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

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Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace


Indiana at Atlanta

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.

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.

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Oklahoma City at Memphis

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.

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.

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L.A.Clippers at Golden State

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.

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.

For those of you that play on sites with 2-Day leagues, check out the Grind Down for tomorrow’s games by clicking the link below:

NBA Grind Down: Friday, April 25th

About the Author

Notorious
Derek Farnsworth (Notorious)

Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious) is a lead RotoGrinders Expert and one of the most recognizable names and faces in all of DFS. Before joining the RotoGrinders team, Derek received a Master’s Degree from the University of Utah. When he’s not busy providing content, he’s dominating the DFS industry as evidenced by his consistent top rankings in several sports and multiple Live Final appearances. Noto provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis and has also been nominated for five different Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association (FSWA) awards. Follow Noto on Twitter – @RG_Notorious