NBA Summer League in Las Vegas has hit its stride as Friday brings an eight-game slate. As we struggle through these slow summer months of sports, the annual tournament brings some much-needed action on the hardwood to deliver fans their fix of hoops.
As a smattering of young players take the court at 9 p.m. EST tonight as the Houston Rockets and Reed Sheppard take on a Los Angeles Clippers squad headlined by Kobe Brown.
Even still, there is plenty of young talent to get excited about in tonight’s matchup. The Jazz are coming off a 3-0 showing at the Salt Lake City Summer League tournament, while tonight will be the first game of the summer for the Hornets.
Rockets vs. Clippers preview, prediction
Neither one of these teams made premium selections in the 2025 NBA Draft after the Rockets traded the No. 10 pick in a package for Kevin Durant, while the Clippers didn’t pick until No. 30 overall. There may not be top talent from this year’s draft but Houston does have a potential young star and former No. 3 pick on display in Reed Sheppard, a sharpshooting guard drafted out of Kentucky in 2024. He spent much of the year on the bench as the Rockets shifted into win-now mode, but the former All-American is expected to play a larger role for the team in his second campaign. Tonight, he can show the NBA world what he’s made of and is a potential candidate to get shut down before the end of this tournament if he plays well enough.
Houston’s roster has a couple of other names which may get recognized by fans including Moses Brown, a 7-foot-2 big man who already spent time with several NBA teams in a depth role. Rim-running center N’Faly Dante put up solid numbers in his time at Oregon before spending 2024 with the Rockets, while Jermaine Samuels Jr. and Nate Williams also saw time with Houston’s G-League and Summer League teams last year. One more guy to watch is 6-foot-6 guard Adonis Arms, a Texas Tech product who averaged 10.2 PPG for the Guangdong Tigers in the CBA last season.
Looking toward the Clippers’ lineup, forward Kobe Brown enters his third year in the NBA sphere after solidifying his spot at the end of Los Angeles’ bench in 2025. The 2023 first-rounder didn’t play much at the pro level but did average 19.2 PPG over his 23 games in the G-League and can show his skills in an expanded role tonight. Patrick Baldwin Jr. is another name fighting for an NBA spot (or at least a two-way deal) as he brings high-upside shooting in a jumbo forward’s package. The Clippers’ No. 30 pick — Yanic Konan Niederhauser — should see extensive playing time after putting up nearly 13 points and over six boards a night with Penn State last season. Second-rounder Kobe Sanders remains an intriguing name to watch as well after putting up 15.8 PPG with Nevada.
Rockets vs. Clippers pick, best bet
The Clippers enter tonight’s contest with -125 odds to win on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Rockets are listed at +105 on the Moneyline with a game total of 181.5.
Betting on Summer League games can be tricky given the often-sloppy play and abundance of inexperienced and lesser-known names. There’s opportunities for those who know what they’re looking at though.
Sheppard truly excelled at the Summer League showcase last year as a rookie and earned a spot on the All-Summer League First Team with 20.0 points and 5.3 assists per outing. He looked equally impressive against G-League competition over his three games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 30.7 points and 8.3 assists while shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc. He’s clearly the best player in this game and probably a little bit too good for this level of competition, so I’m banking on him to take over tonight and lead the Rockets to a win as the underdogs.
