NBA Summer League in Utah is in full swing ahead of the Vegas edition later this week, giving us a glimpse at the young talent beginning or continuing the earliest stages of their professional careers. As we take a look at who’s got next in the Association, the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder’s delegations are set to face off at 7 p.m. ET tonight.
Here’s a betting pick and game prediction for the Hawks vs. Thunder matchup in NBA Summer League on Monday night, courtesy of lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Hawks vs. Thunder prediction, preview
The Hawks’ Summer League roster admittedly has the highest-profile prospect in this matchup. Kingston Flemings, the former Houston Cougar selected at No. 8 overall in last month’s draft, put on a show in his first outing with 14 points, nine assists, four steals and only one turnover in his debut a couple of nights ago. He’s a high-upside talent who can get out in transition and distribute the rock, so it should be interesting to see how he fares again tonight. After averaging an efficient 16.1 points in his lone collegiate season, he should play a key role once again for Atlanta.
He’s complemented by Henri Veesaar, who fell deep into the second round of the draft but showed plenty of promise with 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds a night at UNC last year. The big man could see a large offensive workload while being expected to hit the boards. Plus, second-year guard Asa Newell averaged 5.2 PPG in small role for the NBA squad last season and popped with 15 points in the Summer League opener. He looked quite good, but Atlanta eventually fell to No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz in a 103-102 overtime thriller.
They’re facing the Thunder, whose roster is headlined by a pair of first-round rookies. The franchise selected Michigan center and reigning Big Ten DPOY Aday Mara at No. 12 overall. The 7-foot-3 big man is monstrous and posted 12.1 points with 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in his only NCAA campaign, and with championship pedigree, it’s hard not to see some of the upside. His Summer League debut was something of a stat-sheet stuffer 10 points, three boards and four assists with a pair of blocks… all in just 22 minutes. No. 16 selection Bennett Stirtz also posted 10 points in his professional debut, knocking down a pair of threes while dishing four dimes.
However, Oklahoma City’s effort came up far short to No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies, who won 111-74 in a blowout. It was far from a good result, but players are just getting their legs under them for now. Notably, a better night from Kentucky product Otega Oweh could be in the cards after the second-rounder averaged a cool 18.6 PPG in college, though an eight-point night to open Summer League came nowhere close to his potential.
Hawks vs. Thunder pick, best bet
The Hawks are a -3.5 favorite tonight with -166 odds on the Moneyline. The Thunder hold +140 odds to win outright with the game total set at 182.5 points.
Anything can happen in these Summer League games since there’s much less focus on structure and more of an emphasis on flee-flowing basketball through the rookies as they show what they’re capable of. Of course, youth sometimes means sloppy mistakes and more unpredictable outcomes as well.
In this one, the battle between Veesaar and Mara on the glass should prove fascinating if both perform up to par. That matchup could literally swing the entire game, but it’s tough not to look at Atlanta and think that there’s a clear advantage in the lead guards between the presence of Flemings and Newell. That factor, when combined with how Oklahoma City came out so flat in its opening game (after all, this group did lose by nearly 40 points), makes me feel pretty good about taking the Hawks to cover the spread tonight. With the superior backcourt, they can mitigate some of the issues that tend to crop up on this stage to play a cleaner game and win by at least four points.
Best Bet: ATL Hawks -3.5 (-170)
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