Have you been bored without much action during the dog days of summer? Well, the NBA is back in a minor capacity, with Summer League in Vegas.
We're now two days in and have already gotten our first look at Wemby, with the return of Chet Holmgren and a surprisingly impressive performance from Brandon Miller on Friday night.
So yeah, there are plenty of games, and there's no better way to enjoy them with some wagers.
Here are our best Sunday bets - with odds presented by our partners at Betfred Sportsbook.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Spread: Lakers (-3.5)
Total: 184
The game is headlined by No. 2 pick Brandon Miller. The Hornets are coming off a loss against San Antionio while the Lakers won comfortably against Golden State despite falling behind by 16 in the first quarter. Charlotte has the talented roster. They have the aforementioned Miller, but also have last year’s first round pick James Bouknight, Arkansas’s Nick Smith, and Amari Bailey.
But even with a lot of athleticism and talent I’m going to fade them here.
The Lakers are led by Max Christie and Cole Swinder who sat at the end of the Lakers bench for most of last season. Christie is using summer league to prove he belongs into the rotation. Jalen-Hood Schifino has shown he can be a productive two-way player.
It may be easy to go with the team with the most notable name. I like the Lakers in this spot.
Spread: Lakers (-3.5)
Houston vs. Detroit
Spread: PK
Over/Under: 185
This was supposed to be a matchup of the Thompson twins, the No.'s 3 and 4 picks in the draft. Unfortunately, Amen Thompson, Houston's selection at No. 3 suffered an ankle sprain on Friday night and won't play.
Still, this one has plenty of intrigue, thanks in large part to last year's No. 3 overall pick, Jabari Smith. He had 33 points in the Rockets' opening night win over Portland. He is part of a talented young Houston core that has plenty of dynamism, even without Thompson. Tari Eason had 20 points on Friday night and Houston also has touted rookie Cam Whitmore. We also get to see college basketball standouts Buddy Boehiem bomb threes for Detriot and Seton Hall’s Myless Powell handle the ball for Houston.
Meanwhile, Detroit's lineup is at least fun - even if it would never make sense in the real NBA. They start two centers with Jalen Duren and James Wiseman. They are surrounded by explosive guards Jaden Ivey and the other Thompson brother, Ausar Thompson.
This is a fun game I’m looking at from an entertainment perspective. If I’m picking a side, I like Houston. Their team make up makes more sense. Tari Eason is tough and can rebound. They have some mismatch problems for Detroit’s bigs. If we can get confirmation that Smith plays, I like Houston here.
The pick: Houston (PK)
San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trailblazers
Spread: San Antonio (-3)
Over/Under: 185
This was supposed to be a matchup of Victor Wembanyama vs Scoot Henderson, but unfortunately Henderson is out for this game with a shoulder injury suffered Friday night.
Still, Wembanyama is expected to play, after a somewhat disappointing opener as a Spur. The 7'5 center only went 2-9 from the field, but he was a menace on defense forcing five blocks against the Hornets. The Spurs also have two elite scorers on the wing with Julian Champagnie and Malaki Branham, to go along with former Notre Dame guard Blake Wesley, who appeared in 39 games for the Spurs last season.
And to be blunt, I think this the game we are going to see Wembanyama unleash is offensive weaponry.
Portland is going to have G League journeyman Duop Reath or Kris Murray guard the 7 foot- 5 unicorn. Those guys aren’t overly physical. It’s simply not going to go well.
Even with Shaedon Sharpe having a breakout game this weekend, it could get ugly,
Without Henderson, we're taking the Spurs here.
The Pick: San Antonio (-3)
Atlanta vs Denver
Spread: Denver (-1.5)
Over/Under: 176.5
If you are Penn State basketball fan you are going want to tune in. The core of last year’s team: Andrew Funk, Seth Lundy and Jalen Pickett will all be on the court.
Even if you are not a Big Ten fanatic, I think this has the makings of a good one.
I think Denver has an underrated team and are one of the best values to win the Summer League championship. They are led by last year’s first round pick Peyton Watson. They have this year’s first round pick Julian Strawther, second pick Hunter Tyson and former Villanova legend Colin Gillespie.
I like Denver’s team because they are elite on the wings, and they have shooting. Give me Denver to beat Atlanta here.
The pick: Denver -2
Follow Austin on Twitter - @AMontgomeryLive
For NBA Summer League odds visit the Betfred Sportsbook
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