NBA Grind Down: Friday, November 8th - Page 2
Oklahoma City at Detroit
| Oklahoma City | Detroit | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 196.5 |  | Vegas | 196.5 | |||||||
| Spread | -3.0 | Spread | 3.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 100.15 | Pace | 95.74 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 17 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 15 | Season | 2 | 28 | 19 | 15 | 10 | |
| Last10 | 17 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 15 | Last10 | 2 | 28 | 19 | 15 | 10 | |
| Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins | Jennings-Billups-Smith-Monroe-Drummond | |||||||||||
Oklahoma City
So much for the Thunder having to hold on for dear life while Westbrook was out. He is back already and is looking just as explosive as he did last season before he got hurt. The Thunder are a very high scoring team that loves to push the ball up the court, but they are very limited when it comes to fantasy options as Westbrook, Durant, and Ibaka are really the only viable fantasy options.
The matchup against the Pistons is pretty average. The Pistons rank in the middle of most defensive rankings thus far, but they have given up some big games to PG’s this season.
Players to Target
- Kevin Durant – I like Westbrook in this matchup as well, but I would rather pay a little extra to take Durant over him. Durant has topped 48 FP’s twice already this season and has a good chance to get there again tonight. Josh Smith is a better on ball defender than he is fighting his way through screens and the Thunder set a ton of off-ball screens for Durant.
Detroit
The Pistons fantasy appeal is getting lower and lower every game. They have 4 guards that can all contribute and have 3 bigs that all have to fight for rebounds and shots. They are playing at a slow pace (95) and are only averaging 99 points per game. They just have too much talent and not enough shots to go around.
They have a pretty decent matchup against the Thunder who are a very uptempo team, but like I said, there are too many solid players in that lineup and they are all hurting each others fantasy value. I think you could take a shot on Andre Drummond, but he’s really the only Pistons player on my radar.
Utah at Chicago
| Utah | Chicago | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 187.0 |  | Vegas | 187.0 | |||||||
| Spread | 13.0 | Spread | -13.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 96.41 | Pace | 97.78 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 24 | 7 | 29 | 3 | 23 | Season | 6 | 9 | 23 | 17 | 14 | |
| Last10 | 24 | 7 | 29 | 3 | 23 | Last10 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 17 | 14 | |
| Tinsley-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter | Rose-Butler-Deng-Boozer-Noah | |||||||||||
Utah
The Jazz are going to be a tough team to see on the schedule when they are playing on the road. They are an extremely young team that is going to find themselves in a lot of blowouts on the road. They made a comeback against the C’s the other night but they were down by more than 20 at one point in that game. And that was to the Celtics. The Jazz are 13 points underdogs tonight so this could be another blowout situation.
That said, blowouts don’t hurt the Jazz players as much as it hurts the opponent’s players. The Jazz young players are going to see their minutes for the most part.
Players to Target
- Enes Kanter – Kanter appears to be fairly matchup proof and it has to do with his style of play. He doesn’t get his fantasy points by the Jazz clearing the lane and posting him up. He gets his points by being a continuous hustle player and he has a great knack for the ball. He is a lot like his opponent Joakim Noah in that regard. His price is still pretty affordable and I think he plays well here.
Chicago
It has been a roller coaster for Derrick Rose this season. After his strong preseason, we all put way too high of expectations on him. He’s yet to top 25 fantasy points in any single game and is only shooting 31% from the field. His price is starting to come down across the board, but he’s still way too expensive for me to take a shot on him at this point. Especially if you factor in the potential blowout.
Players to Target
- Luol Deng – Deng is the one Bulls player that I like tonight. Thibadeau gives him a ton of minutes and often leaves him out on the court even when the Bulls are up big. Deng has a nice matchup against the Jazz who are ranked 29th against opposing SF’s.
Dallas at Minnesota
| Dallas | Minnesota | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 209.0 |  | Vegas | 209.0 | |||||||
| Spread | 4.0 | Spread | -4.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 102.51 | Pace | 100.93 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 5 | 18 | 20 | 2 | 29 | Season | 26 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 21 | |
| Last10 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 2 | 29 | Last10 | 26 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 21 | |
| Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert | Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic | |||||||||||
Dallas
The Mavericks have definitely surprised me with their style of play this season. I thought that with Calderon, Nowitzki, and Dalembert as three of their starters that they were going to be a half-court offense. But they are at the top of the league in both pace of play (102) and points per game (110). They are pushing the ball up the court and it appears to be working. One thing to note for tonight’s contest is that Vince Carter is suspended. While he is a bench player, expect Jae Crowder to see a bump in minutes.
There is a lot to like about this matchup. Both of these teams like to push the ball and the over/under in this game is set at 209 points. There should be plenty of fantasy points to go around on both teams.
