The NBA summer league is in full swing out in Las Vegas as the next generation of talent begins to cement their standing in the league. As part of today’s loaded Sunday slate, the San Antonio Spurs will take on the Milwaukee Bucks with tip-off scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering odds for all the summer league matchups, including some player prop and team prop options, depending on your location.
The Bucks enter as 4.5-point favorites and hold -170 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Spurs hold +142 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 176.5 points.
Spurs vs. Bucks preview, prediction
The San Antonio Spurs are off to a 1-1 start to summer league. They struggled in the opening matchup, losing 93-66 at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. San Antonio shot just 34% from the field, 12% from beyond the three-point arc, and turned the ball over 23 times in the wire-to-wire blowout loss. The Spurs played much better in their second summer league opportunity, defeating the Knicks 70-49 yesterday. San Antonio asserted themselves defensively and won the rebounding battle 47-32. The Spurs never trailed in the victory.
Through the opening two games, Carter Bryant leads the team with averages of 15.5 points and 2.0 blocks per game. From playing minutes in the NBA Finals to leading a summer league roster in the span of a month, Bryant is making his case for why he is too good for summer league. Jacobi Gillespie is the lone other player to average in double figures, averaging 13.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. UConn product Tarris Reed Jr. adds 9.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, while R.J. Davis, Maliq Brown, and Emanuel Miller also have had some encouraging flashes. The Spurs also brought in several decorated collegiate players to compete at the bottom of the roster, with names like Zakai Ziegler, Igor Milicic Jr., and Tyon Grant-Foster worth keeping an eye on.
The Spurs have been on both sides of a blowout in their opening two games, making it a bit tough to figure out exactly how this team stacks up in the hierarchy of summer league teams. There have been some flashes of really impressive defense for stretches, but also times when the offensive approach has left plenty to be desired. San Antonio likely is not as bad as they looked in the first game, nor as good as they flashed in the previous matchup, but this will be the next chance for each member of the roster to attempt to improve their career outlook.
It has been a hectic offseason in Milwaukee, and the summer league is especially crucial as they have fully embraced their youthful rebuild. The Bucks lost their lone summer league matchup thus far, as the Heat defeated them 119-86. Miami stretched the lead to as large as 36 and held a lead for 58% of the matchup. Milwaukee turned the ball over 17 times and struggled with their efficiency by connecting on just 35% of the shots from the floor and 31% of the long-range attempts.
10th overall pick Brayden Burries headlined the production, leading the team with 18 points in his summer league debut. Pete Nance added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Kasparas Jakučionis finished with 11 points and a team-high six assists. Nate Ament and Bogoljub Markovic rounded out the initial starting lineup, although each left a bit to be desired with their play in the first game. Kira Lewis Jr., B.J. Boston Jr., Malique Lewis, and Cormac Ryan are also names to monitor.
13th overall pick Nate Ament struggled in his first taste of the NBA, looking a step slow in the pace of play, and it became clear he needs to add more weight to his frame. He will be eager to put forth an improved performance as he attempts to grow into a foundational part of the Bucks’ future. The biggest takeaway from the first game is that the Bucks looked undersized, lacked physicality, and looked too young. Expect them to show some progress in getting on the same page collectively, but none of the individual talents shined to the level the organization likely hoped in the first game.
Spurs vs. Bucks pick, best bet
The lack of size and physicality on this Bucks roster is the biggest thing that stands out in this matchup. Milwaukee got bullied in its opening summer league game, with it feeling like the Heat came up with nearly every loose ball. The Spurs are capable of exploiting this, with players like Carter Bryant and Tarris Reed Jr. especially playing with high levels of physicality. Expect San Antonio to win the rebounding battle tonight.
While some of it can just be chalked up to nerves and lack of time spent playing together, the Bucks never found an offensive rhythm in their first matchup. The basketball fit their collection of young talent makes sense on paper, but they have not shown the ability to effectively play off of each other to this point. San Antonio, having an additional game under their belt, should be viewed positively, as they have had more time to learn to build chemistry on the floor. It was a vastly improved performance in their second game, and expect this to carry into the third matchup.
Milwaukee conceded a concerning 119 points in its summer league debut and expect the Spurs to perform at a higher level on both sides of the ball. San Antonio has more veterans (by summer league standards) and players looking not just to crack the roster but to play a real role. Carter Bryant is one of the most dangerous players in Las Vegas and is coming off a 19-point performance in which he looked extremely confident on the floor. Expect this to carry into tonight’s matchup and for the Spurs to pull off the outright upset.
