The NBA has granted us a nice plump 10-game schedule tonight and it's time to squeeze some juice out of it with just 3 games on the docket for Thursday. Today is national bathtub party day so let's jump into this hot tub time machine and see which games, teams, and players are going to reward us handsomely tonight. This is Carl Taylor (@dailydogsports) guiding you through tonight's 10-pack.

Games that Stand Out at First Glance

The Dallas Mavericks (+6) have been a great bet lately, winning 5 of their last 6 but that run could come to an end tonight vs. the New Orleans Pelicans. For one, the Mavs are on leg two of a B2B but they are also just 2-8 on the road while the Pels are 9-3 at home.

The Minnesota Timberwolves should also have a big night as they host the Charlotte Hornets. It's true that Charlotte has had a solid year but they're just 3-7 on the road so far while the Timberwolves boast a solid 10-4 home record. This could be a Minnesota blowout as Kemba Walker, Cody Zeller, and Marvin Williams are all either out or GTD.

The game of the night has to be the Philadelphia 76ers visiting the great North to take on the Toronto Raptors. Is this contest going to be more lopsided than it seems, however, as the Raptors are -6 favorites?

Expect a lot of Golden State Warriors players to be rostered tonight as the Dubs' are +11.5 favorites on the road vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.

My 'dog of the day' is the Orlando Magic giving +5 in a B2B vs. the Denver Nuggets. Denver is the top team in the West but they could have a letdown night after wins at Portland and at Toronto. The Magic should be +8 or more on leg two of a back-to-back, which tells me this line is a setup.

Guards

Brandon Ingram (DK: $5.5k, FD: $6.5k, Y! $21)

The Lakers (-8.5) should have a pretty solid night vs. San Antonio on Wednesday. LeBron James is going to get his but who else will step up for LA to dominate? A great bet is Brandon Ingram, especially for the value at $5.5K. The Spurs are just 15th vs. opposing SG but have given up a 50 and 47 fantasy point night in their last 5. Ingram has scored in double figures in all but one game in November.

Bradley Beal (DK: $8.4k, FD: $8.5k, Y! $31)

*Update John Wall is Out Tonight* John Wall was a costly pick tonight but he was also projected for a 40+ fantasy point outburst when the Wizards visit Atlanta. In his absence, Bradley Beal becomes a huge value play. Beal's fantasy points go up +6.52 with Wall out of the lineup and Atlanta was 29th vs. SG to begin with.

Kemba Walker (DK: $8.1k, FD: $9k, Y! $41)

Even though I like Minnesota to dominate in this game, that doesn't mean Kemba Walker won't get his for the Hornets. It's kind of a contrarian play considering that the Timberwolves are 1st vs. the PG the last 5 games. Walker is well rested which means he should bounce back from a 13 point night his last game. Charlotte is playing just their 2nd game in the last 5 nights and Walker's production goes up 34.1% on 2+ days rest. Kemba did hurt his ankle on Sunday, but played through it.. so keep an eye out for possible injury updates, and possibly think about Batum or Lamb as well.

Forwards

Khris Middleton (DK: $7k, FD: $7.2k, Y! $28)

There's going to be a boatload of points scored in Milwaukee tonight (227) and Giannis can't have all of them. Khris Middleton is in a great spot to step up if he can get the minutes. Middleton was limited to 18 minutes of court time December 1st vs. the Knicks, which broke a mark of three straight games with 30+. The Bucks are well rested and Middleton has the best matchup of all of them as Detroit is 26th in the NBA in SF points allowed. Paul George and Kevin Durant have had 40+ fantasy point nights the last two games vs. Detroit. Middleton should be motivated by his low usage last game. He also got to the FT line 10 times vs. the Pistons when they met up last March, so he has confidence in his matchup.