Players to Target
- Monta Ellis – Monta is at his best when he is in the open floor. He can do so much off the dribble and it’s encouraging to see that he is averaging about 5 assists per game this season. While Ellis is a boom or bust type of player, you have to love the matchup against the Wolves. I think Monta and Martin will both have an easy time finding open looks against each other.
Minnesota
The Wolves are also in a good spot tonight. The Wolves are right up there with the Mavericks in both pace of play (100) and points scored per game (103). The matchup is very favorable as the Mavs rank in the bottom half of the league against every position so there are quite a few ways that you could go tonight in this game. I won’t list Kevin Love tonight because we all know that he is good, but treat him as the top overall fantasy option tonight.
Players to Target
- Ricky Rubio – Rubio, Rubio, Rubi-OOOOOOOOOOO! This is a favorable matchup for Rubio as the Mavs are currently ranked 26th against opposing PG’s. Rubio is coming off of back to back games, but should find some success against Calderon. I think people will be scared to take him tonight, but I see him topping 30 FP’s easily so play him with confidence.
- Kevin Martin – This guy is on fire right now. Defenses are throwing their best defenders at him and he is making them look very average. His price has yet to come up on a few sites, so target him where he is cheap.
L.A.Lakers at New Orleans
| L.A.Lakers | New Orleans | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 202.0 |  | Vegas | 202.0 | |||||||
| Spread | 9.5 | Spread | -9.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 102.09 | Pace | 96.15 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 18 | 13 | 3 | 29 | 3 | Season | 22 | 29 | 13 | 18 | 27 | |
| Last10 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 29 | 3 | Last10 | 22 | 29 | 13 | 18 | 27 | |
| Nash-Henry-Young-Kaman-Gasol | Holiday-Gordon-Evans-Davis-Smith | |||||||||||
L.A.Lakers
There are going to be plenty of surprises in the NBA every season, but I certainly wasn’t expecting the Lakers to go into Houston and beat the Rockets last night. The best part for them had to be the fact that Dwight missed free-throws at the end that could have iced the game. The Lakers are not a great team, but they will have nights where they step up and play well. This could be one of those letdown games though as they are coming off of a huge win and are in back to back situation.
Players to Target
- Jordan Farmar – I like Blake in this game as well, but you have to give the edge to Farmar. Nash said on Wednesday that he was planning on taking tonight’s game off so Farmar should see a big increase in minutes. He has been a great fill in starter his whole career and tonight should be no different.
New Orleans
The Hornets were pushing the ball in their first couple of games, but there pace has slowed down considerably over the last few. They are only scoring 96 points per game, but they have a nice matchup tonight against the Lakers who are famous for their inability to play defense. Anthony Davis has been a beast on the defensive end this season and is averaging 12 FP’s per game on blocks and steals alone. I love him once again tonight, keep playing him because the production has been there.
Players to Target
- Jason Smith – In addition to Davis, I also think that Smith makes a nice play tonight. He’s played at least 25 minutes in each of his last 4 games and the Lakers have been awful against big men this season. They rank 27th against Centers. Smith makes a great value play that a lot of people will overlook.
Golden State at San Antonio
| Golden State | San Antonio | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 207.0 |  | Vegas | 207.0 | |||||||
| Spread | 4.5 | Spread | -4.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 102.79 | Pace | 98.21 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 30 | 27 | 21 | 30 | 12 | Season | 23 | 15 | 10 | 16 | 13 | |
| Last10 | 30 | 27 | 21 | 30 | 12 | Last10 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 16 | 13 | |
| Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Lee-Bogut | Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter | |||||||||||
Golden State
The Warriors are likely going to be without Stephen Curry tonight after he suffered a bone bruise against the Wolves last night. That is going to change things considerably on offense. Toney Douglas would get the start if Curry doesn’t go and he would make a nice plug and play option. I also think that the injury would give Iguodala a slight bump, he has been asked to bring the ball up on a few occasions this season and could be asked to do so again tonight.
Players to Target
Toney Douglas – Douglas is a better scorer than he is a PG, but hey if he gets the minutes, then he has me sold on being a solid value play.
- Andre Iguodala – Iggy has really been playing well and fits in perfectly with the Warriors. I have a feeling that he will play a little bit of the point tonight so expect him to put up a nice, well rounded game.
San Antonio
The Spurs are pushing the tempo once again this season and have a great matchup against the Warriors who don’t rank in the top 9 against any single position. Even without Curry, I think the Warriors will be competitive in this one and I expect all of the starters to play their full minutes.
Players to Target
- Tony Parker – Tony P took over that 4th quarter against the Suns. He proved that he still can score with the best of them and I love the matchup against Toney Douglas. I think we could see him put up 18 points and 10 assists in this one.
- Danny Green – Green finally had a breakout game. He was hitting everything the other night against the Suns and that should be just the boost that he needed to get going. His price is deflated across the board so it’s a good time to buy low.