Tank battle alert!
The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers will face off Friday night in a battle both team’s fans would probably rather lose. The Blazers sit at 8-14, good for 13th in the West, and the Jazz are in dead last at 4-17. While it’ll be a long season on the court for both Portland and Utah, both teams look to be firmly in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes and will undoubtedly hope to draft the Duke phenom first overall next June.
In the meantime, it’ll be up to Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen to try and stop the Jazz’s slide. The 2022-23 Most Improved Player has had an inconsistent year but is still putting up 19.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Jazz (+120) are slight underdogs, and the point total is set at 226. Below, I’ve identified my favorite prop bet centered around Markkanen.
Best Lauri Markkanen Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Lauri Markkanen O9.5 Assists + Rebounds (+110)
Among the Trail Blazers’ woes this season has been rebounding — they rank just 23rd in the league, allowing 45.1 rebounds per game despite a deep center rotation — and with rookie Donovan Clingan and veteran Robert Williams III both ruled out tonight with injuries, I don’t see that improving any time soon. The Jazz are one of the league’s best rebounding teams, nabbing 51.4% of all available boards, and Markkanen is well-suited to take advantage. He’s recorded at least seven rebounds in five of his last seven games.
Additionally, Portland has also struggled to defend teams that rely heavily on ball movement. The Blazers allow opponents to record 27.7 assists per game, the sixth-most in basketball. While Utah has only an average assist percentage, it does pass the ball around a lot, averaging 305.0 passes per game, allowing it to keep the inexperienced Portland defense on its heels. Markkanen isn’t much of a playmaker, but his 11.3% assist percentage is the highest of his career.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
