Welcome back NBA fans! The Summer League rages on as the Houston Rockets prepare to go head-to-head with the Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas. It is time to take a look at our NBA odds series, where our Rockets-Kings prediction and pick will be made.
Houston is entering this matchup after narrowly falling short to the Portland Trailblazers 77-85. With the loss, the Rockets now sit at an even 2-2 record with only a few more contests remaining on the summer slate.
As for Sacramento, the Kings were able to lock down defensively and hold the Phoenix Suns to a mind-boggling 69 points in the 13-point victory. Identical with Houston, the Kings also possess a 2-2 record four games into Summer League play.
Here are the Rockets-Kings Summer League odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Summer League Odds: Rockets-Kings Odds
Houston Rockets: -1.5 (-114)
Sacramento Kings: +1.5 (-106)
Over: 169.5 (-110)
Under: 169.5 (-110)
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Why The Rockets Could Cover the Spread
With one of the worst records in the NBA a season ago, the Rockets are using the Summer League to their advantage in the development of young prospects to hopefully speed up the rebuilding process during the regular season. Houston was only able to muster up 20 wins during the 2021 campaign, so something obviously needs to change in order for the Rockets to return to form from a few short seasons ago.
In Houston's loss to the Trailblazers on Thursday, it was the number two overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft that continued to impress in Summer League. Forward Jabari Smith Jr. out of Auburn lit up Portland throughout the night with his smooth jumper, impressive ball handling skills for a taller player, and his knack for skying high to snatch rebounds off of the glass. All in all, it was another fantastic showing from the young gun. When the dust settled, Smith Jr. had racked up a double-double with 19 points on 7-13 shooting including 10 rebounds. Although the rookie went 0-5 from deep, his do-it-all attitude may be the biggest reason why Houston could cover the spread later tonight.
It also helped the Rockets to receive other flashy performances from hopefuls that are trying to make the roster when the regular season rolls around. Names like guard Daishen Nix, forward Tari Eason, and even point man TyTy Washington, in which the latter was able to slice and dice Portland defenders for six assists in 28 minutes played. Obviously, there are an abundant amount of names that will be working their tails off to make this team, thus giving the Rockets one heck of a chance to improve their Summer League record to 3-2.
Why The Kings Could Cover the Spread
No doubt, Sacramento also has some flashy playmakers of their own. This was on full display during their latest game against the Suns. In the 82-69 victory, Sacramento had three players reach double-digits including the budding star himself in forward Keegan Murray.
Already equipped with a scoring mentality, Murray is continuing to polish is game with good spacing on the floor and an overall tremendous basketball IQ. With a 50% shooting clip from downtown by connecting on four of eight shot attempts, Murray also corralled ten rebounds to help his squad out-rebound Phoenix 46-31.
Alongside Murray's talent, the Kings have also supplemented a decent amount of depth. Whether it was big man Neemias Queta going for 15 points on a perfect 5-5 from the floor, or even guard DJ Steward's aggressive nature with his contributing 14 points on 17 shot attempts, Sacramento has an array of ballers that can step up at any given time.
The biggest thing to watch out of the Kings on Saturday will be which of these players will be suiting up and receiving the most minutes out on the hardwood. Murray should get plenty of action against the Rockets, but he will need a second, third, and even a fourth man to step up to defeat Houston.
Final Rockets-Kings Prediction & Pick
The matchup to be ecstatic about in this one will be the battle between two top-five picks and future stars in the making. Without a doubt, Murray and Smith Jr. will leave their mark when they go head-to-head this evening. When it comes to which side will cover the spread, look no further than the Kings getting the job done. Not only do they have more depth, but their defense has been swarming and will make life difficult for the Rockets on offense.
Final Rockets-Kings Prediction & Pick: Kings +1.5 (-106)
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