Andrew Wiggins (DK: $5.6k, FD: $6k, Y! $18)

Charlotte is a horrible road team but if they want any chance of getting an upset win in Minnesota then it would be smart to stop the Wolves' Karl-Anthony Towns. Yes, that's easier said than done but if Cody Zeller (P-Ribs) can accomplish that (22nd vs. opposing C) it will open up opportunities for other Wolves players. Derrick Rose is coming off a 0 point outing vs. Houston, so the next opportunity for hero ball goes to Andrew Wiggins. Ownership for Wiggins is an atrocious 1.38% but Charlotte has given up a lot of points to SG/SF lately. Jrue Holiday, Donovan Mitchell, and Melvin Brogdon have all put up 33+ fantasy nights vs. the Hornets over the last 5 games. Atlanta's Kevin Huerter was the opponent in the other two games and even he tallied more than his average both games. Wiggins has logged 32+ minutes the last two games and we're expecting a 20+ point (scoring, not fantasy) night.

Aaron Gordon (DK: $6.8k, FD: $7.3k, Y! $26)

If the Magic are my daily underdog pick, then somebody on the team has to produce. Aaron Gordon went for 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in last night's win over the Heat. What's really concerning is that he logged 34 minutes, however. That being said, Gordon has a favorable matchup vs. Denver who is 26th in the NBA in PF points allowed. The Nuggets have given up three straight 30+ point fantasy nights and not to typical DFS studs either in Pascal Siakam (34.5), Al-Farouq Aminu (32.75) and Kyle Kuzma (30.75). Gordon is in a B2B, but it's still just Orlando's 2nd game in the last 5 days, plus they are back home for the first time since November 20th which should help the PF's numbers.

Centers

Steven Adams (DK: $6.7k, FD: $7.7k, Y! $26)

Steven Adams came through for us the last time he was rostered, going for 21 points in 27 minutes vs. Detroit. There's nothing to say he can't have another solid scoring game while increasing his rebounding numbers tonight vs. the Nets. OKC is favored by 7 on the road in this matchup and Adams should be a big part of covering that spread, as Brooklyn is 30th over the last 5 days vs. opposing C. Tristan Thompson grabbed 14 rebounds vs. the Nets, Marc Gasol 15, and Rudy Gobert 16 through the last four games against the Nets. Paul George and Russ Westbrook are obviously going to steal a lot of the scoring opportunities (Brooklyn is 22nd and 29th to their respective positions) but if they were wise, they'd feed the big man.

Marc Gasol (DK: $8.6k, FD: $10.2k, Y! $35)

Yes, Karl-Anthony Towns is in action tonight but Marc Gasol might be the play for the highest scoring C of the evening. Memphis is favored by 1.5 points vs. the Clippers in what the public bettors have split about 50/50 for each team. The Grizzlies are an underrated 7-3 at home this season and Gasol needs a bounce back game after going for just 12 points and 4 rebounds last time out. Granted that was against Joel Embiid and the 76ers, but prior to that matchup, the Memphis big man had a 15/15 night as well as three straight 27 point scoring outings. Gasol has averaged 55.88 FPPG the last two matchups with the Clippers – who are 29th vs. the C position.

Javale McGee (DK: $4.8k, FD: $6.3k, Y! $18)

The “eh, why not” play of the night is Javale McGee, as the Lakers are in prime position to blow out the Spurs as -8.5 point favorites at the Staples Center. There's rumblings that the Gregg Popovich era is coming to an end soon in San Antonio and the Spurs have obliged by losing 4 of their last 6. Perhaps 'lose' is an understatement, as that streak includes a 34 point defeat to the Jazz and a 31 point home loss to Houston, and falling by 39 points to the Timberwolves. McGee actually had solid numbers last time out for the Lakers with 14 points and 8 boards in 20 minutes. The Spurs are 26th in scoring allowed to C and three opposing big men have had 43+ fantasy point nights vs. San Antonio in the last four games. A big lead and rest for LeBron and Co. means a lot of McGee in this contest...hopefully.

Freeroll

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