Spurs vs Hornets Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for California Classic Summer League (Wemby-less Spurs Struggle)

The 2023 NBA Summer League begins on Monday, July 3 with a California Classic matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets.

Spurs vs Hornets Game Info

• Date: Monday, July 3, 2023
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Venue: Golden 1 Center -- Sacramento, California
• Coverage: ESPN2

The California Classic opens up in a big way as the Spurs and Hornets held the No. 1 and No. 2 picks at the 2023 NBA Draft, respectively. Having said that, San Antonio is shorthanded tonight as first-overall selection Victor Wembanyama won't make his Summer League debut until July 7.

Spurs vs Hornets Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds, and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: SAS: (+130) | CHA: (-160)
• Spread: SAS: +3.5 (-118) | CHA: -3.5 (-104)
• Total: 166.5 -- Over: (-108) | Under: (-112)

The Hornets enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 8 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 166.5 points with the Under favored at -112 odds.

Spurs vs Hornets Prediction & Pick

Without Wembanyama in the lineup, all eyes will be on the Hornets with Brandon Miller set to make his NBA Summer League debut. The No. 2 pick in this year's draft was phenomenal last season at Alabama, averaging 8.2 RPG and 18.8 PPG on .430/.384/.859 splits. Miller is also surrounded by talented teammates such as James Bouknight (No. 11 in 2021), Kai Jones (No. 19 in 2021), and James Nnaji (No. 31 in 2023).

The Spurs, on the other hand, are lacking without Wembanyama. Aside from Malaki Branham (No. 20 in 2022) and Blake Wesley (No. 25 in 2022), the Spurs won't be playing any other notable names tonight. It's going to be hard to keep up if Miller and the other Charlotte studs get rolling.

With the clear-cut advantage when it comes to talent, look for the Hornets to win.

Final Score Prediction: Hornets: 82 | Spurs: 74

Spurs vs Hornets Best Bet

I'm taking the Hornets to cover the 3.5-point spread as the best bet tonight. Again, they have bigger names and more talent in their lineup compared to the Spurs, who will struggle to consistently score without the new face of their franchise.

Don't be shocked if the Hornets win this game by a solid margin.

Bet: Hornets -3.5 (-104)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.