Best NBA prop bets today for Rockets vs. Jazz (Target Fred VanVleet)

There’s little at stake for each team Thursday night when the Houston Rockets visit Salt Lake City to play the lowly Utah Jazz. Each franchise is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, though there are still matchups to take advantage of from a prop betting perspective as the NBA’s regular season comes to a close. 

Here are some prop bets to consider for the matchup. 

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Best NBA prop bets today for Rockets vs. Jazz

• Fred VanVleet OVER 2.5 3-pointers
• Amen Thompson UNDER 9.5 rebounds
• Jazz first half team total UNDER 52.5 points

Fred VanVleet OVER 2.5 3-pointers

In his first season in Houston, VanVleet is shooting 41.6% from 3-point range, his highest single-season mark since 2018. VanVleet has only shot 33.3% from the perimeter in five April contests, but is coming off one of his best performances, finishing with 37 points and going 6-of-11 from downtown in Tuesday’s win over the Orlando Magic.

VanVleet is going to let it fly, having averaged 8.3 3-point attempts per game since March. He’s gone over this small total in four of his last seven outings and gets a home run matchup Thursday against a Utah defense that is last in the NBA in defending triples, allowing opponents to knock down nearly 40% of its triples. 

Amen Thompson UNDER 9.5 rebounds

For starters, Thompson is averaging just 6.3 rebounds per game. Utah might have the worst defense in the NBA in net rating, but the Jazz are still respectable on the glass, ranking 13th in defensive rebounds per game and 18th in offensive rebounds allowed per game.

Opportunities for Thompson to crash the glass might be limited. Utah is 28th in effective field goal percentage and the Rockets should be able to shoot the ball well Thursday night. Thompson had double-digit rebounds in three of the final four games of Houston’s 11-game winning streak in March, but has come up short on this number in five consecutive contests. 

Jazz first half team total UNDER 52.5 points (-110 FanDuel)

A team prop to finish this one off. Utah’s season-long metrics have them as a middle-of-the-road scoring offense (No. 16) in the first half, but that has not been the case in recent action with the Jazz missing its top four scorers.

Utah has averaged less than 50 first-half points over its last three games and have gone under this first-half point total in five of its last seven contests. That includes a 47-point first-half in an eventual one-point loss to the Rockets on March 29 in Salt Lake City. Houston is 10th in the NBA in first-half scoring defense and can make life difficult early against a shorthanded Utah offense that doesn’t feature a lot of firepower. 

Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.