Hawks vs Heat: Game Preview, Betting Odds, Projected Starting Lineups For Today's Las Vegas Summer League Game

The Atlanta Hawks play basketball today.

The Hawks begin Summer League action with a matchup against the Miami Heat and there are several intriguing storylines for the Hawks coming into Summer League. Former draft picks Kobe Bufkin, Asa Newell, and Nikola Durisic are suiting up for the Hawks this Summer and they seem the most likely of the players on the Summer League roster to make an actual impact this season in Atlanta. The Hawks also have one more two-way contract open.

Miami has one of the more experienced Summer League teams around the NBA. Last season, they went 6-0 in their Vegas games, winning the Summer League championship behind standout performances from Kel’el Ware, Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson, among others. All three of them are expected to play in today's game, so the Hawks are going to have their work cut out for them if they want to start their Las Vegas stint out with a win.

Fortunately, the Hawks also have a fairly experienced Summer League roster. They have two former first-round picks in Bufkin and Newell, both of whom will likely start and play big roles. Durisic showed some intriguing flashes during his Summer League time last season and there are several names on the roster with encouraging G League/NBA showings like Josh Christopher, Adam Flagler, Jacob Toppin and Jack McVeigh.

Game Preview

Bufkin vs Kasparas

One of the biggest storylines for the Heat this summer has been the performance of first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis. After being selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, people widely viewed the selection as a steal for Miami. However, it hasn't been a smooth start for the 6'6 guard.

During his stint in the California Classic, Jakucionis scored just 12 points while shooting 1-of-15 from the field (6.7%), including 0-of-11 from three-point range. He has gone 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. That's worrying for the young guard, but it's worth noting that his passing and defense have both been solid. He'll be looking for a better performance today and it'll likely be up to Bufkin to slow him down. Fortunately for Atlanta, Bufkin's defense is probably his best attribute. The 6'5 guard uses his 6'8 wingspan well and has experience with extremely tough covers like Kyrie Irving. If Bufkin can limit the Heat rookie and keep him from getting hot, that will greatly improve Atlanta's chances of starting Summer League off with a win.

Last season, the Hawks got good minutes from Mo Gueye after being called up, Keaton Wallace stepped up as a backup point guard and while he wasn't very effective, Dominick Barlow also stepped in to give Atlanta minutes in the frontcourt. Whether it was Krejci the season before or Gueye this year, there has been at least one G League player that makes a noticeable impact for Atlanta and it's possible that player could come from the frontcourt this year. Kristaps Porzingis is a major injury risk and Gueye himself hasn't been the most durable player, so players like Toppin and McVeigh could get call-ups this year if they have consistently strong performances at this level.

Ultimately, though, the focus is going to be on Asa Newell. Newell appeared in 33 games (all starts) in his lone collegiate season at Georgia, averaging 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block in 29.0 minutes (.543 FG%, .748 FT%). He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors four times during the 2024-25 campaign, matching Anthony Edwards’ program record set in 2019-20. It's very likely that he'll be getting minutes against Keshad Johnson , who has been great throughout the California Classic for the Heat. In two Summer League games, Johnson has averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds on 56.3 percent shooting. He's a 6'6 wing who's known for being a defensive pest and tough rebounder - it'll be a good opportunity for Newell to show what he can do against a player who will likely see NBA minutes this season.

While the Heat haven't gotten great performances from Jakucionis and second-year center Ke'el Ware, Pelle Larsson has been excellent for Miami. In his first two Summer League stints, Larsson averaged 16.5 points on 40.9 percent shooting with four rebounds and two assists and he's drawn rave reviews for his defense and leadership on both ends. Former Michigan center Vlad Goldin also had a good debut for Miami against the Warriors' SL team, scoring seven points on 3-of-6 shooting in 12 minutes. He also grabbed three rebounds and dished out one assist. Both are going to be challenges for the Hawks to slow down today, but it should be a good test of what fans can expect from this Summer League roster on defense.