NBA Summer League Friday Betting Odds, Notes and Player News to Watch

The Summer League Vegas playoffs will begin tomorrow with an eight-team single elimination tournament. The rest of the teams that didn't make the playoffs will play consolation games, starting today and continuing tomorrow. Motivation (or lack thereof) will be a key element in today's affairs.

Below I'll go through each game, hitting on the spread and total, as well as player news to keep your eye on.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors: 4 p.m. ET

• Spread: 76ers -1.5
• Total: 174
• Players to watch for: The 76ers have continued to play their main prospect, Zhaire Smith. Two other draft picks, Matisse Thybulle and Marial Shayok, have gotten sustained run as well, but it's unclear whether they'll trot out those guys in a meaningless consolation game, especially Smith, who could be a part of the main rotation this season. The Raptors don't have any high-level prospects playing right now, led by some older fringe prospects and basketball journeymen. Their second-round pick in June, Dewan Hernandez, as well as 22-year-old Terence Davis, had excellent games yesterday in a blowout win over a bad Pacers team. I would expect the Raps guys to all play.

LA Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors: 4:30 p.m. ET

• Spread: Warriors -2.5
• Total: 174
• History: These teams played on Wednesday, with the Warriors winning 88-80. Jordan Caroline, an undrafted 23-year-old from Nevada, paced the Lakers with 27 points in 24 minutes. Jordan Poole, the Warriors' first-round pick in June, put up 23 points and grabbed three steals in 28 minutes for Golden State.
• Players to watch for: The main two prospects for the Warriors are a pair of first-round picks in Jordan Poole and Jacob Evans. They struggled last game despite a win, racking up nine turnovers, but especially Poole has shown intriguing flashes in Vegas. The Lakers don't have any high-end prospects on this team; they've mostly been led by Zach Norvell and Jordan Caroline, undrafted young guys trying to find a spot in the league. I would expect most of the usual suspects for these teams to play. If any don't go, it'll likely be the Warriors' first-round guys.

Croatia vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: 6 p.m. ET

• Spread: Thunder -11.5
• Total: 165.5
• Players to watch for: The Thunder have done well in Vegas, led by 2019 NBA Dunk Contest winner, Hamidou Diallo, who has played in all of their games. They're starting three other second-round picks in Kevin Hervey, Devon Hall and Jawun Evans, so there's clearly NBA talent on this roster — something the Croatian national team can't say. The question, of course, is whether Diallo, likely a rotation guy for the Thunder this year, will play in a meaningless game.

China vs. Phoenix Suns: 6:30 p.m. ET

• Spread: Suns -19.5
• Total: 166
• Line movement watch: The Suns opened as 16.5-point favorites, but they've already been bet up to 19.5 early Friday morning. It wouldn't be surprising to see them get above 20.
• Players to watch for: China was not able to replicate its success against the Bucks on Wednesday after shocking Vegas with an upset over the Hornets earlier in the week. The Bucks won, 84-67, thanks to a big second half. Still, Zhou Qi, a second-round draft pick from 2016, played well, putting up 14 points and grabbing 17 boards. The Suns have played well in Vegas despite not featuring high-end talent. Elie Okobo is likely their best prospect, although guys like Jared Harper and Ray Spalding (a late second-rounder) could make splashes in the league.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Sacramento Kings: 8 p.m. ET

• Spread: Kings -6.5
• Total: 175.5
• Players to watch for: The Cavs continue to struggle in Vegas, although they haven't played their top prospects in Darius Garland, Kevin Porter and Jaron Blossomgame. They do still feature a first-rounder in Dylan Windler, as well as some college names you might recognize like Dean Wade and Marques Bolden of Duke. The Kings don't have future stars on this roster, but they do have guys with NBA experience like Hollis Thompson, Caleb Swanigan and Semaj Christon. Their second-round pick this year, Virginia's Kyle Guy, has continued to start for them. I would expect most of these guys to continue to playing.

Indiana Pacers vs. LA Clippers: 8:30 p.m. ET

• Spread: Clippers -3
• Total: 174.5
• Line movement watch: The total opened at 172.5 but has been bet up two full points already. Historically, it's been profitable to follow line movement on overs at Summer League.
• Players to watch for: The Pacers are still looking for their first win in Vegas. Aaron Holiday, their first-round pick last year who had moments for Indiana last season, played last game but really struggled, shooting 6-of-26 (23.1%) from the field in 35 minutes of action. He did make eight of his 10 free throws, though, so he still racked up 23 points. It's unclear whether he'll go in this meaningless game. The Clippers have continued to play first-round picks Jerome Robinson and Mfiondu Kabengele. Robinson could be a candidate to sit given his chance to be a part of the main team's rotation this year.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Milwaukee Bucks: 10 p.m. ET

• Spread: Blazers -1.5
• Total: 177.5
• Players to watch for: The Blazers have underperformed given their roster this summer, and they fell last game to the Thunder by five. Anfernee Simons didn't suit up in that one, and it's possible he won't in this either. They did give run to Gary Trent and Demetrius Jackson, although their first-round pick this summer, Nassir Little, played only four minutes after going down with an injury. I would guess they'll be cautious and hold him today. The Bucks are led by 2017 first-round pick DJ Wilson, who continued to play last game. He could be a part of the main rotation, so the Bucks might elect to hold him out here.

Atlanta Hawks vs. San Antonio Spurs: 10:30 p.m. ET

• Spread: Spurs -5.5
• Total: 169.5
• Players to watch for: The Hawks have a ton of awesome prospects in their system, but unfortunately none are playing right now in Vegas. Their main two guys in June won't be out there; De'Andre Hunter is no longer playing, and Cam Reddish was never on this team. As such, they mostly feature a bunch of G-League guys and basketball journeymen. The Spurs have been led by former first-round pick Lonnie Walker, who has had awesome moments this summer. He didn't play last game, and I'd be surprised if they let him go here in this meaningless game.