NBA Summer League 2025 Predictions and Best Bets Today

Utah Jazz vs. Chicago Bulls: Over 186.5 (-110)

As the Summer League schedule winds down, the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls dance in Las Vegas on Friday. This should be a high-scoring, entertaining matchup between two teams that have been running up and down the floor.

Utah is coming off an impressive 86-76 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. They worked well as a team and finished off the Wizards without too much drama.

Despite Kyle Filipkowski being shut down for Summer League, the Jazz didn’t skip a beat. Cody Williams stepped up with a stellar performance to pour in 23 points in the victory.

CODY WILLIAMS DROPS 23 IN THE @utahjazz WIN 🔥 #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/7yan70AjnW

— NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2025

It was their first win in Las Vegas after getting out to a strong start in the Utah portion of the schedule. Overall, the Jazz have scored 93.8 points per game, for one of the better marks in the Summer League. The defense hasn’t managed to keep pace in Vegas, though.

The Jazz yielded 95.8 points per game during their four games in Las Vegas. Fortunately for Utah, Chicago’s defense will leave the door open. The Bulls have been awful defensively, allowing an average of 106.5 points per game. That is the worst mark in the Summer League!

The over is well worth a look for your best NBA Summer League picks.

Denver Nuggets vs. LA Lakers: Under 176.5 (-110)

The Lakers will aim to put a strong performance together in what has been a disappointing effort in Las Vegas. They are 1-3 with a point differential of -1.7 points. Bronny James is coming off a high of 18 points, though he had eight turnovers as the Boston Celtics downed the Lakers in an 87-78 loss.

Offensive woes have plagued the Lakers throughout the Summer League schedule! Finding consistent scoring has been a huge problem. They’ll go through long droughts without finding any flow or chemistry on the floor.

Bronny James (16 PTS) with the SMOOTH euro-step 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/cEsiVn5KZk

— NBA (@NBA) July 18, 2025

This has led the Lakers to score just 78.8 points per game, for the second-worst mark in the league. There isn’t any indication that the Lakers will suddenly figure it out tonight against the Nuggets. That said, the Lakers’ defense has been aggressive and limiting opponents.

Currently, they are third in the Summer League, averaging 80.5 points against per game. The Nuggets’ offense hasn’t been all that successful, either. They’ve netted 87.5 points per game, while conceding just over 90 a contest.

So, the way I see it, the under is an appealing option as one of the best NBA Summer League bets tonight!

1. Compare Rosters and Starting Lineups

Betting on the Summer League is not as simple as placing your wagers on the best teams in the NBA. Using last year’s regular season standings and playoff results to formulate your NBA Summer League picks is a terrible strategy.

No, LeBron James, Nikola Jokić, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the stars of the league are not participating. You can’t bet games based on players that won’t be playing, so ensure to analyze each team’s roster and starting lineup before proceeding.

When searching for the best Summer League rosters, consider circling teams who are giving playing time to second and third-year players who showed potential last year or were injured. Furthermore, players who started turning a corner in the second half of last season are worth noting.

2. Evaluate NBA Draft Results and Undrafted Rookies

The rookies are widely seen as the stars of the NBA Summer League. Unless they are injured or a special circumstance holding them out, organizations want their rookies to get experience.

Consequently, I recommend doing homework and analyzing the selections from the 2025 NBA Draft. These players will be a huge focal point of each squad’s strategy, so our expert NBA Summer League bets include a close evaluation of how teams did.

Don’t forget about the undrafted rookies and international squads! They play an important role during the NBA Summer League.

3. Ride Hot Players and Teams

The NBA Summer League schedule includes each team playing at least five games. The top four teams after the first four games advance to the semifinals and then a championship game.

There isn’t much time for teams to recover from a slow start, so I recommend taking note of red-hot and cold players in the early stages. It only takes a short spurt of success to win games and profit on point spread bets in the Summer League.

Also, find teams that are putting an effort into their defensive strategy. Oftentimes, defense is lax in the Summer League, thus squads that prioritize playing hard-nosed defense differentiate themselves from their opponents.

In review, trends against the spread and over/under, for example, aren’t so important for your NBA betting strategy in the Summer League. There isn’t an ample sample size of games to value team trends. Instead, focus on teams that pass the eye test.