The Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers will face off as part of today’s NBA Summer League action. Indiana kicked off its Las Vegas tenure with a 99-93 victory over the Cavaliers, while the 76ers took down the Pistons 101-93.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering odds for all the summer league matchups, including some player prop and team prop options, depending on your location.
Looking at the odds for this matchup, the 76ers enter as 4.5-point favorites and hold -170 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Pacers hold +142 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 183.5 points.
Pacers at 76ers preview, prediction
The Pacers cruised to a 99-93 win over the Cavaliers yesterday to kick off their summer league. Indiana led for 57% of the matchup and stretched the lead to as large as 21, although there were some ugly stretches for both sides. Rienk Mast and Taevion Kinsey tied for a team-high 16 points. Jalen Slawson added 15 points, while Taelon Peter and Keion Brooks Jr. also finished in double figures.
Looking ahead to today’s game, Indiana will expect more from Purdue standout Braden Smith, who shot 1-for-8 from the field in the opener. Fan favorite Yuki Kawamura showed some encouraging flashes, while Tamin Lipsey will also be looking to improve upon an underwhelming summer league opener. Alex Reese will also have a chance at a revenge game, as he played 14 games and 214 minutes for the Sixers in the 2024-25 season. G League head coach Bryce Taylor is at the helm of the Pacers’ summer squad.
The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons 101-93 in their summer league opener. It was a wire-to-wire win for Philadelphia, which never fell behind and stretched the lead to as many as 13. Dante Maddox Jr. headlined the scoring with 21 points for Philadelphia. Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson poured in 20 points of his own, while last year’s second-round pick Johni Broome contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds. No. 22 overall pick Labaron Philon Jr. dropped 18 points and seven assists, while Amani Lyles was the lone other player to score in double figures.
Philadelphia is leaning on an inexperienced roster, with Broome the only player to have logged any NBA minutes. The Sixers will be hoping for more production from Saint Thomas and Duke Miles after each struggled in the summer league opener. Philon Jr. carries the bulk of the responsibility for running the offense and showed some impressive flashes as both a scorer and passer. Player development coach T.J. DiLeo is serving as the summer league head coach.
Pacers at 76ers pick, best bet
Neither of these teams should exactly be considered favorites for winning the summer league, even if they are both coming off wins in their first matchup. The Sixers do benefit from an additional day of rest as they played on Thursday, while this is the second half of a back-to-back for the Pacers. But Philadelphia shot 16-for-38 (42%) from beyond the three-point arc and out-rebounded the Pistons 40-30 in its first game. The 76ers benefited from some outlier shooting by players who were not expected to be major contributors entering the summer league.
Expect some regression from the Sixers in today’s matchup. This is an inexperienced group that has spent little time together. Philon Jr. especially shined in this pickup-like style of basketball, and he will look to do the same. But Indiana has a bit more reason for belief in its ability to slow down the Alabama product, compared to Philon Jr. being able to attack his fellow rookie guard Ebuka Okorie at a regular rate in the first game.
There is more NBA experience on this Pacers roster, which I expect to be a factor tonight. It felt like just about everything went right for the Sixers in the opener, and the Pacers will also put up more of a fight in the rebounding battle. This is a toss-up matchup, where my lean is toward the Pacers finding a way to pull off the upset. They embrace more of a well-rounded approach to their offensive shot creation, and the Sixers have some vulnerable defenders that can be attacked. If Indiana can force the ball out of Philon Jr.’s hands, the Sixers’ offense will be borderline nonexistent given their lack of other creators. Expect this to be a clear part of the Pacers’ gameplan and I am backing the +4.5 spread in their favor for some added security in a game that should come right down to the wire.
