After a Summer League debut that didn't necessarily live up to the hype, Victor Wembanyama will get a shot at redemption during Sunday's showdown between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers. Read on for our Spurs-Trail Blazers prediction based on the top NBA odds from our best sports betting apps.
Life in the current era of the NBA isn't easy. Young players are expected to deliver right away, and that's especially true for No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs rookie has been labeled the best NBA prospect since LeBron James.
Wembanyama flashed some of his potential during the young star's Summer League debut on Friday, but he ultimately finished with just nine points on 2-of-13 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and five blocks. He remains the betting favorite in the NBA Rookie of the Year odds, but basketball fans will want to see more from the 7-foot-5 big man very soon.
Sunday's Summer League battle should be a good opportunity for Wembanyama to dazzle. He's set to face the Portland Trail Blazers, who drafted Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft as the future of their franchise.
But with Henderson set to miss this game, all eyes will once again be on Wembanyama.
Here is our best Spurs-Tail Blazers prediction (odds via our
best NBA betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Hornets vs. Spurs prediction
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A couple of things were lost in the Wembanyama discourse after Friday's performance didn't quite live up to expectations.
For one, Wembanyama showcased his otherworldly defensive ability with five blocks. He'll be a force on that end of the floor right away at the NBA level, which is why I'm feeling good about taking him as a long shot to win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award already.
The second thing left unnoticed was that the Spurs managed to record a 76-68 win over the Hornets as 6.5-point favorites. San Antonio now boasts a lot o f exciting young players, which is probably why Gregg Popovich agreed to a new five-year deal over the weekend.
I'm expecting a better all-around performance from Wembanyama with the debut behind him. Even if there are some offensive limitations from him again, four Spurs starters scored 12-plus points last time out.
Let's take advantage of the reduced moneyline price tag against a Henderson-less Blazers squad.
Hornets vs. Spurs best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spurs ML (-135) | Spurs ML (-150) | Spurs ML (-130) | Spurs ML (-135) |
When shopping around our best sports betting sites, it's easy to see that we're getting a good deal at BetMGM. The vig sits as high as -150 through FanDuel, so we highly encourage you to scoop up the -130 while it's available. But this is playable at anything -145 or better.
Hornets vs. Spurs game info
- Date: Sunday, July 9, 8 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN2
- Location: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
Spurs-Blazers pick made 07/09/2023 at 10:55 a.m. ET.
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