NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, October 29th- Page Three
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Golden State at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – Golden State -4.5, 205.5 Over/Under
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Barnes-Green-Bogut
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Collison-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
| Golden State | Sacramento | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 205 |  | Vegas Total | 205 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -4.5 | Vegas Sprd | 4.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 105.00 | Team Proj. | 100.50 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 99.21 | Team Pace | 96.59 | |||||||||
| 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 | Stephen Curry | Klay Thompson | Harrison Barnes | Draymond Green | Andrew Bogut | Proj Starter | Darren Collison | Ben McLemore | Rudy Gay | Jason Thompson | DeMarcus Cousins | |
| Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Golden State
The Warriors have high hopes for this season with new coach Steve Kerr at the helm. They are an extremely talented team that boasts a great offense and a very underrated defense. The Warriors return all five starters this season, although Kerr is leaning toward starting Harrison Barnes at SF and bringing Andre Iguodala off the bench. The Warriors open their season as 4.5 point favorites against the Kings in what should be a shootout. This game should be full of fantasy-goodness.
Prime Plays
Stephen Curry – Curry is one of the best PG’s in the NBA. He accounts for so much of their offense that he rarely has bad fantasy outings unless it’s a blowout. The Kings were one of the worst teams in the NBA at defending PG’s last season, but that may change this season as Darren Collison is now their starter. Either way, Curry should have no problem creating open shots for himself and his teammates in tonight’s uptempo game against the Kings.
Draymond Green – If Lee ends up sitting out, Green will get the start at PF. Green is a great defensive player, but he also has an under-the-radar skill set on offense. In spot starts last season, Green averaged 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a block, and a steal which roughly equates to 23 fantasy points per game. He should be able to at least replicate that stat line with the potential for much more.
Secondary Plays
Andrew Bogut – A healthy Bogut is essential for the Warriors’ success this season. He’s a terrific defender, a solid rebounder, and he has a decent offensive skill set. He’s an interesting tournament play against Cousins and the Kings tonight.
Sacramento
The Kings brought in Darren Collison and shipped Isaiah Thomas out of town. Collison should be a much better fit for the Kings offense. He’s a pass-first PG which has to be music to the ears of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. Other than the Collison acquisition, this is a very similar Kings’ roster. Tonight’s game against the Warriors does have a high total, but keep in mind that the Warriors are very solid defensively.
Prime Plays
NONE
Secondary Plays
DeMarcus Cousins – You can never count Boogie out in tournaments. He has more upside than any other center in the NBA. The issue with Cousins is his consistency and his foul trouble. Treat him as a GPP play tonight.
Darren Collison – As mentioned above, Collison should be a great fit in this offense. He’s a very capable PG that should surprise some people early on this season. That said, there are better values at the position with all of the injuries around the league.
Oklahoma City at Portland
- Vegas Line – Portland -8.5, 198.5 Over/Under
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Roberson-Jones-Ibaka-Adams
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
| Oklahoma City | Portland | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 198 |  | Vegas Total | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 8.50 | Vegas Sprd | ||||||||||
| Team Proj. | 95 | Team Proj. | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | 99.13 | Team Pace | ||||||||||
| 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 | Russell Westbrook | Andre Roberson | Perry Jones | Serge Ibaka | Steven Adams | Proj Starter | Damian Lillard | Wesley Matthews | Nicolas Batum | LaMarcus Aldridge | Robin Lopez | |
| Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Oklahoma City
The Thunder are in a spot that they’ve never been in before. They are going to be without Kevin Durant for an extended period of time. Many Thunder fans are hoping that Russell Westbrook and company can hold down the fort while he’s down. At the very least, they should be able to tread water and stay above .500. They open up their season against the very talented Blazers as 9 point underdogs. There will be a lot of people on Westbrook tonight and rightly so. The only issue that I have with him is that there is a ton of value at PG tonight.
Prime Plays
Perry Jones – If you are looking to save some salary at SF tonight, Jones is your man. He is going to get the start with Kevin Durant out and he should see all of the minutes he can handle as Jeremy Lamb will also be out tonight. Jones has played well in the preseason and should easily pay off his salary given his expected playing time.
Secondary Plays
Russell Westbrook – With Durant out, Westbrook is going to have to pick up the slack offensively. We have seen Batman (Durant) without Robin (Westbrook), but now we get to see what Robin can do on his own. He’s a high upside play that can fill up all areas of the stat sheet. He should have a monster game against the Blazers who struggled to defend opposing PG’s last season.
Steven Adams – Adams will start at center for the Thunder this season. He’s expected to be much-improved this season and he’s close to minimum salary.
Portland
The Blazers are coming off of an excellent 2013-14 season, but it’s hard to imagine them having the same luck when it comes to injuries. Four of their five starters played in all 82 of their games last season. That just doesn’t happen in the NBA and it will be interesting to see if their role players can pick up the slack if they have to deal with injuries this season. The Blazers will start the season with their same five starters as last season: Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez.
Prime Plays
Damian Lillard – Lillard has gotten better in each of his first two seasons. He’s coming off of a 2013-14 season where he averaged 21 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. The Blazers can be a tough team to predict on a nightly basis thanks to their many weapons offensively, but the offense runs through Lillard and he finds himself in a decent matchup against Russell Westbrook.
Secondary Plays
Nicolas Batum – Batum is a stat-stuffing machine. While he does have the occasional dud every now and then, he has an extremely high ceiling which makes him a great target in GPP’s.