Outside of the Toronto-Brooklyn and Oklahoma City-Memphis tilts, tonight's NBA schedule is largely lackluster. Wizards and Knicks! Magic and Timberwolves! Feel the April drama!
Some will find interest in watching struggling franchises evaluate young talent in early preparation for next season. Others will need daily fantasy.
With the non-junkies in mind, let's pick some value plays for tonight's games.
PG Michael Carter-Williams ($6,600) @ Boston Celtics
Carter-Williams, a long, athletic guard that can't shoot, was traded to Milwaukee, a team rife with long, athletic players that can't shoot. As everyone guessed, this has been a spacing nightmare, and MCW's numbers have taken the expected hit. But, he still puts together a nicely-rounded stat line and is coming off his best game as a Buck, going for 21/10/2 against Chicago. FanDuel won't punish him for his lack of efficiency, so you get all his calories with none of the heartburn. Boston is gunning for a playoff spot, but lacks the rim protection needed to force Carter-Williams into the jump shots he can't hit.
SG Louis Williams ($5,000) @ Brooklyn Nets
Kyle Lowry has missed four straight and is expected to sit tonight. Grievis Vasquez is getting the starts, but that makes Sweet Lou the only guard off the bench. He's scored in double-digits in 6 straight and in 16 of Toronto's last 19. He averages better than a steal per game, and he's also capable of giving you assists, on the right night. Tonight is the right night. Brooklyn is 23rd in defensive efficiency. Brook Lopez is back, and the numbers say he's a stingy rim defender, but he's not a mobile one. Don't count on him ranging out of the paint to deter Williams' play out of the pick and roll.
C Nikola Vucevic ($8,200) @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Nik's the fourth-most expensive center on the night, so I'm stretching the limits of "value" here, but look at the matchup. The Wolves are 11th in pace, playing at home where they can dictate the tempo. That means more possessions. The Wolves are also dead last, with a big bullet, in defensive efficiency. That means an excellent chance to make more out of those possessions. With Gorgui Dieng and Nikola Pekovic out with injuries, Justin Hamilton and his 8 career starts will get the wolves' share of minutes at center. No, I've never heard of him either.
SF Paul Pierce ($4,100) vs. New York Knicks
Pierce is a game-time decision against New York. He didn't play Wednesday night, and if there was ever a game he could sit against, it would be against the bottom-feeding Knicks. But, if you hear word that he's going to play, then slot that $4,100 salary into your lineup, because that's scrub money, and Pierce is no scrub. He'll let you spend extra at another spot, which just might make the key difference in your success tonight.
As always, head over to FanDuel to register and play NBA fantasy games like this one. Pay just $2 and enter a tournament with a prize pool of $10,000.
Disclaimer: Even though this is a sponsored post with affiliate links, all of the opinions in this post are my own. And as an FYI, FanDuel gave me some cash to play its daily fantasy games.