NBA Grind Down: Sunday, December 7th Page Two
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Portland at New York
- Vegas Line – Portland -7, 196 Over/Under
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
- New York Proj. Starters – Calderon-Shumpert-Anthony-Stoudemire-Dalembert
| Portland | New York | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total |  | Vegas Total | |||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | Vegas Sprd | |||||||||||
| Team Proj. | Team Proj. | |||||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.87 | Team Pace | 92.01 | |||||||||
| 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 | Damian Lillard | Wesley Matthews | Nicolas Batum | LaMarcus Aldridge | Robin Lopez | Proj Starter | Jose Calderon | Iman Shumpert | Carmelo Anthony | Amar’e Stoudemire | Samuel Dalembert | |
| Opp. Season | 4 | 28 | 6 | 21 | 10 | Opp. Season | 17 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 29 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 3 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 26 | Opp. Last 7 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 8 | 19 | |
Portland
Portland may be licking their chops as they travel to Madison Square Garden to face off against the sputtering Knicks. The Blazers bring their 15-4 record into New York as they come off a home win against the Pacers. The Blazers play well at both ends of the court as they are ranked 9th in PPG and 6 in points against. This does not bode well for a bad Knicks team as the Blazers are 7 point favorites with a total of 194.
Elite Plays
Wesley Matthews – I am not writing up Lillard today as he hurt his ring finger and needed x-rays. Not to say it is anything serious, but we have seen recently what an injury on your shooting hand can do to an NBA player which may not be worth paying up for Lillard on a day with other good options at that price point. Wes makes a decent option at a SG position that is not full of many mid-level priced players today.
Secondary Plays
LaMarcus Aldridge – He is in the secondary plays simply because if I am going to pay a premium tonight, I am going to want AD in my lineups with the matchup he has. Not to say Aldridge is not a good option as he is, but AD is the top option overall.
New York
The Knicks are bad and are actually in the midst of their second seven game losing streak of the year. They are decently heavy underdogs today and are very hard to trust for fantasy purposes tonight.
Elite Plays
Amare Stoudemire – If STAT starts, he is really the only option that I can recommend today for the Knicks. Melo is just not getting it done and paying up for him in not something I want to do. STAT has shown great potential for his price point, but check the news here.
Secondary Plays
None
New Orleans at L.A. Lakers
- Vegas Line – New Orleans -2.5, 210 Over/Under
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Holiday-Evans-Babbitt-Davis-Asik
- L.A. Lakers Proj. Starters – Lin-Bryant-Young-Boozer-Hill
| New Orleans | L.A. Lakers | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 210 |  | Vegas Total | 210 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -2.50 | Vegas Sprd | 2.50 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 106.25 | Team Proj. | 103.75 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.24 | Team Pace | 97.93 | |||||||||
| 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 | Jrue Holiday | Tyreke Evans | Luke Babbitt | Anthony Davis | Omer Asik | Proj Starter | Jeremy Lin | Kobe Bryant | Nick Young | Carlos Boozer | Jordan Hill | |
| Opp. Season | 30 | 15 | 22 | 18 | 27 | Opp. Season | 22 | 9 | 29 | 6 | 21 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 29 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 29 | Opp. Last 7 | 28 | 24 | 27 | 4 | 21 | |
New Orleans
The game of the night is also the last game of the night as New Orleans takes on the Lakers in what should be a fast-paced, extremely exciting game for fantasy purposes. The total is set a 210 and the Pelicans are only 2’ point favorites. I am expecting some big time performances here from some of the top names.
Elite Plays
Anthony Davis- He is the clear top option today against the Lakers. He is by far the most expensive player on the board, but for good reason. The up and down tempo works perfectly of the Brow today and if you don’t want to pay up for him in cash games, that is a risk that will be difficult to take.
Secondary Plays
Tyreke Evans – He has been struggling the last few games, but a matchup against the Lakers should be exactly what he needs to bounce back.
Omer Asik – He is cheap and should reach value today against the inside defense of the Lakers. Don’t expect a 35+ point performance, but 25-30 should be in the cards.
L.A. Lakers
The Lakers are bad and we know that. What we don’t always know is what we will get out of Kobe Bryant and if he is on or not. How close the game stays is dependent on Kobe. Vegas thinks this game should stay close throughout and that is great for fantasy purposes.
Elite Plays
Kobe Bryant – The Lakers go as Kobe does. If Kobe is hitting 30% or less tonight, they may be blown out. He has not hit value in his last 3 games, but will look to bounce back tonight. Any time a players usage is as high as Kobe’s, his ceiling is very high and is always a GPP play. Kobe fits that mold tonight and could be in for a huge game.
Secondary Plays
Jordan Hill – This whole Lakers squad has had two pretty bad fantasy outings in a row. Prior to this bad run, Hill had FD totals of 37 and 40 in the prior 2 games. I expect a bounce back from Hill in this close game as Kobe needs someone to help him out tonight.