2023 NBA bets, lines and stats for Thursday - ESPN

Thursday night's NBA slate features eight games to choose from. However, I am most interested in the game between the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans as a pair of Western Conference teams looking to gain ground in the playoff race meeting in New Orleans.

The Jazz have won three consecutive road games. The Pelicans have lost two games in a row and their third in four games as they attempt to reverse their fortunes. This game has two prop bets that caught my attention. Let's take a look at them.

Lauri Markkanen over 7.5 rebounds. He has surpassed this line in four consecutive games. In each of those games, Markkanen played at least 29 minutes. This season, he has averaged 9.0 rebounds per game. In terms of rebounds per game, the Pelicans allow the fourth most to power forwards. On Thursday night, Markkanen will play at both small forward and power forward for the Jazz.

Jonas Valanciunas over 28.5 points, rebounds and assists. He has surpassed this line in three out of his past five games. This game has a point total of 240.5 points and the Pelicans are favored. It bodes well for Valanciunas in this matchup. In the past 10 games, he's averaged 16.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 30.3 minutes. The Jazz rank 24th in points allowed per 100 possessions.

Klay Thompson over 18.5 points. He has surpassed this line in six of his past seven games. This season, the Heat allow the ninth-most triples per game and the fifth most to shooting guards. In his past seven games against Miami, Thompson has averaged 22.4 points. He has a great opportunity to shine on the Warriors' home court Thursday night.

Terry Rozier over 24.5 points. The Hornets are dealing with a lot of injuries right now, including LaMelo Ball and Gordon