The door is all but officially closed on this era of Portland Trail Blazers basketball. Damian Lillard has seemingly played his final game for the franchise, and rookie sensation Scoot Henderson looks primed to guide the team toward a bright future.
The coming season may not be the Blazers’ most successful, but it will at least be an exciting one.
Here are the best Portland Trail Blazers prop bets to make ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season.
Trail Blazers Odds 2023
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Trail Blazers Prop Bets 2023
NBA lines are current as of Thursday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. ET. To see updated Trail Blazers odds and lines, use the widget above.
Scoot Henderson: Wins NBA Rookie of the Year (+390)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Henderson has some stiff competition in this race — Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren look spectacular — but he deserves to be right there with them at the top of the NBA ROTY odds. Henderson is as athletically gifted as they come, and his high-flying style of play will help fill the void left by Lillard.
The Trail Blazers may not win a ton of games, but few teams will be more thrilling to watch, and Henderson is a big reason why. Despite his 6-foot-2 frame, the 19-year-old is a daring finisher around the rim and is often undeterred by taller, more physically imposing rim protectors.
Henderson isn’t an efficient shooter — he posted .429/.275/.764 splits over 19 games with the G League Ignite — but he still finds ways to score and share the ball, averaging 16.5 points and 6.8 assists over that same span. If that translates over to the NBA, he’ll be well worth your NBA bet of the day.
Shaedon Sharpe: Wins NBA Most Improved Player (+2200)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.25 Units
Sharpe is in store for a huge season. The explosive wing showed flashes of what he’s capable of as a rookie in 2022-23, but with Lillard likely out of the picture moving forward, he’ll have plenty more room to grow.
We can get an idea of what to expect from Sharpe in 2023-24 by looking at the final nine games of his season, all of which were played without Lillard. In those contests, Sharpe averaged 23.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 35.5 minutes per game.
I’m not saying a 20-year-old Sharpe will be a 20-per-game scorer in Year 2, but we saw what teammate Anfernee Simons accomplished once CJ McCollum moved on from Portland. Lillard’s usage has to be divvied up elsewhere, and Sharpe is in line to receive a large piece of the pie.
Sharpe is currently a long shot to win Most Improved Player per the NBA MIP odds, but I’m still willing to invest in his campaign.
Trail Blazers: Make NBA Play-In Tournament (+1000)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.1 Units
Portland has the longest odds to qualify for the NBA Play-In Tournament at Caesars Sportsbook, and for good reason. The Blazers are hardly expected to be competitive in 2023-24, and the Western Conference looks as menacing as ever.
With that said, this team could still expedite the rebuilding process and get back to competing as soon as this season if it gets the right kind of return for Lillard. Several key veteran players on this roster can help guide the youngsters, like Jusuf Nurkić and Jerami Grant.
I’m not exactly confident in this happening — hence the 0.1-unit wager — but it’s not like this would be the first time that a “rebuilding" team exceeded expectations. The Oklahoma City Thunder just went from 24 to 40 wins and made the tournament in 2022-23, so the precedent is there.
Trail Blazers Betting in Oregon
If you’re looking to begin betting on the Trail Blazers in Oregon, consider checking out our Oregon sports betting guide. There, you’ll find all the information you’ll need to get started, as well as the best sportsbooks, promotions, and sign-up bonuses available.
How to Bet on Trail Blazers Games 2023
How to Bet Trail Blazers Moneylines
Whether you’re a new or experienced sports bettor, you can never go wrong with moneylines. These wagers are as straightforward as they come, as all you need to do to cash your bet is correctly choose the winner of a game.
Moneyline odds will fluctuate depending on many factors, including a team’s opponent and where the game is played. For example, if the Trail Blazers are taking on the Nuggets in Denver, Portland would be a massive underdog.
The potential for profit is much higher when you back an underdog, but it’s important to keep in mind that favorites generally win games. With that in mind, it’s best to pick your battles and know when might be a good time to pick the Trail Blazers to pull off the upset.
- 2022-23 Trail Blazers Moneyline Record: 33-49
How to Bet Trail Blazers Spreads
Moneylines weren’t always a great option for Trail Blazers bettors in 2022-23, but spread betting was a more viable choice. Rather than picking the team to win the game outright, spreads allow you to bet on how well a team will perform against a specified point margin.
In that same game against the Nuggets, Portland might be a 13.5-point underdog. In that case, all the Blazers would need to do to cover the spread — and for you to win your bet — is lose the game by less than 13.5 points.
Both teams will generally have equal (-110) odds to cover the spread in a game, so betting on either side carries the same potential for profit, unlike moneylines.
- 2022-23 Trail Blazers Against the Spread Record: 40-42
How to Bet Trail Blazers Over/Unders
Predicting the outcome of a game is easier said than done, which is why Over/Under bets can also be a great option for both new and experienced bettors. Rather than dealing with winners and losers, this type of bet focuses solely on the total combined points scored in a game.
The total between the Trail Blazers and Nuggets might be set around 233.5 points. For the Over to hit, the final combined score would have to be more than 233.5 points, while the Under would be the winning bet if the two teams fall short of the hurdle.
Keep your eyes out for the latest injury report before placing an Over/Under bet. In the era of load management, a total can look deceptively low before you realize that a team’s star player isn’t expected to take the floor.
- 2022-23 Trail Blazers Over/Under Record: 40-40-2
