NBA SUMMER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Today is the conclusion of the 12 day long Las Vegas NBA Summer League with a championship matchup between the only two undefeated teams remaining, the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies appeared to separate themselves early in Summer League play as a team that would be prioritizing winning along with gauging and developing their young talent. Their roster features a trio of players including GG Jackson, Scottie Pippen Jr., and Jake LaRavia who all have substantial NBA regular season playing experience and their on court chemistry has carried into the summer league tournament. Jackson and Pippen Jr. both are averaging 20 points per game so far and second round pick Jaylen Wells continues to improve his 3 point shooting with each game coming off a 28 point performance in the semifinal game against the Clippers shooting 6-7 from 3pt. The Grizzlies will be without Top 10 overall pick Zach Edey and likely Jake LaRavia as well due to injuries but they have a deep and balanced roster that can finish the job and bring home the championship. With both teams winning by a very small margin in the semifinal round I expect this to be a close game. Take the security of a moneyline bet in this matchup the spread does not offer much increased value.
The pick: Memphis Grizzlies Moneyline
BOSTON RED SOX @ COLORADO ROCKIES
The Red Sox and Rockies begin their only series matchup of the season tonight in Colorado. The Red Sox are coming into the matchup on a 3 game losing streak after getting swept by the Dodgers in Los Angeles. They’re currently sitting 1 game behind the last Wild Card Spot in the American League and cannot afford to lose games to a team that is currently second to last in the National League Standings. Luckily All Star pitcher Tanner Houck will be on the mound today for the Red Sox in his first start since the All Star game. The Red Sox have won 9 out of the last 10 games Houck has started going back to May 20th. In addition to this, among MLB Teams that strike out the most the Rockies are 3rd with 960 strikeouts as a team so far this year. While taking the Red Sox to win moneyline on its own is a great bet in this matchup, I think you can take it a step further and combine that with a prop bet on Houck’s strikeouts to boost your payout.
The pick: Boston Red Sox to win AND Tanner Houck for 5+ Strikeouts.