NBA Grind Down: Thursday, April 24th
Welcome to the RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down Article. Each day, we’ll break down all of the matchups with a focus on defense vs. position stats. The Grind Down shows you Vegas lines, defense stats and projected starting lineups for each and every game.
The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. Use this article to help you gain a better understanding of the matchups for the coming week and build from there. We have everything you could possibly need on our Daily Research console for you to be a successful daily fantasy player!
Note: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NBA Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Indiana at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – Indiana -2, 186 Over/Under
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Brand
Indiana
After the first half of Game 2, I’m sure a lot of Pacers’ fans were ready to give up on the season. But a huge second half from the Pacers changed the complexion of the series. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Pacers win each of the next 3 games and close out the Hawks in 5. The Pacers are one of my favorite teams to target once again as the Hawks were ranked 21st or worse against every position except SG’s in terms of fantasy points allowed.
The only starter that I suggest avoiding completely is Roy Hibbert. He has been nowhere to be found and I think it’s time to stop waiting for him to put it together. Hibbert has 14 and 11 FP’s in the first two games of the series and should be avoided in all leagues. Lance Stephenson is another Pacer that I probably won’t have a ton of exposure to, he hasn’t been great on the road and has been quiet in this series. George Hill on the other hand is a great option in Game 3, he is a terrific punt option at PG.
- Paul George – Hopefully you listened to my recommendation and took George in Games 1 and 2. This is a perfect matchup for him and the Pacers need him to show up big as the rest of the team is really struggling. George has 54 and 57 FP’s in the first two games of the series. While it will be hard for him to continue at that rate, I think he is locked in for 40+ in Game 3.
- David West – I’ve recommended West twice now and he has let down in both of the first two games. I will try one more time before throwing in the towel. On paper, this is a terrific matchup as the Hawks were ranked 22nd against PF’s this season. It also doesn’t hurt that the Pacers tend to go into West more in big games and Game 3 in the playoffs certainly qualifies as a big game. I think he has his best performance of the series and I’ll be targeting him in cash games.
Atlanta
The Hawks had to fill pretty good about their chances in this series going into halftime of Game 2. While they took their foot off of the gas in the second half, they should still be thrilled that they stole home-court advantage away from the Pacers. The two best fantasy options for the Hawks have been Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague. Both have had their way with this defense. That said, I think the Pacers come out and continue that tough defense that they played in the second half of Game 2. I could be wrong here, but I will be fading the Hawks in Game 3.
Oklahoma City at Memphis
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -1.5, 190 Over/Under
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Lee-Prince-Randolph-Gasol
Oklahoma City
This is going to be a terrific series. After the Thunder managed to come back to tie up the game after a 4-point play from Kevin Durant and then a shot at the buzzer by Kendrick Perkins, the Grizzlies veterans still managed to pull out a victory in OT. This series has the makings of a 7-game series and every game is going to be fun to watch. As far as the potential fantasy production, this is not a great matchup for the Thunder on paper, but both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have had success in the first two games of the series.
Kevin Durant is certainly in play again tonight, but he has looked uncomfortable at times in this series with Tony Allen hounding him from basket to basket. I will probably look elsewhere for cash games. Serge Ibaka has scored 36 and 41 FP’s in the first two games and should make for a solid cash game play once again. The best part about Ibaka is that he has done it very quietly and many DFS players may not have noticed his stat lines from the first two games.
- Russell Westbrook – Westbrook is no longer on a minutes restriction which is music to his ears and to the ears of every DFS player out there. Westbrook played 43 minutes last game and put up 50 FP’s. He can create his own shot whenever he wants it and has really been big on the glass with 17 rebounds in the first two games of the series.
Memphis
The Grizzlies escaped with a win in Game 2, but they will not be satisfied. They feel like they can win this series and it wouldn’t shock me if they did. This is a nice matchup for the Grizzlies in terms of fantasy production because the Thunder play at a much quicker pace than the Grizzlies which in turn leads to a few extra possessions for the Grizzlies compared to their season average of only 93.
There are quite a few options that we can target on the Grizzlies. Marc Gasol is as steady as ever and makes for a great cash game play. Zach Randolph is their best offensive threat and the Grizzlies go to him early and often in big games. Both bigs are solid options in Game 3. I also like Tony Allen who has scored 22 and 29 FP’s in the first two games of the series.
- Mike Conley – How about the play of Beno Udrih off the bench in Game 2? While the Grizzlies were certainly happy about his play, I don’t think they should count on that moving forward. With Calathes out, Conley is going to play all of the minutes he can handle. He has played 39 minutes in each of the first two games and has scored 43 FP’s in each game. His stat lines have been eerily similar. Keep targeting him in all leagues.
L.A.Clippers at Golden State
- Vegas Line – L.A.Clippers -1.5, 215 Over/Under
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Barnes-Griffin-Jordan
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Green-Lee
L.A.Clippers
The Clippers made everyone forget about their Game 1 loss with a dominating performance in Game 2. This series just has the feeling that the Clippers are going to take control and not look back. The injury to Andrew Bogut is going to prove to be a crucial factor in this series. Blake Griffin is my top play here, but there are 3 other viable fantasy options that you should consider. DeAndre Jordan has a nice advantage over the thin front-court of the Warriors, he should post another monster double-double in Game 3. Chris Paul would have had a huge outing in Game 2, but only played 27 minutes because they got up big. J.J. Redick makes a solid GPP play, he has nice upside and a cheap price tag across the industry.
- Blake Griffin – Everyone expected Griffin to bounce back after struggling with foul trouble in Game 1 and he did just that. Griffin scored 35 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in only 30 minutes of play. I can’t wait to see what numbers he can post in this game with close to 40 minutes of playing time. The Warriors don’t have anyone that can defend Griffin down low or in transition.
Golden State
The Warriors accomplished their goal of taking home-court advantage from the Clippers, but for some reason the Clippers seem to have all of the momentum heading into Game 3. This Warriors team is a bit hobbled and don’t match up well with the Clippers because their best player, Stephen Curry, is locked up with Chris Paul who held PG’s to the 2nd fewest FP’s per game this season. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Jermaine O’Neal all make decent value plays here. All three should see big minutes in Game 3 and this game is expected to be close.
- David Lee – Lee had 36 FP’s in Game 1 and then forgot to show up in Game 2. I expect a much better effort out of both Lee and the Warriors. Lee matches up well with the Clippers who were ranked 23rd against PF’s and 23rd against Centers this season. Look for the Warriors to have plenty of pick and roll action between Curry and Lee in Game 3.