NBA Daily Grind Down: Friday 2/22

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-02-22 19:35:50

The RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down article is going to give you an in-depth analysis on every game each night (3 games minimum). This article will give you defense vs. position rankings and make notes on where you can exploit these matchups. It’s Friday so that means a full schedule on tap for us. With the trade deadline being over, there are a couple of teams that will be short handed that you can take advantage of and as always, plenty of good matchup advice.

NOTES:

1) Defense vs. Position rankings are how well a team defends against a certain position. The ranking is for the team that it is listed under, NOT the opponent.
2) Rankings are as follows: 30 is the worst defense against a position, 1 is the best.
3) Last 10 Game Data is collected at the start of each week. It will be updated each Sunday for the upcoming week.

Detroit @ Indiana – 7:00 pm EST

• Detroit has struggled against Centers all season long and have been struggling against SF’s and PF’s over the last 10 games. Roy Hibbert should be a solid play tonight as he has a good matchup and typically plays well at home. Paul George also is worth a look without Tayshaun Prince being there to guard him.
• Indiana is a very solid team defensively and only has one matchup deficiency and that’s against SG’s. Rodney Stuckey could be a decent option since Brandon Knight is out tonight, but I would stay away from the rest of the Pistons.

Denver @ Washington – 7:00 pm EST

• This games seems like it should be a high scoring one and with Denver’s struggles defensively, you might want to think about getting a Wizard or two on your team. John Wall averages over 30 FP’s against the Nuggets in his career and makes a solid play. Also, with Denver having trouble stopping big men all season, don’t be afraid to pull the trigger on either Nene or Emeka Okafor.
• Washington has been playing better defense as of late, but I still think they are in the bottom half of the league defensively. With the Nuggets, it’s always hard to tell which player is going to have a good game, but I like both Andre Iguodala and Danilo Gallinari in this one.

New York @ Toronto – 7:00 pm EST

• After giving the Knicks credit for their great defensive numbers the other night, they went out and let the Pacers put a beating on them. They still have solid ranks across the board, but I like the upside Kyle Lowry gives you and New York is ranked 25th against PG’s in their last 10 games.
• Toronto has played pretty good defense lately and have really only struggled to stop PF’s. However, the Knicks don’t really have a true power forward that starts and Carmelo Anthony will likely be guarded by Rudy Gay. The only Knick I would take a look at is Tyson Chandler, you can get him for a decent price on most sites.

Chicago @ Charlotte – 7:00 pm EST

• In this one we have one really good defensive team and one really bad defensive team. Chicago will likely be without Kirk Hinrich tonight which helps Kemba Walker value out, but outside of him, I don’t like any of the matchups for the Bobcats.
• Charlotte on the other hand struggles to stop everybody. They are dead last in the league against opposing SF’s so Luol Deng makes a very solid play. Carlos Boozer and Nate Robinson also have pretty good matchups. I would be a bit weary about taking Joakim Noah tonight though because his best skill is rebounding and Mullens will likely pull him away from the hoop.

Sacramento @ Atlanta – 7:30 pm EST

• The Kings are terrible on defense, just terrible. They rank at least 18th against every single position. The Hawks have a ton of good matchups that you can exploit, but this one could turn into a blowout so don’t take too many of them. My favorite matchup here is for Josh Smith who doesn’t have to be worried about being traded anymore.
• The Hawks have had their fair share of struggles against PG’s and Isaiah Thomas has really been playing well for the Kings. He is worth a look in some large field tournaments.

Houston @ Brooklyn – 7:30 pm EST

• The Rockets are a team that loves to push the ball up the floor which negatively impacts their defensive rankings. I love Deron Williams tonight because he has everything going for him: Good matchup, he will be relied on to score more with Joe Johnson out, and he went for 27 points and 11 assists against the Rockets last time they played.
• The Nets defense is very solid and it sounds like the Rockets will be very short handed tonight because of their trade for Thomas Robinson. The trade opens up some more minutes for Carlos Delfino who could be a decent play tonight.

Dallas @ New Orleans – 8:00 pm EST

• Dallas ranks at least 26th against SG’s, SF’s, and PF’s which should lead to some good matchups for the Hornets, but the problem is that the Hornets don’t really have any fantasy studs in those positions. Maybe take a flier on Anthony Davis, but his minutes are always frustrating.
• New Orleans on the other hand is pretty average across the board defensively. Their worst ranking is against SF’s and while Shawn Marion has been playing well lately, I don’t love him in this one.

Minnesota @ Oklahoma City – 8:00 pm EST

• Minnesota is very good at stopping SF’s and C’s. While I don’t think they will stop Kevin Durant, I think Kirilenko will at least slow him down. I would rather spend my money on either Russell Westbrook or Serge Ibaka because they both have much better matchups.
• OKC is a pretty average team defensively, none of their rankings jump out at you and with the inconsistency of the T-Wolves, I would stay away from all of them tonight.

Orlando @ Memphis – 8:00 pm EST

• The two matchup positions that you want to exploit against the Magic are PG and Center. I really like Mike Conley tonight so if you can get him for a decent price, he should cover for you easily. Marc Gasol on the other hand always seems to have a bad night when I take him. Therefore, I won’t take him and I will let you take him because he has a great matchup.
• The Grizzlies are really good defensively and the Magic are only going to have 7 active players tonight. This one has the feeling of a blowout, but with only 7 players, they will all still see plenty of minutes. I like Arron Afflalo, E-Twaun Moore, and Maurice Harkless.

Boston @ Phoenix – 9:00 pm EST

• The one position playing well for the Suns right now (PG), is the one position that Boston defends well against. While Goran Dragic is on a tear, his price has risen dramatically and he doesn’t have a good matchup, so I recommend staying clear of him tonight.
• The Suns have been bad against PF’s all season so I could see Brandon Bass putting together a decent game. Outside of Bass, Avery Bradley and Paul Pierce both have better than average matchups.

San Antonio @ Golden State – 10:30 pm EST

• The Spurs just keep on winning, that’s just what they always seem to do. They are pretty solid against all positions defensively, but I do like the way Stephen Curry has been playing lately. He has decent upside for his price and will need a big game for the Warriors to win.
• Golden State on the other hand likes to win by playing better offense than their opponents. This leads to quite a few plus side matchups for the Spurs. Tony Parker is about the only guy I would trust though and since this is a back to back situation, watchout for the POP!

Portland @ L.A.Lakers – 10:30 pm EST

• This game should be a fun one to watch. Portland has really struggled inside lately and is ranked 27th against opposing Centers in their last 10 games. I think Dwight comes out and puts up somewhere around 40 fantasy points.
• The Lakers defensive rankings are full of green which is always good news for their opponents. I like the odds of Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge to have big nights.