Kings vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds, Players to Watch for NBA Summer League Final

The Kings are favored in the Summer League Final.

Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones had 36 points in the semifinals. / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings will face off on Sunday night with a Summer League title on the line!

Charlotte has knocked off Utah, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Antonio and Oklahoma City to make the Final, winning by 29 in the semifinals against the Thunder.

Not only that, but the Hornets have three wins in a row by double digits, beating Dallas by 18 and the Spurs by 25. However, they may not have No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel in this matchup (he had 17 points in the semifinal win) as he suffered a head injury against OKC. 

The Kings are 5-0 this summer as well, knocking off the Toronto Raptors by 10 points in the semifinals to advance to Sunday’s Final. The Kings have beaten Toronto, Cleveland, Phoenix, Chicago and Orlando to get to this point.

With Knueppel banged up, some of the best betting sites have the Kings set as slight favorites in this game. 

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch and my prediction for the Final here in Las Vegas. 

Kings vs. Hornets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Kings -2.5 (-112)
• Hornets +2.5 (-108)

Moneyline

• Kings: -142
• Hornets: +120

Total

• 187.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Kings vs. Hornets How to Watch

• Date: Sunday, July 20
• Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Thomas & Mack Center
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• Kings record: 5-0
• Hornets record: 5-0

Kings vs. Hornets Key Players to Watch

Sacramento Kings

• Isaac Jones

Jones went off on Saturday against Toronto, scoring 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds and two dimes.

The Kings have a lot of weapons to deal with, including last year’s first-round pick Devin Carter and this year’s first-round pick Nique Clifford, but Jones may be the hot hand with the Kings suiting up twice in as many days.

Charlotte Hornets

• KJ Simpson

Knueppel would have been the player to watch if he didn’t get hurt, so instead I’m turning to a former second-round pick that has impressed this summer.

Simpson is averaging 17.0 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field, and he’s chipped in 5.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in Las Vegas.

The Hornets are going to need someone to step up scoring, and Simpson may be the best bet. Charlotte did get 25 points from Jaylen Sims on Saturday, so he’s worth watching as well in this matchup. 

Kings vs. Hornets 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.

I don’t think there is a massive advantage for either team on Sunday, but I do think there is some value in the total.

So far in Las Vegas, the Kings have played four games that have finished with fewer than 187.5 combined points, only clearing this total in their win over the Chicago Bulls.

Meanwhile, the Hornets finished with 189 combined points on Saturday and only have one other game (216 combined points against Utah) where they’ve gone beyond this number.

With Knueppel injured, there could be a slight downgrade to the Charlotte attack. 

This is a relatively high number, even though both teams have been around the 90s in just about every game. With the title on the line, I expect a little more defensive intensity from these squads, which may push this game UNDER the total. 

Pick: UNDER 187.5 (-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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