Phoenix Suns @ Indiana Pacers ( -10 ) – O/U: 204

Surprisingly, this is expected to be our highest-paced game of the evening in The Association. The Pacers projected total of 107.3 is a little more than six points above their season average, so I expect them to be on the board early and often. It all starts with Paul George who takes aim a Suns team that is 26th in the NBA against small forwards. CJ Miles is one of the darlings of the projection sheets today as well, and I see what the thinking is here. If the Pacers are going to put up this massive total then three-pointers will certainly be part of the equation. The 10-point spread indicates Phoenix will be in a world of hurt, so expect them to go smaller in the lineup, which will give…..you guessed it, CJ Miles more time on the court. Thank you and tip your writer on the way out.

Ronnie Price is out tonight so that means Devin Booker will be 458% owned tonight, and for good reason. Since taking the lion’s share of minutes in the wake of Eric Bledsoe’s injury, he’s hit 33 twice and been in the 20s two times as well. Add in the fact that Indiana ranks 23rd in the NBA against shooting guards, you have a fantasy dreamboat.

Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks ( -2 ) – O/U: 200

If I told you that the Knicks were eighth in the NBA in terms of giving up fantasy points, you’d be like, “Fuck off, Walsh” … and then I would deck you. Personally, I don’t think it’s their defense. I think it’s because Melo holds the ball in the iso for about 20 seconds of the 24-second shot clock, thus pissing the other team off and sending everything into a chaotic frenzy. Isaiah Thomas may be the only fantasy option that’s safe tonight; the Celtics have a huge rotation when everyone is healthy and that’s the current situation. Jae Crowder isn’t a bad option either, I just like others more.

For the Knicks, I love me some Kristaps Porzingis tonight. I think this is a great spot to roll him out since he’s played at least 30 minutes in the last five games and averaging just over a point per minute in the last four. This kid’s knowledge of basketball history is quite impressive; growing up as a kid in Latvia, Porzingis was very in-tune to the NBA and he’s very aware of this rivalry with the Celtics. Be assured that he’ll be absolutely jacked up for this one en route to a huge night. If you needed more ammunition, Boston ranks 24th against power forwards.

Carmelo Anthony has averaged 45.4 in the last four games and he also has a favorable matchup as Boston ranks 21st against small forwards. Robin Lopez also continues to get serious minutes and he’s been reaching value with relative ease due to FanDuel’s unwillingness to raise his price. I don’t see why you would go any other way when they’re just handing you a 5x+ value type of player for $4500.

San Antonio Spurs ( -6 ) @ Detroit Pistons – O/U: 194

Not exactly the sexiest game on the slate but I think you can take advantage of an under-priced LaMarcus Aldridge going against Irsan Ilyasova. Not sure if there’s any way LMA could be stopped by anyone at this point as he’s averaged 35.4 fantasy points in his last five games. If Marcus Morris remains out of the lineup, that gives a major boost to Kawhi Leonard who would be guarded by either Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or rookie Stanley Johnson. Advantage: Kawhi.

Andre Drummond is an interesting tournament play. However, there’s the off-chance that the Spurs will stick LMA on him, in which case I’m not interested in paying that much for that matchup.

Houston Rockets @ Memphis Grizzlies ( -1.5 ) – O/U: 198.5

I’m a big fan of the Grizzlies tonight with guys like Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Jeff Green. All of these guys show up on the projection sheets as great “$/pt” plays against a Houston defense that has given up the 27th most fantasy points in the NBA as a team. The Grizz are 2-0 against the Rockets this season with an average winning margin of 10.5.

On the Houston side of things, James Harden will be low-owned so you can take a shot there. Dwight Howard has had five-straight massive double-doubles, and he had 12 points and 15 rebounds in one of the two meetings against Memphis this year. Trevor Ariza is a decent value play as the Grizz are 23rd in the NBA against small forwards.

Chicago Bulls ( -3.5 ) @ Milwaukee Bucks – O/U: 202

On a large slate like this, I’m going to fade Chicago entirely tonight. There’s a lot of great superstars out there and this Bulls team is loaded with depth. Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol are the guys that can rise above all of that, but their prices are something I’m not willing to deal with tonight.

I know, you’re scared to roster Michael Carter-Williams, and so am I but it’s happening. The Bulls are on the back-end of a back-to-back and the Bucks’ backcourt has been decimated by injuries, which means MCW will get a ton of run. Last game, he was benched for chucking up a bunch of And-1 mixtape shots. Look for him to come back with some feistiness tonight. I don’t mind Khris Middleton or Greg Monroe if you’re trying to save salary cap.

Oklahoma City Thunder ( -11 ) @ Minnesota Timberwolves – O/U: 210

It’d be wise of you to have Russell Westbrook on your roster tonight, being as how Ricky Rubio will get abused all evening. To give credence to the one-on-one bitching that’s about to take place, Rubio and the T-Wolves are 23rd in the NBA against opposing point guards so look for Westbrook to be Gapetto-like and keep him on a string all night.

Kevin Durant, hey, he’s pretty good at basketball and someone I would also recommend rostering tonight. I’ve seen the Westbrook/KD combo before, and let me tell you, it looks glorious. Not to mention, OKC has the highest-projected team total tonight at 110.

Minnesota is definitely in play tonight as well with the total being so high. That means Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins are the guys I’m looking at to make a valiant effort at an expected comeback.

Cleveland Cavaliers ( -6 ) @ Dallas Mavericks – O/U: 198.5

LeBron James and company do the Texas two-step into Dallas tonight, and this could be a spot where you get him very low owned while people are on the likes of KD, PG-13 and Melo. The most favorable matchup looks like it belongs to Kevin Love, as the Mavs are 26th in the NBA against power forwards.

Dirk Nowitzki will be the one guarding K-Love, and he too can have himself a great night. If you want a sneaky stacky, I’d recommend these two at power forward because they can go back-and-forth at each other. Deron Williams and Kyrie Irving could also go back-and-forth at each other as well. I’m not that confident in it, but if you want some variance, there’s an idea.

New Orleans Pelicans ( -2 ) @ Los Angeles Lakers – O/U: 201

A pretty damn good late-night hammer to attack with both of these teams statistically being at the bottom of the NBA on defense. Both sides have some great options for cheaper pricing so let’s start it out with Tyreke Evans. The Lakers are the worst team in the league against opposing point guards; I like him a lot, and especially if Anthony Davis remains out of the lineup. Ryan Anderson would also benefit in that situation and Eric Gordon would as well. If AD does in fact play, then have your rosary beads ready because while he is a great play against the Lakers, he is as fragile as they come.

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant is ailing like always but he’s not on my radar. I’m a big fan of Lou Williams tonight, as New Orleans ranks 26th in the NBA against shooting guards. Jordan Clarkson is on the radar for a few people, but I’m not one of them. Evans is a marquee defender and you’ll see the skewed DvP numbers as New Orleans is 19th in the NBA against point guards on the season as a whole, but first in the last seven games- the Pelicans can thank the return of Evans for that. Larry Nance is a guy that’s gone under the radar for a while, but people are finally starting to catch up now. Roy Hibbert could be a sneaky play, but if you’re not a risk taker you ain’t ready for all that. Come to think of it, I’m not either.