MLB starts back up tonight, the Olympics begin next week, and we're set up for a great finish at The Open, but we're on an NBA Summer League heater... and you never walk away from a heater.
Friday's 8-game slate tips off with Milwaukee vs Phoenix at 4:00 PM EDT and concludes with Portland vs Charlotte at 11:00 PM EDT. Here are our 4 best bets for tonight and a complete breakdown for each matchup.
The Mavericks look to get their first victory in Vegas after dropping three straight. Nico Harrison hasn’t received a standout performer during the last week of play, but one player we are looking out for will be Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. O-MAX had a solid campaign in the G-League last season but without a Summer League performance to put in his Vegas scrapbook, he’s the guy to bet on Friday night.
Boston’s fantastic Summer League run continues into Friday night where they are favored to win by 5.5 points. Their defense has looked outstanding since allowing 119 points to Miami in their first game in Vegas, holding the Lakers and Charlotte to just 74 and 84 points apiece with 8 of their players averaging above 1 steal per contest and 5 averaging over 1 block per game. The defense should swarm Dallas who doesn’t have a number one scoring option as the C’s should ultimately head to 3-1 in SL play.
Best Bet: Boston -5.5
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Atlanta is still searching for their first Summer League victory behind their 1st overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, who’s averaged 14.5 PPG on just 25% shooting from beyond the arc thus far. While his status remains up in the air for this matchup, fellow rookie Nikola Djurisic is a name to keep your eye on as a sharpshooting wing who can score in a hurry.
Chicago’s Matas Buzelis has earned his label as one of the top-performing rookies this week, averaging 20 PPG alongside 5 boards per game and 3.3 stocks. The Bulls sit at 1-2 but should be the rightful favorite in this game as Buzelis, Adama Sanogo, and Julian Phillips are too impactful especially on the defensive end for Atlanta to score in bunches.
Best Bet: Chicago ML
After the Knicks locked up Jalen Brunson long-term on a favorable contract, have they found their backup point guard of the future in Tyler Kolek? Kolek led the Knicks with 21 points and 8 assists in their first victory against Sacramento while shooting 40% from the field during his three SL games. Looking at this potential matchup with Marcus Sasser, this is a great test for Kolek and the Knicks, who will have a decision to make whether Kolek gets to join the Nova Knicks or wait a year by playing in the G-League.
Detroit’s two-game win streak against Houston and Chicago is something to monitor, as Ron Holland and Bobi Klintman have both shown flashes as impactful jumbo-sized wings. The Pistons look to have a young core to be excited about between the two rookies I mentioned, Marcus Sasser’s point guard leadership, alongside the already proven Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham leading the group. In this game, New York’s shooting from beyond the arc has a chance to prevail, as Detroit’s scoring needs to come from more places than just Ron Holland.
Best Bet: New York +2.5
The 2-1 76ers take on the undefeated Spurs in what Vegas is expecting to be a tightly contested game. Philly is led by Jeff Dowtin - who has been a mid-range assassin in Vegas shooting 44% from the field with some extremely contested shots dropping, and Ricky Council whose athleticism mixed with 3-level-scoring should get him a roster spot this season. As for Jared McCain, his shooting numbers remain a concern, but playing more freely off the ball is something to monitor in this Friday night game.
The Spurs’ Stephon Castle was shut down for the rest of Summer League after a 22-point performance, but the undefeated squad has relied on the scoring of Sidy Cissoko and Jamaree Bouyea to get a chance to compete in the playoffs over the weekend. In their last game against New Orleans, Riley Minix stepped up to the plate, shooting 4 of 6 from downtown in 20 minutes to lead his Spurs to victory without their top prospect. While Philly’s backcourt scoring should break the Spurs’ undefeated Vegas run, Minix is a name to watch as a potential training camp bloomer as San Antonio looks to bolster their bench.
Best Bet: Philadelphia Moneyline