There are seven games of NBA Summer League action taking place in Las Vegas on Monday. In the first matchup of the slate, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Houston Rockets as each organization continues its evaluation of its young talent. The Hawks are undefeated at 2-0 while the Rockets are winless at 0-2. This matchup is set to tip off at 4:30 p.m. ET.
DraftKings Sportsbook is listing the Hawks as 3.5-point favorites and -170 on the moneyline ahead of the contest. The Rockets are +142 on the moneyline with the game total set at 181.5.
Hawks vs. Rockets Preview, Prediction:
The Atlanta Hawks opened their Las Vegas experience with a 105-98 win over the Miami Heat. Two days later, Atlanta dispatched of the Phoenix Suns, 98-80. After suffering injuries in his first two seasons in the league, Kobe Bufkin looks bigger physically while the skills that got him selected with the 15th overall pick haven’t dissipated. The shooting efficiency hasn’t been great (6-of-16 and 3-of-17), but he’s been breaking down defenses, getting to the line and finding the open guy. Jacob Toppin has been a force on the wing, draining the open J while doing work on the boards. Asa Newell has shown off his length and athleticism, cleaning the glass while converting in the paint on offense.
In both contests, Atlanta has dominated the rebound battle. The Hawks outrebounded Miami by 16 and Phoenix by 12.
The Rockets lost 95-92 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. On Sunday, the Detroit Pistons took care of business, 98-83.
Reed Sheppard was simply amazing against the Clippers, going 10-of-25 from the field, 6-of-15 from downtown and 2-of-4 from the line. He finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks. He was navigating pick-and-roll action, popping from downtown while finding the open player when the defense converged. He does gamble quite a bit on defense, compromising the structure, but he was able to recover at times. It’s truly a “no risk it, no biscuit” philosophy. Against the Pistons, Sheppard shot 6-of-19 but only 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. He racked up another four steals!
Against the Clippers, Houston turned it over 21 times and only converted 15-of-26 from the line (57.7%). Every other statistical category was close to even. Against the Pistons, Houston turned it over 17 times and shot only 18-of-28 from the line (64.3%) while converting only 3-of-21 from downtown. In both contests, Houston shot sub-42% from the field. In true Houston fashion, though, the Rockets held both the Clippers and Pistons to sub-42% shooting as well.
Hawks vs. Rockets Pick: Under 181.5 (-110)
Both teams played on Sunday, so it’s a back-to-back for both, which could make things tricky. In addition, teams usually shut down the good players after two games of action.
Sheppard has shown that he’s too good for Summer League. Last season, he showed that he can ball out in the league, but Ime Udoka held him back. There’s a chance that Sheppard is done for Summer League because I do think he becomes an integral part of the rotation.
The same can be said for Bufkin and Newell.
Regardless of who’s playing, Houston is going to play tough, in-your-face defense. The back-to-back and chance that both teams sit some of their best players have me leaning toward the under.
