Josh Smith (photo. adidas)

Five matchups to watch on tonight’s NBA schedule…

Toronto @ Atlanta: Chris Bosh & Jermaine O’Neal vs. Josh Smith & Al Horford
On last night’s “Inside the NBA,” Bosh and J.O. demonstrated how they work together in the paint, basically with Bosh doing most of his work off the dribble from the top of the key and O’Neal manning the paint. Even if Smith and Horford weren’t watching that walk-though, no doubt they’ve been going through plenty of game film to figure out how to deal with Toronto’s new duo and keep the Hawks undefeated.

Detroit @ New Jersey: Allen Iverson vs. Devin Harris
The Dime crew will be all over this one. Whether A.I. spends the majority of his time at the point or at the two, the Nets will likely stick the ultra-quick Harris on him whenever he’s on the court. On the other end, while A.I. can stay with Devin individually, he still has to initiate himself into the team defense system that Detroit had previously mastered with Chauncey Billups.

Miami @ San Antonio: Mario Chalmers vs. Tony Parker
The rookie could surprise you. Although Parker dumped 55 points on Minnesota a couple days ago, Chalmers collected nine steals his last time out, helping Miami rout veteran PG Andre Miller and the Sixers.

Oklahoma City @ Utah: Kevin Durant vs. Andrei Kirilenko
AK-47 has been thriving in his sixth man role for the unbeaten Jazz, and he’ll get plenty of minutes tonight with Utah’s defensive game plan focused on limiting Durant’s looks. In four games against the Jazz last season, KD averaged 17 points on 40% shooting.

Dallas @ Denver: Jason Kidd vs. Chauncey Billups
In his Nuggets debut, Billups goes up against one of the best in the West. Kidd is quietly conducting business as usual, averaging 8.5 points, 8.8 assists and 3.0 steals per game.