Sin City came alive a couple of nights ago with the start of NBA Summer League, which continues throughout the day on Saturday. We get a rematch of the NBA Finals this evening, at least in a sense, with the New York Knicks set to take on the San Antonio Spurs. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Here’s a betting pick and game prediction for the Knicks vs. Spurs matchup in NBA Summer League on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Knicks vs. Spurs prediction, preview
The Knicks opened Summer League with a loss to the Brooklyn Nets last night, dropping that outing 91-65. The blowout wasn’t entirely shocking given the standout talent on the opposing squad, but shooting 28% from the field and 23% from deep doesn’t make a recipe for success for anyone. The good news is that the Knicks did get a nice showing from No. 47 pick Tyler Nickel as the Vanderbilt standout scored 18 points on six made threes, also bringing in four rebounds. Outside of his performance and 20 points from 2024 first-rounder Pacome Dadiet, albeit on less-than-peak efficiency, there weren’t many positives to glean from the day.
The Knicks will surely hope for Jack Kayil, the German guard who they just took at No. 39 overall, to get on the floor today after a DNP-CD yesterday. If he does, the combo guard’s presence could prove key to getting this offense going. A better showing from Mohamed Diawara is also much desired, especially after he posted just seven points yesterday on 1-for-9 shooting despite having NBA experience under his belt.
The Spurs suffered a similarly bad blowout in their opening game on Thursday in Vegas. They lost 93-66 at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, shooting 34% from the field and a miserable 12% from beyond the arc. It’s unlikely that those numbers remain so low tonight, but cleaning up after 23 turnovers and 27 fouls will also be important to getting into the win column here.
San Antonio’s roster is headlined by second-year pro Carter Bryant, who just got major minutes throughout the NBA Playoffs but posted just 12 points with four turnovers in the Summer League opener. This team does include a pair of 2026 first-round picks in Tarris Reed Jr. and Jayden Quaintance. The former made his debut with 14 points and 10 boards in an impressive double-double on Thursday, but the latter won’t play on this stage while the team errs on the side of caution while he continues to work his way back from a severe knee injury. That leaves second-round picks Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Maliq Brown in major roles here. Gillespie hails from Tennessee and posted 12 points with six assists in the opener; Brown only put up two shots with two points on the night.
Knicks vs. Spurs pick, best bet
The Spurs are a -5.5 favorite tonight with -225 odds on the Moneyline. The Knicks hold +185 odds to win outright with the game total set at 172.5 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.
As bad as the Spurs looked in their first game of Summer League, they still feel like a safer play here for those looking to take a game line. There’s a better collection of talent, at least in theory, and Bryant has seen enough NBA work to potentially get hot and carry the load. With that in mind, I’d actually like to target him to record 15+ points in this outing with a pretty hefty role. He put up 13 shots in the opener and didn’t connect on six of his seven three-point attempts, but we saw him light it up from distance a time or two in the playoffs. With one or two makes from downtown, he can easily get to this prop bet at plus odds. And while this is an entirely different roster than the one he lost to in the Finals, perhaps the sting of the loss last month will have the young forward out for revenge against the franchise.
Best Bet: Carter Bryant to record 15+ points (+140)
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