If anyone can challenge the Thunder for Western Conference supremacy, it’s San Antonio. The Spurs, 30-14, have looked the part of a contender, building a terrific roster around franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama. They’ll hope to bolster their record tonight in Salt Lake City. The Jazz, 15-29, appear destined to miss the playoffs. Still, Utah’s offensively-minded squad can put up points in a hurry.
Who has the edge going into Thursday’s contest? The Spurs are favored by 12.5 points (-115) over the Jazz, with the over/under set at 236.5 points. Here are two of the top prop bet picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s San Antonio vs. Utah matchup.
Spurs vs. Jazz prop bet picks
De’Aaron Fox 19+ points (-110)
Despite the presence of Wembanyama, San Antonio’s strength might be its backcourt. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are two guards with immense potential. When healthy, Devin Vassell offers a potent scoring punch, as well. However, the clear-cut leader of this unit is De’Aaron Fox. Acquired from Sacramento last February, the former All-Star has thrived as the Robin to Wemby’s Batman. Through 35 games this season, he’s averaging 20.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 47% from the field.
Granted, the overall depth on this Spurs roster lends itself to different players stepping up. Regardless, this is an ideal spot for Fox to take over. The Jazz are giving up 127.4 points per game, most in all of basketball. To make matters worse, Utah is especially bad at defending the perimeter. In comparison, Fox has tallied at least 19 points in 21 of his 35 outings this season. Nine of those games came with Wembanyama taking the floor. Keeping that in mind, the score-first guard should put up some buckets tonight.
Kyle Filipowski 19+ points + rebounds (-120)
Lauri Markkanen (conditioning) has already been ruled out of Thursday’s contest. In addition, Keyonte George is questionable to play with a forearm strain. If neither can suit up, the Jazz will be without their two leading scorers. That means someone on this Utah roster will need to step up on offense. Kyle Filipowski fits the bill as an impact player down low. This season, the Duke alum has posted 9.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while delivering 46/31/71 shooting splits.
The Spurs aren’t exactly an ideal defense for opposing big men. Regardless, there’s too many minutes and touches available to fade Filipowski. After all, the 22-year-old is a fairly polished scorer and rebounder. That’s especially true when given a larger workload than usual. Flip has played more than 24 minutes 18 different times this season. During 12 of those outings, he’s recorded 19+ points + rebounds. It’s also worth noting that this game, given Utah’s injuries, could get out of hand. Should that occur, there’s no reason for the rebuilding Jazz not to keep Filipowski on the floor. Expect a stellar all-around showing from the power forward tonight.
