NBA Thursday player props: Bet on Aldridge against former team
Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.
The NBA's trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, which means some players could be late scratches for their respective games. Here are the best player props for tonight's slate, featuring a trio of stars who are in no danger of losing the key card to their team facilities:
LaMarcus Aldridge over 25.5 points + rebounds
Aldridge had a forgettable performance during Tuesday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, who present arguably the toughest matchup for opposing power forwards. The San Antonio Spurs big man is in line for a much stronger showing against the Portland Trailer Blazers, who allow the third-most points (24.9) and most rebounds (12.9) against power forwards.
That comes as no surprise, given the Blazers' frontcourt woes, but it should mean a monster outing for Aldridge, who's topped 25.5 points and rebounds just three times in his last 11 games. Despite the lack of results, the matchup alone begs a play here against Aldridge's former team.
Anthony Davis over 10.5 rebounds
The Houston Rockets have been without Clint Capela for a while due to injury, but Tuesday's trade only drew more attention to one of their biggest weaknesses. Houston has allowed opposing centers to grab 12.7 rebounds per game, second only to Portland, and starter P.J. Tucker (6-foot-5) is ill-equipped to keep Davis (6-foot-10) off the boards.
Davis registered just 10 combined rebounds in his last two games, but that won't continue. He's grabbed at least 11 boards in 17 of his last 23 outings when he plays after consecutive games with single-digit rebounds. Expect a similar output Thursday against a slight Houston frontcourt.
Zion Williamson over 23.5 points + assists
There are a lot of things wrong with the Chicago Bulls' defense, which ranks dead last in points allowed per 100 possessions (131.7) since Jan. 30. That's an absurd number. But Chicago's defense is especially laughable against power forwards, as it allows the most points (26.2) and third-most assists (4.4) to the position.
Williamson could probably top 23.5 on points alone - he's averaged 19.6 points in his seven starts for the New Orleans Pelicans and has three straight games of 20-plus against much better units than the Bulls'. Adding assists against Chicago's wide-open defense is the icing on the cake for the rookie, who had a career-high five dimes against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.