Josh Hart obviously isn't the first- or second- or maybe even third best player on the Knicks but in some ways he might be the most important for all that he does. Hart is out for personal reasons and that was the push I needed to back the Wolves in the Karl-Anthony Towns Twin Cities return game.

Plenty of related storylines here including Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle both facing their respective former teams after being the main pieces in a big preseason trade. We saw again from the Knicks on Sunday at Orlando that Tom Thibodeau still relishes the grind of a defensive battle and will find extra motivation here facing one of his former employers. Defense is still the name of the game for Thibdoeau...as it apparently is for these current T-wolves. Minnesota has been on quite a stop-end run of terror, holding six of the last seven foes beneath 100 points (with a 6-1 under mark in those games). The Wolves have allowed only 91 ppg across that seven-game span of defensive excellence. Play Knicks-Timberwolves Under

We get the KAT revenge game, with both teams well-rested. The Wolves have been a problem covering at home this season without that big man there anymore, but they do still win at home (8-4). KAT will probably try to do too much here. They have suffered three blowout losses at Western Conference teams already this season and I don't need a blowout here, just a one-point win.

Thought about this Thursday prop in two ways: First, that KAT is going to go nuts facing his former Timberwolves team for the first time since the summer blockbuster trade. And my first inclination was to go over KAT's point total. But the more I thought about it and secondly, I think he might be a little too amped up and Minnesota is a stellar defensive team having allowed triple-digit points just once in the past seven. DPOY Rudy Gobert will certainly be geared up for this and should keep KAT from doing too much in the post. Our model has Towns finishing with 31.4 PR and NumberFire is about the same. I mean, 25/10 and we win pretty easily.