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NBA Vegas Summer League has arrived and it will feature all the top rookies drafted a few weeks back. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Blazers-Rockets prediction and pick.
All the hype around Victor Wembanyama is certainly reasonable as the French native will quickly become one of the top players in the game. However, The Blazers may have struck gold in drafting Scoot Henderson. The 6-foot-2 guard from G-League Ignite is also one of the higher prospects the game has ever seen as he took a different path to the NBA playing in the G-league for all of last season. The Blazers are going to trade Damian Lillard, and it will only be a matter of time until Portland is Scoot's city.
Amen Thompson and his brother Ausar made history as the first pair of brothers to be drafted in the top-5 of the NBA Draft. Amen was drafted 4th overall by the Rockets and Ausar was drafted right after by the Detroit Pistons. The Thompson brothers both played in Overtime Elite, preparing them for the NBA rather than going to college. The Rockets will showcase a solid Summer League roster as Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Cam Whitmore join Amen.
Here are the Vegas Summer League NBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Summer League Odds: Blazers-Rockets Odds:
Portland Trail Blazers: -1.5 (-115)
Houston Rockets: +1.5 (-105)
Over: 185.5 (-115)
Under: 185.5 (-105)
How to Watch Blazers vs. Rockets
TV: ESPN
Stream: Watch ESPN
Article Continues Below
Time: 7:00 ET/ 4:00 PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread
Outside of Scoot Henderson, the roster contains fellow rookie Kris Murray, younger brother of Keegan Murray who is fresh off a 41-point game for the Sacramento Kings a few days ago. The Murray brothers can score the rock and Kris was drafted 23rd overall in this past NBA Draft. Shaedon Sharpe and Keon Johnson join the rookies as they form a solid lineup to compete in this tournament.
NBA Summer League gets bigger and bigger each year. Every team is fighting to win as all 30 teams are involved. Scoot Henderson will get his first action as a Blazer and a majority of the NBA world is looking forward to seeing it happen. Expect Henderson to make a statement tonight. The guard averaged 17.6 points, 6.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game in 25 appearances with Ignite last season.
Murray averaged 20.2 points per game last season for Iowa. Last year for the Blazers, Sharpe averaged 9.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. Johnson is averaging 5.9 points per game in his 3-year career.
Why The Rockets Could Cover The Spread
Jabari Smith Jr. was one of the top rookies in the game last season. The former Auburn product averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Rockets in his rookie season. He even participated in the NBA Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. Having him on the roster alongside Amen Thompson and Tari Eason should form a solid trio of players. Eason made a name for himself last season averaging 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.
Houston should be pumped up about the two rookies they drafted in the first round. Thompson averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.3 steals per game and was named to the All-OTE First Team last season. Cam Whitmore averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds last year for Villanova. The former Wildcat averaged 1.4 steals per game as well. The Rockets are in desperate need of defense, and Whitmore should be able to bring that value.
Final Blazers-Rockets Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a fun game to watch as ESPN kicks off the NBA Summer League. Take the Blazers to cover this spread as Henderson could make a big statement tonight.
Final Blazers-Rockets Prediction & Pick: Blazers -1.5 (-115)
