The NBA Summer League – Utah tips off at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday. We have a pair of games featuring the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder at 3:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU and Amazon Prime Video, while the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz meet at 5:00 p.m. ET, also on ESPNU and Prime Video. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks and predictions for Saturday, July 4th’s game Grizzlies vs. Thunder.
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Saturday’s Best Summer League NBA Picks & Predictions: Grizzlies vs. Thunder
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Memphis Grizzlies (-158) at Oklahoma City Thunder (+128) | O/U 182.5 (-112/-112)
The Grizzlies and Thunder meet on the campus of the University of Utah, as the Summer League tips off in Utah in the first game of the double dip in SLC. The games are at the Jon M. Huntsman Center rather than the Delta Center, home of the Jazz, because the NBA team’s arena is undergoing renovations.
Memphis selected Duke star Cameron Boozer with the No. 3 overall pick, and it’s likely he’ll make his team debut in this game. On the flip side, 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, who won a national championship with the University of Michigan, was picked No. 12 by the Thunder. He is expected to make his debut for the underdogs, and with Thomas Sorber still recovering from injury, Mara is expected to get plenty of run.
It’s the first of three games for OKC in Salt Lake, and it will also play four games in Las Vegas through July 16. In addition to Mara, Bennett Stirtz, the No. 16 pick from Iowa, and Otega Oweh, the No. 41 pick from Kentucky, will also make their debuts. Stirtz offers plenty of durability, as he was available to play in all 140 of his games in the collegiate ranks, averaging 36.6 minutes per game in school. The Thunder hope to develop Oweh’s distance shooting, and it will lean on undrafted rookie Josh Dix, hoping to mine a gem.
The Grizz will play four games in Las Vegas after its Utah schedule. In addition to the highly anticipated debut of Boozer, Karim Lopez and Richie Saunders, who played college ball at BYU, look to make an impact. Walter Clayton Jr., Cedric Coward, and Javon Small are returnees who will be on the floor, too.
Let’s back the Grizzlies to pop off in the opening game, and we’ll go low on the total until the teams start to jell.
Picks: Grizzlies -3.5 (-110) & Under 182.5 Points (-112)
