How about we kick off the week by adding a little bit of money to your pocket over on Underdog Fantasy with today's Underdog Fantasy NBA top picks? Today's NBA slate features some elite talent in the field such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum just to name a few. When it comes to finding the right plays for our Underdog Fantasy NBA pick'em plays today we are looking to target matchups with solid game totals, competitive spreads and projections we can exploit.  

 

Jayson Tatum, PF Boston Celtics

Tatum is in a bit of a slump right now, averaging just 24.5 points over the last eight games while shooting only 42% from the floor and 31.5% from three-point range. When looking at tonight's scoring projection of 28.5, we've actually seen him finish with less than this point total in eight of the last nine games with the only game where he went over we saw him play 41 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks. Tonight he faces a tough Pelicans team that could put Herbert Jones on him for most of the night. Jones is considered to be one of the better defenders in the NBA and usually draws the top scoring threat the Pelicans face.  It could be another night where Tatum is good, but not great here this evening.

Pick: Less than 28.5 Points

Jamal Murray. PG Denver Nuggets

The first quarter point play is something that is both exciting and frustrating. On one hand, it's great when it hits because you get the sweat over early. On the other hand, it can be torcher when  your player gets off to a cold start and there is not enough time to recover. That said, I'm jumping in on the Murray 1Q point projection here this evening which is set at 5.5. Murray generally plays 8-to-9 minutes in the first quarter, getting subbed out around the seven minute mark and subbed back in around the 10 minute mark. Tonight he faces one of the best point guard matchups on the board in the Milwaukee Bucks. Bucks guard Damian Lillard plays all 12 minutes of the first quarter, giving Murray plenty of time to exploit this matchup here this evening. 

Pick: Higher than 5.5 1Q Points