Chicago Bulls unbeaten, favored to win NBA Summer League
Dwyane Wade is not suiting up, of course, but the Chicago Bulls are favored to win the NBA Summer League championship tonight in Las Vegas.
The Bulls are 4½-point favorites over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the total is 165½ for the 6 p.m. game at the Thomas & Mack Center. It’s televised on ESPN2, so it will draw some wagering action.
“We have written decent money on these games, especially the past few days in the playoff format,” Westgate sports book manager Jeff Sherman said.
The Westgate’s betting limits are $1,000 for sides and $500 for totals.
The Timberwolves feature summer league Most Valuable Player Tyus Jones, who scored 29 points Sunday in a semifinal victory over Phoenix. Jones was a first-round draft pick in 2015 after helping Duke win the NCAA championship.
“Jones has been playing out of his mind,” Sherman said.
Minnesota was seeded 24th in the tournament, but the Timberwolves went on a surprising run with Jones averaging 22.8 points during a four-game win streak.
Second-seeded Chicago has five players who are expected to join Wade, who left Miami to sign as a free agent, on the regular-season roster.
The Bulls are led by forwards Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine. Portis was a first-round pick from Arkansas in 2015, and Valentine was a first-round pick out of Michigan State in June.
Laying points in summer league games is rarely advised, but the Bulls are unbeaten for a reason, so Chicago is the pick.
Contact sports betting reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow on Twitter: @mattyoumans247