NBA Grind Down: Friday, January 9th - Page Three
Orlando at L.A. Lakers
- Vegas Line – L.A. Lakers -3, 201.5 Over/Under
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Payton-Oladipo-Harris-O’Quinn-Vucevic
- L.A. Lakers Proj. Starters – Price-Bryant-Ellington-Davis-Hill
| Orlando | L.A. Lakers | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 201.5 |  | Vegas Total | 201.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 3.0 | Vegas Sprd | -3.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 99.25 | Team Proj. | 102.25 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 94.75 | Team Pace | 97.58 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proj Starter | Elfrid Payton | Victor Oladipo | Tobias Harris | Kyle O’Quinn | Nikola Vucevic | Proj Starter | Ronnie Price | Kobe Bryant | Wayne Ellington | Ed Davis | Jordan Hill | |
| Opp. Season | 30 | 6 | 14 | 23 | 24 | Opp. Season | 28 | 8 | 18 | 13 | 30 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 27 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 28 | Opp. Last 7 | 23 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 15 | |
Orlando
The final game of the night should be a fantasy goldmine, at least for one team. The Magic draw a terrific matchup against the Lakers, who are ranked 29th in both defensive efficiency and points allowed per game. The Magic are projected to score 99 points tonight, which is almost six full points higher than their season average.
Opponent Breakdown (L.A. Lakers)
Record: 11-25
Points Allowed Per Game: 108.2
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 29
Rebounding Differential Rank: 25
Elite Plays
Nikola Vucevic (FD: $8800, DK: $8400 / MPG: 34 / Usage Rate: 24.8)
There are a lot of great plays at center tonight, but none that draw my attention as much as Vucevic. Not only have the Lakers allowed the seventh most fantasy points to centers this season, but they are also ranked 25th in rebounding differential. Vucevic should dominate the paint and the glass tonight. He could easily post a 20+ point, 15+ rebound performance in this one.
Victor Oladipo (FD: $6600, DK: $6100 / MPG: 33 / Usage Rate: 23.4)
Dollar for dollar, Oladipo is hands-down my favorite play at shooting guard tonight. He is playing his best basketball of the season and draws an extremely favorable matchup against the Lakers. Over his last seven games, he is averaging over 30 fantasy points in an average of 34 minutes per game. The DvP rankings listed above are a bit misleading, as the Lakers are actually ranked 18th against shooting guards if you look at it on a per-48 minute basis.
Secondary Plays
Tobias Harris (FD: $6800, DK: $6900 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 23.9)
Harris has the unique combination of a depressed price and a terrific matchup. He is under $7,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings and he gets to face the uptempo Lakers who rarely play defense. Don’t hesitate to target 2-3 Magic players in your lineups tonight.
Elfrid Payton (FD: $5300, DK: $5300 / MPG: 26 / Usage Rate: 18.5)
Payton is an attractive value play tonight. Over his last six games, he is averaging 28 fantasy points in 32 minutes of action. He still needs to work on his offensive game a bit, but he has an ability to fill up all areas of the stat sheet. He also draws an extremely favorite matchup, as the Lakers are ranked dead last in fantasy points allowed to point guards this season.
L.A. Lakers
I’ve been avoiding the Lakers for weeks now and so far, so good. They have an inconsistent rotation that makes it tough to predict production on a nightly basis. Tonight’s matchup against the Magic is appealing, but there aren’t any players that stand out as must plays in this one. Kobe Bryant may be worth a look as a tournament play, but I’m going to avoid the Lakers altogether tonight.
Opponent Breakdown (Orlando)
Record: 13-25
Points Allowed Per Game: 99.2
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 20
Rebounding Differential Rank: 23
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
None