And we are down to two. The two best teams in the 2023 Las Vegas NBA Summer League will rightfully meet as the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers take on the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets to determine the champion. With that said, it is time to continue our NBA odds series with a Rockets-Cavaliers prediction and pick.
The Houston Rockets dominated the Utah Jazz in their semi-final matchup to take a 115-101 win and advanced to the Summer League Final in convincing fashion. The Rockets had three scorers tally 20 points or more with five getting into double-digits. Nate Hinton led all scorers with 27 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and five steals. Cam Whitmore had another strong outing with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting with four rebounds and three assists.
On the flip side, the Cleveland Cavaliers were in a thriller and needed to earn their spot in the Las Vegas Summer League Final. Cleveland took down the Brooklyn Nets in overtime 102-99. Isaiah Mobley, brother of Cavs big man Evan Mobley, scored a game-high 23 points and also made the game-winning basket to book the Cavaliers' ticket to the championship round. Emoni Bates scored 20 points and had four three-pointers on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting clip, while Sam Merrill chipped in 19 points with four triples.
Here are the Vegas Summer League NBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Summer League Odds: Rockets-Cavaliers Odds:
Houston Rockets: +2.5 (-118)
Cleveland Cavaliers: -2.5 (-104)
Over: 191.5 (-114)
Under: 191.5 (-106)
How to Watch Rockets vs. Cavaliers
TV: ESPN
Stream: Watch ESPN
Time: 9:00 PM ET/ 6:00 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why the Rockets could cover the spread
The spread isn't too wide, which is expected because both teams have been dominant in Summer League so far. Still, as the second seed, the Rockets enter the Final as underdogs. But they have every reason to take this considering the way they dismantled the Jazz on their way to Monday's clash. Houston continued their hot shooting from beyond the arc. As a team, it shot 19-of-49 from three-point distance. They rank first in Summer League in three-pointers made at 15.2 per game and fourth in three-point percentage at 37.1 percent.
The Rockets continue to thrive even though guys like Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason already graduated from Summer League. They even lost 4th overall pick Amen Thompson to an ankle injury in their Las Vegas opener.
This year's No. 20 overall pick Cam Whitmore continues to lead this team as he did on Sunday. Whitmore is now up to averaging 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game on 46.5 percent shooting through five games. With his stellar Summer League run so far, the 19-year-old is making teams that passed up on him regret letting him slide to No. 20.
Other players have also stepped up for Houston such as Nate Hinton, who scored a game-high 27 points in their semi-final win. Fletcher McGee also had 21 points in 17 minutes off the bench. McGee did most of his damage at the charity stripe, where he went 1o-of-10.
Houston certainly has a ton of momentum after a huge win over the Jazz. And this should help their cause in taking down Cleveland and winning by at least three points.
Why the Cavaliers could cover the spread
The Cavaliers found themselves in a dog fight to earn their spot in the Summer League Final. The Nets gave them all they can handle throughout and even forced the game to go into sudden death overtime, where both teams needed to hit a target score to advance. Cleveland came through in the extra session, though, with Isaiah Mobley closing out Brooklyn with a turnaround jumper inside. Mobley led all scorers with 23 points and had seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
All five Cavs starters scored in double-figures on Sunday. Emoni Bates had an efficient outing with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Sam Merrill struggled from the field, going just 5-of-17. But he still finished with 19 points and four made three-pointers.
The Cavaliers will need the same kind of output from their Vegas big three if they want to go all the way and claim the Summer League crown. Mobley had arguably his best game of the tournament and should feel confident heading into Monday. Bates will also need to turn in another efficient offensive outing like he did versus the Nets. Although Merril shot poorly from the field, the sharpshooter should remain confident and continue to stay aggressive because his gravity will open up the floor for the rest of his team.
Final Rockets-Cavaliers prediction and pick
I'll pick the Cleveland Cavaliers for this one over the Houston Rockets. The Cavs are still favorites to win the whole thing for a reason and that is mainly due to their loaded roster. Both teams are undefeated, but Cleveland has been more battle-tested as of late and their win over the Nets proved that they can execute in a tightly-contested game.
Final Rockets-Cavaliers Prediction & Pick: Cavaliers -2.5 (-106)
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