Hawks vs. Rockets Prediction, Odds, Players to Watch for NBA Summer League

The Hawks are 2-0 in Summer League and favored on Monday afternoon.

Atlanta Hawks rookie Asa Newell is a player to watch at Summer League on Monday. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks have yet to lose in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League this offseason, and they’ll have a quick turnaround from Sunday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, as they’ll take on the Houston Rockets at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Houston, despite having one of the best players in Summer League in former No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard (2024 NBA Draft), has yet to pick up a win in Las Vegas, falling to the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons in its first two games.

Sheppard was the leading scorer for Houston in each of those games, as he’s scored 46 points already in Summer League. It’ll be interesting to see how much he plays on the second day of a back-to-back. 

The Hawks have an intriguing young player in rookie Asa Newell (18 points in the win over Phoenix on Sunday), and they’ve also been giving former first-round pick Kobe Bufkin (29 points against Miami) some run as he aims to solidify himself as the backup point guard to Trae Young in the 2025-26 season.

If you’re looking to bet on this matchup, the SI Betting team has you covered with the latest odds, players to watch, and my prediction for this afternoon's matchup in Las Vegas. 

Hawks vs. Rockets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Hawks -3.5 (-110)
• Rockets +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Hawks: -170
• Rockets: +142

Total

• 181.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Hawks vs. Rockets How to Watch

• Date: Monday, July 14
• Time: 4:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Thomas & Mack Center
• How to Watch (TV): NBA TV, ESPN+
• Hawks record: 2-0
• Rockets record: 0-2

Hawks vs. Rockets Key Players to Watch

Atlanta Hawks

• Asa Newell

The No. 23 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Newell has tremendous upside as a big man in the Hawks’ system, especially if he gets some playing time with Young running the offense.

So far in Summer League, Newell is averaging 13.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. He’s definitely the most intriguing player to watch for Atlanta over the next few days.  

Houston Rockets

• Reed Sheppard

Sheppard is averaging 23.0 points per game this summer, but he’s shooting just 36.4 percent from the field for Houston. The Rockets don’t have a ton of players with NBA experience participating in Summer League this season, especially after some of their win-now moves in the offseason.

Sheppard has a few two-way players (N’Faly Dante, Kevon Harris, Jermaine Samuels Jr.) he can lean on, but for the most part, it’s been a one-man show for the former No. 3 overall pick scoring the ball. 

A big summer could go a long way to Sheppard cracking Ime Udoka’s rotation in the 2025-26 season. 

Hawks vs. Rockets Prediction and Pick

Note: Before betting on NBA Summer League, it’s important to know that rotations are fluid and predicting player performance is volatile. As an avid NBA bettor, I suggest only placing small wagers for fun on these games since they are often hard to predict. 

This game may end up being tougher to predict since both teams are playing the second day of a back-to-back, but if most players suit up, I like the Hawks to move to 3-0 in Las Vegas.

As I mentioned in the Sheppard piece of this preview, Houston doesn’t have many NBA-level players participating in Summer League, mainly because it traded away its first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and forward Cam Whitmore was shipped to Washington in the offseason. 

The Hawks, on the other hand, have Newell, Bufkin, Jacob Toppin, Jack McVeigh, Adam Flagler, and Josh Christopher (all who have at least two-way experience) on their roster this summer.

The Hawks beat Miami by seven points in their Las Vegas opener, and they trounced the Suns by 18 on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Rockets have gone from a close three-point loss to the Clippers to a 15-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

I wouldn’t be shocked if the Rockets end up limiting Sheppard’s workload on the second day of a back-to-back, and either way, Atlanta has the more talented roster. 

I’ll back the Hawks to cover as they are looking like a sneaky contender for the Summer League title in 2025. 

Pick: Hawks -3.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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