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Denver Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks prediction, pick for NBA Summer League on Thursday 7/10/25

Denver Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks prediction, pick for NBA Summer League on Thursday 7/10/25

Sports Betting Picks NBA DraftKings Sportsbook Insights

Published:

By: Alex Hunter

The Nuggets and Bucks are going head-to-head for a summer league matchup in Las Vegas on Thursday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Milwaukee is favored by 3.5 points and this game carries a total of 173.5 points.

Below, I break down this matchup between the Nuggets and Bucks and give a pick for the game.

Nuggets vs. Bucks preview, prediction

Thursday will be both the Nuggets and Bucks first taste of summer league action this year. Denver’s roster is headlined by Hunter Tyson, who is competing in his third summer league, and DaRon Holmes II, who was a first round pick in 2024, but tore his Achilles in the first summer league game last year.

A year later, Holmes is fully recovered and the Nuggets have hopes of him making a serious impact at the summer league. In his final season at Dayton two years ago, Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, so the center has the potential to be an effective two-way player.

For the Bucks, Tyler Smith is back for his second summer league in a row, and both NBA veterans Andre Jackson Jr. and Keita Bates-Diop are on Milwaukee’s roster. Jackson Jr. is a third-year NBA player and this coming season will be Bates-Diop’s seventh year in the league. Both have had solid showings when given decent opportunities in real NBA games, so their experience should be on full display Thursday.

Bogoljub Markovic will also debut for the Bucks after the team selected him in the second round of the 2025 draft. The 6-foot-11 Serbian has the ability to stretch the floor, and could earn more opportunities with his play at summer league.

Nuggets vs. Bucks pick, best bet

With the Bucks having two players in Jackson Jr. and Bates-Diop that have plenty of real NBA experience under their belts, its hard to pick against Milwaukee. While it’s great to see Holmes recovered, it’s unlikely he makes such an immediate impact in his return from a torn Achilles. Denver could struggle as a whole in this matchup, especially considering its inexperience. The Bucks should be favorited by more than 3.5 points in this spot.

Best bet: Bucks -3.5

Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.