The NBA Summer League is in full swing in Las Vegas as the Portland Trail Blazers face off with the Charlotte Hornets. It is time to continue our NBA Summer League Odds series with a Trail Blazers-Hornets prediction, pick, and how-to watch with this article.
The Blazers have opened their summer league play at 1-1, last time taking down Victor Wembanyama at the Spurs 85-80. In the game, the Hornets heavily out-rebounded the Spurs en route to the win. Michael Devoe has a big night, scoring 29 points while going 10-17 shooting, plus 5-7 from beyond the arch.
The Hornets come in at 0-2 and have struggled to score. They lost 75-93 last time out against the Lakers, and the time before that managed to score just 68 points. Brandon Miller has had strong showings in his first two summer leagues averaging 13 points per game and getting nearly ten rebounds a game.
Here are the Vegas Summer League NBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Summer League Odds: Blazers-Hornets Odds:
Portland Trail Blazers: -5.5 (-115)
Charlotte Hornets: +5.5 (-105)
Over: 180.5 (-110)
Under: 180.5 (-110)
How to Watch Blazers vs. Hornets
TV: NBA TV
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:30 PM ET/ 5:30 PM PT
Final Blazers-Hornets Prediction & Pick
If the Hornets are going to get their first win of the summer league, they are going to need to find a way to score. They have been rebounding fairly well, but just not scoring. The Hornets have also had some turnover issues. Kai Jones and Amari Bailey both average over 2.5 turnovers per game. If they can bring down the turnovers and hit a few more shots, they will have a chance in this game, leaving fans with a certain buzz on live betting online platforms.
However, if not, the Blazers will be walking away with a win in this one. In a match-up of Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller, take Henderson and the Blazers in this one.
Final Blazers-Hornets Prediction & Pick: Blazers -5.5 (-115)
Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread
The Blazers brought one of the youngest teams to the summer league. Nearly every player on the roster is under the age of 21, but they have still had some strong showing. It starts with their top draft pick Scoot Henderson. He is scoring 15 points per game so far in the summer league, but is shooting just 38.5 percent. He is averaging five rebounds and six assists per game as well.
Getting the ball moving will be big for the Blazers in this one, and they have done a good job so far in the summer league. Michael Devoe is averaging five assists per game, while also shooting 58.8 percent. He has been solid from behind the arc as well, shooting 5 for 7 so far in the summer league. With him is Shaedon Sharpe for has three assists per game. He is also adding 15 points per game while doing well on the boards. He has averaged 7.5 rebounds per game, with 1.5 coming on the offensive end.
Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread
For the Hornets, it has been a struggle shooting so far. Only four guys currently are shooting over 35 percent in the summer league. Tre Scott leads the three with 6.5 points per game, shooting 50 percent, while Kai Jones is scoring six a game, and Jame Nnaji is scoring two per game.
The primary scorers for the Hornets are not shooting well. Bryce McGowens is shooting the best of the group at 33.3 percent. He is averaging 13 points per game so far but is struggling heavily from three-point range. He is just one for nine from three so far in the summer league. James Boukinght is shooting 31.3 percent while averaging 12 points per game. He has been better from behind the arc, going four for 18 so far in the summer league.
Finally, there is Brandon Miller who is shooting just 27.3 percent from the field, and 17.6 percent from three. He is averaging 13 points per game so far in the summer league. The best part of his game has been on the boards. Miller is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game, with three per game coming on the offensive glass. Kai Jones is also putting in work on the glass. He is averaging nine rebounds per game, with four of those coming on the offensive end. Overall, the Hornets average 15 offensive rebounds per game, and need to do much better in taking advantage of those second-chance opportunities.
