The Portland Trail Blazers are firmly in the mix for a play-in spot in the Western Conference, and they find themselves as 7.5-point favorites on the road against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. 

Portland is coming off a blowout loss against Minnesota on Wednesday, and it’ll look to rebound on the second night of a back-to-back. 

Utah has been furiously tanking as of late, sitting key players down the stretch of games in an attempt to keep the top-eight protected pick that it owes to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2026 NBA Draft. 

A back-to-back is a perfect spot for the Jazz to sit stars like Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., and it’ll be interesting to see their designations on Thursday’s injury report. 

Meanwhile, Portland has won three of its last four games and is looking to close out the first half before the All-Star break on a high note.

Here’s a look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for Thursday’s Western Conference clash. 

Trail Blazers vs. Jazz Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Blazers -7.5 (-115)Jazz +7.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Total 

238.5 (Over -115/Under -105)Trail Blazers vs. Jazz How to WatchDate: Thursday, Feb. 12Time: 9:00 p.m. ESTVenue: Delta CenterHow to Watch (TV): KJZZ, BlazerVisionBlazers record: 26-29Jazz record: 18-37Trail Blazers vs. Jazz Injury ReportsBlazers Injury ReportJazz Injury ReportTrail Blazers vs. Jazz Best NBA Prop BetsJazz Best NBA Prop BetAce Bailey UNDER 26.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-118)

In today’s best NBA props for SI Betting, I shared why I’m fading Ace Bailey against Portland: 

Jazz rookie Ace Bailey should have an expanded role on Thursday night against the Blazers, as it’s likely that Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. sit out the second night of a back-to-back with Utah clearly tanking.

However, Bailey has been up and down in his first NBA season, and I think his points, rebounds and assists line is a little high for him tonight.

Bailey is averaging 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from 3. He’s cleared 26.5 PRA in just five of his 48 games this season, and he doesn’t really stuff the stat sheet outside of scoring when his role has expanded.

Over his last 15 games, Bailey is averaging 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 13.7 shots per game. Yet, he’s only cleared this line three times during that stretch despite having four games with at least 20 points.

So, even if the Jazz rookie has a big scoring game, that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll go OVER this prop. He’s a fade candidate at this inflated number against Portland. 

Trail Blazers vs. Jazz Prediction and Pick

Portland had a three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night, but this is a prime bounce-back spot against the tanking Jazz.

Utah has sat Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in fourth quarters recently in an attempt to lose, and now it has a perfect excuse (a back-to-back) to sit both players and Keyonte George on Thursday.

The Jazz won against a short-handed Sacramento team on Wednesday, but Portland is a play-in caliber squad that is trying to move into a top-eight seed in the West. 

The Blazers are also an impressive 7-4 against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back this season.

This bet is simple: I’m taking the team that is actually trying to win to cover on Thursday night. 

Pick: Blazers -7.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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