NBA Summer League 2024 Free Best Bets Today

The Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies battle for all the marbles in the NBA Summer League title matchup! Although the Summer League is largely a developmental exhibition series, there is a championship game between the last two teams standing.

Additionally, the Summer League MVP award will be issued following tonight’s action in Las Vegas! Will the Heat or Grizzlies earn top honors? One of the most dominant players during the Summer League has been the Heat’s Kel’el Ware. The center has played like a player who wants a spot on the regular season roster.

Ware has averaged 17.4 points, eight rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was on pace to win the Summer League MVP before being shut down by the Heat, but Ware has kept rolling. Also, the Heat received huge production from Pelle Larsson and Josh Christopher in the semifinal against the Golden State Warriors.

Pelle Larsson & Kel’el Ware showed out today in the SL semifinals win :

Larsson : Ware :

21 points 18 points
46% FG 53% FG
6 assist 5 rebounds
4 steals 23 minutes

Bright future 🔥 pic.twitter.com/g0Afc9fZ4L

— Big Heat Energy (@BigHeatEnergy) July 21, 2024

The Heat and the Grizzlies are the only undefeated squads remaining in the Summer League. However, with a +17.2 point differential and 104.8 points per game. Conversely, the Grizzlies have a point differential of +11.6 and 100.4 points per contest in the 2024 NBA Summer League.

Miami has also had a slight advantage defensively, with 87.6 points against versus 88.8 points per game for Memphis. Note that the No. 9 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, Zach Edey, was shut down due to an ankle injury. He would have been helpful to have for stopping Ware, but the onus will fall on two-way G League player Trey Jemison.

I am not so convinced that will be enough to limit Ware’s dominant run in the Summer League. All things considered, the betting value is on the Heat as a small underdog, so consider backing them to cover the spread for your NBA Summer League best bets!

Both teams are averaging over 100 points per game during the Summer League schedule! The Heat lead the Summer League in points per game. They are nearly five points per game better than the second-highest-scoring team in the Summer League, Memphis.

With one last opportunity to impress the front office, expect players to look at squeezing every chance out of this game to put points on paper. Even without extra motivation, the Heat have been scoring with ease. They’ve scored over 100 points in four of their five Summer Leagues games!

Conversely, the Grizzlies have netted at least 98 points in four of their last five matchups. For a play on the over/under, consider siding with the Over in the Summer League Final. I expect a 97-99 final score, so the Over appears like the play for your 2024 NBA Summer League picks!

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 2024 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.