Kings vs Hornets Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight’s NBA Summer League Championship

Elite defenses have both teams entering the Summer League Championship undefeated, and those efforts on D will lead to a low-scoring tilt.

Ed Scimia - Contributor at Covers.com
Ed Scimia • Betting Analyst
Jul 20, 2025 • 12:49 ET • 4 min read
Kon Knueppel Charlotte Hornets NBA
Photo By - Imagn Images. Kon Knueppel (7) dribbles the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of a NBA basketball game,

The top two teams in the 2025 NBA 2K26 Summer League will face off in the final tonight as the Sacramento Kings take on the Charlotte Hornets in Las Vegas.

Both have gone undefeated behind their outstanding defensive efforts, so I’m taking the Under in my Kings vs. Hornets predictions.

Let’s break down what to expect in the final in my free NBA picks for Sunday, July 20.

Kings vs Hornets prediction

My best bet: Under 187.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

The Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets are the only 5-0 teams at this year’s Summer League. Both have accomplished this by dominating on the defensive end: Charlotte is allowing 85.8 points per game in the tournament, while Sacramento has given up 84.6 ppg.

The Hornets do sit second in scoring at 101.8 ppg, but when you add up the numbers, these teams aren’t likely to reach the total sportsbooks have set for tonight’s game.

Overall, Charlotte has been the team playing to higher scores, averaging a total of 187.6 ppg — right at tonight’s number — while Sacramento is lower at 180.4 ppg. While Charlotte showed it can be explosive by scoring 109 points in its semifinal win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, I don’t expect a repeat of that performance against a tough Kings defense.

While everyone tries to play good basketball throughout the Summer League, there’s going to be an added intensity for the final, which should mean even sharper defense and no easy baskets.

Kings vs Hornets same-game parlay

Under 187.5

Hornets moneyline

Nique Clifford Under 16.5 points

Along with taking the Under, I also like the Hornets to win this game outright. Charlotte has been the most dominant team at the 2025 NBA Summer League, outscoring teams by an average of 16.0 points per game.

I’m also taking the Under on Nique Clifford’s point total, as Clifford (16.2 ppg) scored just seven points yesterday against the Toronto Raptors and faces another solid defense today. 

Kings vs Hornets odds

Kings Kings Hornets Hornets
-2 (-110) Spread +2 (-110)
-120 Moneyline +100
Over 187.5 (-110) Total Under 187.5 (-110)

Odds courtesy of bet365

How to watch Kings vs Hornets

Location Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
Date Sunday, 7-20-2025
Tip-off 10:00 p.m. ET
TV ESPN

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Ed Scimia - Covers.com
Betting Analyst

Ed Scimia has been writing about the gaming industry for over 15 years. He graduated from Syracuse University with degrees in Magazine Journalism and Political Science in 2003, and has covered major gambling events like the World Series of Poker in his career. Since joining Covers in 2022, Ed has offered his sports betting analysis primarily on MLB, NFL, college football, and college basketball games, but is willing to take on any sport.

His betting strategy focuses more on finding line value based on deviations from the market rather than traditional handicapping, primarily shopping between DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics in his home state of Connecticut, though he’s not afraid to do deep game analysis to find profitable bets at any book.

Outside of gambling, Ed is an avid curler who competes in mixed doubles on the World Curling Tour and runs a popular curling YouTube channel, Chess on Ice. That experience has come in handy during the Olympics, when he has proven to be a successful curling bettor as well. 

Ed's advice to new bettors is to always open multiple sportsbook accounts and check the odds at each before placing any bet. Successful sports betting is about consistently beating the closing line value, which requires finding spots where one book is offering odds far better than the rest of the market and jumping on those opportunities.

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