NBA Daily Grind Down: Friday 3/8

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-03-08 16:10:45

The RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down article will give you an in-depth analysis into the NBA schedule each night. This article will break down the defense vs. position rankings for every single game and give you analysis on where you can exploit these matchups.

While matchups are a major factor in daily fantasy basketball, there are plenty of other factors to consider such as injuries, minutes, and salaries. The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections.

Today’s Grind Down will still feature all of the rankings, but will have a little less analysis than usual because in a few short hours I will be on a plane to Vegas for the DFBBC. Friday’s NBA schedule features 12 games with plenty of favorable matchups to go around. I will also try to end the Grind Down player curse that has plagued any player that I put up as the picture for the main page.

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.

Indiana @ Orlando – 7:00 pm EST

• Indiana has a solid defense without many holes and while the Magic played well against the Heat last game, they have been really struggling lately. With plenty of other options, maybe stay clear of the Magic players.
• Two matchups that I like for the Pacers are Paul George and Rob Hibbert. Pauly G should rack up fantasy points on both ends the floor tonight and Hibbert should post a solid game against Vucevic.

Oklahoma City @ Charlotte – 7:00 pm EST

• The good news for Charlotte is that OKC is playing in a back to back situation. The bad news is that they still have one of the best teams in the league. The Bobcats have been getting blown out every game and it’s hard to recommend anyone outside of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at this point.
• Charlotte’s defense leaves plenty of favorable matchups for the Thunder. The problem is how much playing time guys like Durant and Westbrook are going to get. I would rather take a chance on a guy like Serge Ibaka who could have a field day on both ends.

Atlanta @ Boston – 7:30 pm EST

• Atlanta has been playing some pretty good defense lately, but still have bad numbers against PG’s on the season. Look for Avery Bradley to continue his mini hot streak and for Paul Pierce to play well.
• Boston’s defense doesn’t leave you with too many options for the Hawks. While Al Horford and Jeff Teague have been on fire, they are likely too expensive to take.

Memphis @ Cleveland – 7:30 pm EST

• Memphis has a great defense and the Cavaliers don’t have a very good offense. This one should be low scoring that isn’t a fun one to watch. I don’t love any of the Cavs unless they decide to sit Kyrie Irving.
• Cleveland seems to struggle against every position except for Center. I would target Mike Conley tonight and maybe give Ed Davis another shot if Randolph is still out. Tony Allen has also been playing well and could be a sleeper.

Dallas @ Detroit – 7:30 pm EST

• Dallas has been surprisingly good on defense in their past 10 games with the exception of guarding SG’s. Even though Brandon Knight has the matchup, I just don’t like how inconsistent he is. If you are going to spend money on a Pistons player, spend it on Greg Monroe.
• Detroit’s defense leaves us with plenty of possibilities, but with the Mavericks you never know who is going to have a good night. Maybe take a flier on Mike James if he is still starting.

Washington @ Brooklyn – 7:30 pm EST

• Washington’s season rankings are the definition of average. Right in the middle against almost every position. Take Deron Williams tonight, he should have a monster game against them.
• Brooklyn is pretty solid on defense all around, but the injury to Bradley Beal has given Trevor Ariza a huge boost fantasy wise. If you can get him for cheap, he should be worth it once again.

Utah @ Chicago – 8:00 pm EST

• The Jazz struggle against PG’s and PF’s. Target Nate Robinson and Carlos Boozer, pretty simple.
• The Bulls are very good defensively and the Jazz are likely going to have Al Jefferson back which makes all big guys on the Jazz tough to take. Unless you can get Mo Williams for really cheap, stay away from Jazz players.

Philadelphia @ Miami – 8:00 pm EST

• Philly really struggles against Centers so I could see Chris Bosh having another game similar to the one he had the other night against the Magic. The Heat will likely be favored by a lot though, so there is always a risk of a blowout.
• I don’t love the way any of the Sixers are playing right now outside of Dorell Wright. He has had a nice run of games with Nick Young out.

Portland @ San Antonio – 8:30 pm EST

• I wish they would just take out all players that play for or against the Spurs each night because it is so hard to take either side of Spurs games. Pop will either sit players or the Spurs will blow teams out, or both. That being said, if you must take someone from this game, make it Kawhi Leonard, he has really been playing well.

Phoenix @ Sacramento – 10:00 pm EST

• The Suns leave us with plenty of options to take on the Kings. The Suns already struggle against Centers and now will be without Gortat so I’d imagine Cousins would have a monster night. The only problem is the coach, don’t get me started on him. Isaiah Thomas also should have a good game.
• With Gortat being out, that opens up more minutes for Jermaine O’Neal and Luis Scola. I think both of them could have nice games and I also like the matchup for Goran Dragic.

Houston @ Golden State – 10:30 pm EST

• This should be a fun one. Both defenses are bad against all positions so load up on players from both sides. Curry, Lee, Harden, Lin, and Parsons all look like they could have big nights.

Toronto @ L.A.Lakers – 10:30 pm EST

• The Raptors have gotten better defensively but I really don’t trust their ranking against Centers when they have to face a guy like Dwight Howard. Dwight is coming off of a monster game and I think he backs it up.
• The Lakers are bad on defense and I like taking the best players on the team that is facing them. In this case that would be Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry.