NBA Summer League Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (7/14)
The NBA Summer League continues on Tuesday night, with all four games available on Amazon Prime Video and two games on ESPN. We’ll focus on the two ESPN games - the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors meeting at 7:00 p.m. ET and the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder tipping off at 9:00 p.m. ET. Both games take place at Cox Pavilion at UNLV. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA Summer League picks and predictions for Tuesday, July 14th.
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Tuesday’s Best NBA Summer League Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Memphis Grizzlies (+136) at Golden State Warriors (-162) | O/U 186.5 (-110/-110)
The Grizzlies (1-1) and Warriors (2-0) meet at 7:00 p.m. ET at Cox Pavilion on ESPN. The Grizzlies are stacked, but so far they’re 1-2 in three Summer League games in Salt Lake City and 1-1 in Vegas. The Warriors have rolled up a +18-point differential so far, the best in the Summer League in Las Vegas, although it’s obviously a small sample size.
Memphis is coming off a 96-88 loss against Dallas on Monday night, so it’s a quick turnaround. The Grizzlies were just 37% (32-of-86) from the field, 29% (12-of-42) from downtown and 50% (7-of-14) from the free-throw line.
The good news is that Memphis was +15 in rebounds, but poor shooting ultimately caused its demise. The Grizzlies were +4 in turnover margin and had 20 offensive rebounds, to just three for the Mavericks.
Cameron Boozer went for 21 points, eight rebounds and three steals across 29 minutes, while Cedric Coward went for 17 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double. Olivier Maxence-Prosper was good for 18 points, and he hit four triples.
The last time we saw Golden State, it was pummeling Oklahoma State 104-79 on Sunday afternoon. The Warriors will come into this game well-rested and raring to go. Both teams shot 44% from the field, but the Warriors shot 37% (15-of-41) from behind the arc and 85% (11-of-13) from the charity stripe. Golden State also had 16 offensive rebounds to just seven for the Thunder and was +19 on the boards. The Warriors had 10 steals to just three for the Grizzlies, while Golden State was +3 in turnover differential.
Yaxel Lendeborg went for 14 points with four three-pointers, while former Gonzaga standout Graham Ike had 11 points in 18 minutes, with eight rebounds. Former FAU Final Four member Nick Boyd had 14 points in just 18 minutes off the bench, while Lachlan Olbrich was good for 14 points and three steals in just 19 minutes.
Golden State has a ton of former college standouts on its roster, but not all will make the team, so don’t be surprised to see some of them end up in the NBA G League. The Warriors are worth playing, as they’re mowing through the Summer League so far. We’ll go low on the total, however, as this is a rather high number.
Picks: Warriors -3.5 (-110) & Under 186.5 Points (-110)
Denver Nuggets (-110) at Oklahoma City Thunder (-110) | O/U 178.5 (-110/-110)
The Nuggets (1-1) and Thunder (0-2) meet in the nightcap at Cox. Oklahoma City has been a disaster so far in Summer League play, going 0-3 with a -25.4 point differential in three games in Salt Lake City, while following that up with a Summer League-worst-18.5 point differential in Vegas. It is one of just three teams to allow an average of 99+ points.
Denver last played on Saturday, winning 101-82 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and it finished strong with a 28-10 point differential in the fourth quarter. Denver finished 45% (38-of-85) from the field and 38% (12-of-32) from downtown. It was +3 on rebounds, +6 on assists and +4 in turnover margin. Denver checked off all of the boxes for success.
KJ Simpson was good for 19 points, hitting three triples, while Erik Stevenson ended up with 18 points, hitting four from behind the arc. Mark Mitchell Jr. was scoreless in 15 minutes, but he swatted two shots.
Oklahoma City is coming off a 25-point loss to Golden State on Sunday. Oklahoma City was just 6-of-12 (50%) from the free-throw line, and -19 in rebounding differential. They also had 13 turnovers, to just 10 for the Warriors, and the Thunder trailed for 89% of the game. It was another disaster.
Bennett Stirtz was a bright spot, going for 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while first-round pick Aday Mara had 10 points and nine rebounds, while adding four assists and a block. Payton Sandfort continues to surprise, too, going for 11 points off the bench, shooting 5-of-9 from the field.
There is no reason to back the Thunder, and it’s hard to imagine why the sportsbooks have them installed as a slight favorite. Back the Nuggets on the Moneyline, and let’s go high on the total, as Oklahoma City is bleeding defensively.
Picks: Nuggets Moneyline (-110) & Over 178.5 Points (-110)