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NBA Vegas Summer League is here and it will feature all the exciting rookies drafted a few weeks back. It is time to continue our NBA odds series with a Hawks-Nuggets prediction and pick.
The Atlanta Hawks dropped their 2023 Vegas Summer League opener 80-76 to the Sacramento Kings. It wasn't the ideal professional debut for Atlanta's first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, who struggled on Friday night. Bufkin finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, but shot just 4-of-14 from the field and committed eight turnovers and eight fouls in the defeat. Brady Manek, a former standout from the University of North Carolina, led the Hawks with a 17-point performance off the bench, which included a personal 9-0 burst off of three straight three-pointers during the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Atlanta could not come away with the victory.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets also lost their first game of summer league to the Milwaukee Bucks, 95-82. The Nuggets 2023 draft class of Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, and Hunter Tyson did have solid outings against Milwaukee. Pickett finished with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Strawther had 15 points and three triples. Tyson dropped 21 points off the bench on 7-of-13 shooting and three three-pointers to go along with five rebounds. Denver was led by incoming sophomore Peyton Watson who had an all-around outing of 23 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and three blocks.
Here are the Vegas Summer League NBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Summer League Odds: Hawks-Nuggets Odds:
Atlanta Hawks: -1.5 (-114)
Denver Nuggets: +1.5 (-106)
Over: 176.5 (-114)
Under: 176.5 (-106)
How to Watch Hawks vs. Nuggets
TV: NBA TV
Stream: Watch ESPN
Time: 9:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why the Hawks could cover the spread
Anything could happen in Summer League, just like when Jabari Smith Jr. knocked down that crazy game-winner Friday night. The Hawks would undoubtedly want to bounce back after they squandered two separate seven-points leads midway through the fourth quarter. Sacramento went on a 16-3 run that saw Atlanta's 70-63 lead with 6:24 remaining in the fourth go to 79-73 in favor of the Kings.
Kobe Bufkin had a rough NBA debut. The 6-foot-4 guard certainly had the butterflies in his first game and vowed to play better and make better decisions with the ball the next game.
As a team, the Hawks turned the ball over 21 times and committed 25 fouls — eight of each came from Bufkin. Look for Atlanta to clean those up and play more disciplined basketball against Denver.
AJ Griffin, the Hawks' 16th overall pick in 2022, also did not play well. He had just 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting and was a game-worst minus-17 on the floor. The 19-year-old should settle down the nerves and get back on track versus the Nuggets.
As mentioned, Brady Manek was on a heater during the fourth period, where he went on a personal 9-0 burst and made four straight triples. Look for Manek to continue the momentum from that game.
Why Nuggets could cover the spread
The Nuggets would also want to bounce back from losing their opener to the Milwaukee Bucks. Unlike the Hawks, they played better in terms of taking care of the ball and fouling. Denver committed just 14 giveaways and 21 fouls, compared to Milwaukee's 22 turnovers and 33 fouls. The Nuggets lost the game simply because they could not hit shots.
Denver shot just 42.2 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from three as a team, while the Bucks made 52.2 percent of their shots. The Nuggets led by as much as 10 points in the third quarter until Milwaukee orchestrated a 22-4 run to take control of the game. Denver still had its chance down the stretch, but a couple of Bucks three-pointers in the final minute sealed the win for Milwaukee.
Nonetheless, Denver's sophomore Peyton Watson showed some promise and seemed to be on a mission to prove he deserves more minutes and a larger role with the main squad next season. Watson had an all-around game and his aggressiveness earned him 13 trips to the foul line, where he made 10. Look for Watson to have another good outing and continue to grow his game in Summer League.
Meanwhile, the three rookies also played great. Denver's 2023 draft class combined for 48 of their 85 points.
Final Hawks-Nuggets prediction and pick
Take the Denver Nuggets to win and cover the spread here. Their main guys played well and overall, they played a much better game and will just need to convert on their looks. Atlanta, meanwhile, seems to have a lot to clean up with their turnovers and fouling.
Final Hawks-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: Nuggets +1.5 (115)
