The 2024 NBA Summer League tips-off Friday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Two different leagues – the California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League – have concluded play. In Las Vegas, all 30 franchises will field teams that will play over the course of the next 10 days.
Betting the NBA Summer League can be quite the challenge. Information is vital and the market will move quickly. The first few days of play can be profitable, as the high-profile players will participate, giving some teams a distinct edge over others.
Tonight, we have seven games on the docket, including a high-profile contest at the Thomas & Mack Center between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
For those looking to get familiar with the rosters I have compiled each of them here.
Best Bets for Friday, July 12th
Houston Rockets (-3.5, 178.5) vs Los Angeles Lakers
Houston has one of the best rosters in Las Vegas.
Cam Whitmore returns to the summer league after dominating last year and winning MVP. In six games Whitmore averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He averaged 18.7 minutes in 47 games in the regular season for Houston. Whitmore’s time in Las Vegas will be short, but he will be the best player on the floor Friday night.
Around him is a great roster by Summer League standards.
Vegas native and third-year forward Orlando Robinson will play for the Rockets. He averaged 20.5 points and 8.3 rebounds last summer for Miami. A fellow third-year player in AJ Griffin should see the floor for Houston as well.
How long these players last in Las Vegas is a question, but all three should see the floor on Friday. With that trio – along with a very solid roster as a whole – Houston should be in a good spot to get a win and cover to open league play.
Los Angeles has one of the thinnest rosters in the Summer League. Maxwell Lewis should see some time and is the team’s best player. However, the rest of the roster is made up of mostly rookies, something that is not conducive to success in this setting.
The market has moved 1.5 points in the Rockets’ direction, but even the current number is playable for the favorite.
Play: Rockets (-5)
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers (-1, 181.5)
Denver has compiled a roster of mostly rookies, a fact which – as previously stated – is usually a flaw. However, the two biggest names on the roster should be enough to carry the Nuggets in this game against the Clippers.
Jalen Pickett and Julian Strawther are on Denver’s roster for Las Vegas.
Strawther played in 50 games for the Nuggets in the regular season and averaged 10.9 minutes per game. It isn’t the strongest resume, but these games should be much easier for a player that has seen regular season action.
Pickett played in just 27 contests and averaged only 4.5 minutes, but his game is perfect for this setting. In the Summer League last year Pickett averaged 12.4 points on 53.1% shooting from the floor.
These two should be the best players on the floor when these two teams meet.
Los Angeles does not have much high-end talent. Kobe Brown appeared in 44 games for the Clippers and averaged 9.1 minutes, and Amari Bailey saw some time for the Hornets. The rest of the roster is either rookies or players like Moussa Diabate who have struggled to catch on in their current settings.
The market flipped toward Denver at a couple of shops after the line opened on Thursday. It would not be surprising to see the Nuggets close as consensus favorites by the time tip-off arrives.
Play: Nuggets (+1)
