Sunday, July 14th, 2024, Las Vegas NBA Summer League

Golden State Warriors -5 vs. Miami Heat (O/U 186.5)

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Take the Golden State Warriors laying -5 points in Sunday's match-up over the Chicago Bulls. On Saturday, we cashed our bet playing a team in the Miami Heat that relied on second-year NBA veteran players like Jaime Jaquez, focusing more on general development as a unit over a team in Boston that prioritized funneling offense through their brand-new rookie.

We have the same type of match-up here, and I'll take the GS Warriors, who will boast two of the best players of the tournament who will prioritize team basketball vs. the Bulls, who will hope to give #5 pick Matas Buzelis everything he can handle (and more) as a shot creator and distributor at the next level.

The Warriors are starting two legitimate NBA starting-level players in G Brad Podziemski and C Trayce Jackson-Davis, both of whom earned starting roles during their rookie seasons with a playoff-caliber squad in Golden State. Podziemski, who impressed as a rookie last season, will be keen on getting the rest of the team involved as he takes on the role of a potential backup point guard now that Chris Paul is gone from San Francisco. Jackson-Davis, also coming off a strong debut campaign, will have a chance to highlight his athleticism, rebounding, and defensive presence as he strives to become Golden State's permanent starting center. Together, they form a formidable duo that will give their other summer league teammates a foundation to build on as a cohesive squad.

As we have already seen, the Bulls are likely to funnel their offense through their lottery pick, Matas Buzelis. In the Bulls' opening Summer League game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Buzelis shot only 4-15 from the field, as he is still adjusting to the speed and physicality of the professional game. The Warriors' more experienced defenders could make things challenging for the rookie, potentially leading to inefficient possessions and stalled offense for the Bulls.

The Warriors are already 4-0 in Summer League play after beating the Phoenix Suns, and I expect the duo of Podziemski and Jackson-Davis to keep that momentum going while they are still in this tournament. Because both are expected to sit at some point in this summer league, they have the motivation to prove they are, in fact, "too good for summer league" without the burden of having to pace themselves for the entire five games.

The rest of the Warriors' Summer League roster will benefit from playing alongside two NBA starters, raising the team's overall level of play and giving the supporting cast a greater margin for error.

The Warriors' NBA-caliber talent advantage, coupled with the Bulls' potential overreliance on rookie Matas Buzelis, tilts the odds heavily in Golden State's favor. Lay the points with GSW.