There are another eight games of NBA Summer League action taking place in Las Vegas today. In the final matchup of the slate, the Golden State Warriors will face the Utah Jazz as each organization continues its evaluation of its young talent. Both teams will be looking to bounce back from a loss in their opening Las Vegas summer league matchup. This final matchup is set to tip off at 10:00 p.m. ET.
DraftKings Sportsbook is listing the Jazz as 7.5-point favorites and -345 on the moneyline ahead of the contest. The Warriors hold +275 odds on the moneyline with the game total set at 181.5.
Warriors vs. Jazz Preview, Prediction:
The Golden State Warriors suffered a 106-73 loss to the Trail Blazers on Friday to start their Las Vegas Summer League experience. No member of the Warriors’ roster tallied more than 12 points, with Alex Toohey posting a wild -47 +/- in the loss. Golden State struggled shooting the ball, connecting on just 32.9% from the field and 22.2% from beyond the three-point arc. It was also outrebounded 49-29 in the loss.
Will Richard and Jackson Rowe each dropped 12 points to tie as the team’s leading scorer in the loss. Taran Armstrong primarily ran the offense and was the lone other player to finish in double figures, adding 10 points and seven assists. Jaden Shackelford added nine points off the bench while Jules Bernard led the team with 11 field-goal attempts, which he converted to eight points and four rebounds.
The Jazz are coming off a 111-106 loss to the Hornets in the Las Vegas Summer League opener after impressing in Salt Lake City. Even with the loss, there were still plenty of positive takeaways from this young Utah core.
Kyle Filipowski exploded for 32 points along with six rebounds and five assists. The Duke product is quietly playing himself into the “too good” for summer league label and proving why he must be considered a priority in the team’s long-term outlook. Things look like they are finally starting to click for Cody Williams, who dropped 21 points despite shooting 3-for-11 from beyond the three-point arc. No. 18 overall pick Walter Clayton Jr. continues to impress and pitched in 21 of his own points while adding six rebounds and three assists. Clayton will miss tonight’s matchup due to left hamstring soreness. Isaiah Collier has had some ups and downs already, but he finished with 16 points, nine assists and six turnovers in the previous matchup. No. 5 overall pick Ace Bailey will also miss tonight’s matchup due to right hip flexor soreness.
Warriors vs. Jazz Pick: Jazz -7.5 (-112)
While Brice Sensabaugh has played himself out of the summer league talent pool, this is still a roster loaded with more NBA talent than most. Even with Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr. set to miss, the Jazz will have the talent advantage. If these two teams were to line up playground-style to pick teams, the first three picks would all be coming off the Jazz roster, even with the players missing in mind.
This Warriors roster is barren of NBA talent, even by summer league standards. Taran Armstrong was on a two-way contract with the Warriors last year, and Jackson Rowe has latched onto that type of contract for this season. But those are about the only convincing cases of players with a direct NBA outlook on Golden State. It selected Alex Toohey with the 52nd pick, but the Australian looked a bit overmatched in his debut. The Warriors struggled to run an effective offense across the board and turned the ball over 22 times in their debut.
The combination of Utah’s deep class of young talent and the Warriors’ notable struggles has me backing the Jazz in this matchup. The 7.5-point spread is too large by summer league standards, but I like the Jazz to take care of business. These are important reps for the young talents who are looking to cement their future standing in this rebuild, and each member is conscious of this. Expect Utah to put its foot on the gas early and have no trouble pushing this game to a comfortable victory.
