him. Nothing disrespectful by the way, I didn’t call him by his name or nothing, but I just said some choice words on what I think he is on the basketball court,” Green said. “Me and KAT had our little back and forth, we were talking,” Green continued. “I got a lot of respect for KAT and what he’s done in the league. The basketball player that he is, anybody that can produce at that high of a level for 10 plus years in this league, you deserve respect.” Golden State will move on, looking for four straight wins as they host the Miami Heat on Monday night, as they have a 24-19 record, which puts them eighth in the Western Conference. The post Warriors’ Draymond Green finds way to disrespect Karl-Anthony Towns respectfully appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Atlanta Braves have made a number of acquisitions this offseason, as they seek to refurbish their roster after a miserable 2025 campaign. Unfortunately, one of those moves is already yielding negative results. Former Gold Glove winner Ha-Seong Kim, who re-signed with the ballclub on a one-year, $20 million contract in mid-December, will miss four-to-five months after undergoing finger surgery. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is quickly pivoting amid the disheartening news. Atlanta is signing Jorge Mateo to a one-year, $1 million deal, per baseball reporter Francys Romero. The utility man began his MLB career with the San Diego Padres in 2020 and spent four-plus years with the Baltimore Orioles. Although he has only played 120 games in a campaign once, Mateo has value to offer. He led the American League with 35 stolen bases in 2022 and swiped 15 in just 42 games last season. The Braves ranked 26th in MLB in that category, so they could certainly use a burst of speed. The 30-year-old Dominican Republic native does not often get on base through his own merit, however. He is batting .221 with a .266 on-base percentage, .363 slugging percentage and .629 OPS in 1,303 big-league at-bats. Atlanta cannot count on Mateo to carry a significant workload, but he can provide some needed base-running prowess and defensive versatility. Despite the Ha-Seong Kim setback, the Braves have done enough to qualify as a bounce-back candidate entering next season. They fortified the bullpen with former Padres closer Robert Suarez and added outfield depth in the form of Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon. If lineup fixtures like Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies can stay healthy and produce, the Braves should reestablish themselves as a threat in the National League. The speedy Jorge Mateo now joins this revival effort. The post Braves sign speedy infielder to one-year contract appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams suffered a hamstring injury in a 122-120 loss to the Miami Heat and will miss Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavs. Roughly six weeks removed from his season debut after two surgeries to repair torn ligaments in his right wrist, Williams strained his right hamstring — another setback for his 2025-26 campaign. The Thunder announced Williams’ diagnosis on its injury report ahead of Monday’s game against the Cavs. In his 24 games this season, the All-NBA forward is averaging 16.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. The Heat snapped the Thunder’s five-game win streak on Saturday, as Oklahoma City will continue its four-game road trip in Cleveland for a matinee against the Cavs on Martin Luther King Day. Jalen Williams dealt another setback with hamstring injury Sam Navarro-Imagn Images While Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t confirm Jalen Williams’ hamstring injury, fans feared for the worst after watching the All-Star forward be helped off the court in the second quarter of Saturday’s loss to the Heat. Williams was finding his rhythm after missing the first 19 games of the season. Now, amid a strained right hamstring, Williams could miss the foreseeable future, as Daigneault retools his starting lineup, starting with a matinee against the Cavs. Williams joins Isaiah Hartenstein as one of the two starters sidelined by injuries, as Hartenstein is working his way back. The Thunder will conclude its four-game road trip against the Bucks on Thursday before returning home to host the Pacers at the Paycom Center on Friday. The post Thunder’s Jalen Williams will miss Cavs game with hamstring injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.