Elfrid Payton (ankle) replacing Dennis Smith Jr. in Knicks' lineup Wednesday

New York Knicks point guard Elfrid Payton (ankle) is starting on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets.

What It Means:

Payton will replace Dennis Smith Jr. in the starting lineup after sitting out the first two games after the All-Star break. Frank Ntilikina (groin) has been ruled out again, so Smith should see most of the backup work at point guard. Payton has scored double-digit points in seven straight games, with averages of 14.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 9.4 assists, and 2.9 steals on a 46.9 field goal percentage in that span.

numberFire's models expect Payton to score 30.9 FanDuel points on Wednesday. He's priced at $7,300. Per our NBA Heat Map, the Knicks-Hornets game has the lowest over/under on the nine-game slate (207.5 points).