NBA Daily Grind Down: Friday 4/12

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-04-12 15:02:13

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.

At this point in the season, your strategy for picking your team has to change a bit. It’s no longer about matchups, but about who is going to get minutes. Any team that has nothing to play for is going to rest their stars or play them limited minutes. And teams that are far out of the playoff picture want to give the young guys a chance to play. So it’s a tricky time of year, but we will try to break that down as well as the matchups.

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.

Brooklyn @ Indiana – 7:00 pm EDT

• Brooklyn basically has the 4 seed locked up so at this point, it’s all about staying healthy. This is a tough spot for them against a great defense and I think if they get down big, the Nets will rest their stars, no point in risking an injury at this point. Not a great matchup for any Nets players.
• Indiana is currently the 3 seed in the East, but can still catch New York for the 2 spot. That’s enough motivation for them to play hard and to play a full amount of minutes. I think George Hill is a solid cheap option today and you know I always like Paul George.

Philadelphia @ Washington – 7:00 pm EDT

• Philly is out of the playoffs and really don’t have much to play for, but in their case they don’t have any young talent so I think their starters will all get their usual amount of minutes. The Wizards defense has been good lately, but struggle against PG’s and Jrue Holiday is really due for a breakout game.
• Washington is also out of the playoffs, but they have been playing some great basketball lately. I think John Wall will continue his blistering pace and something tells me that Nene Hilario is going for 25+ fantasy points which is a steal for his price on some sites.

Chicago @ Toronto – 7:00 pm EDT

• The Bulls are short handed and in a battle for 5th place. For them to keep their lead over the Hawks, they need a win so I am big on the Bulls players tonight. Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, and Jimmy Butler are all likely to be on my squad.
• Toronto is counting down the days till the end after another disappointing season. Sounds like Jonas Valanciunas is questionable so keep an eye on him, if he can’t go then get Amir Johnson on your team. Other than that, I don’t love any Raptors. Rudy Gay is a decent option but I always seem to pick him on the wrong days.

Milwaukee @ Atlanta – 7:30 pm EDT

• Milwaukee is all but locked into the 8th spot, but I don’t see any reason for them to rest their starters. Ersan Ilyasova was out last game and Larry Sanders is questionable tonight so make sure to check their status and plug in John Henson if either one of them are out. Also, I think Monta Ellis has a good game.
• The Hawks are trying to catch the Bulls for that 5 seed so they will be playing all of their guys their usual minutes. I absolutely love both Al Horford and Josh Smith against this weak interior defense.

New York @ Cleveland – 7:30 pm EDT

• The Knicks streak finally came to an end last night, but they are still one of the hottest teams in the league and still need a win tonight to stay ahead of the Pacers. Carmelo Anthony is a solid option but likely too expensive.
• The Cavs have nothing to play for at this point. No reason for the coach to play anyone not named Kyrie Irving a consistent amount of minutes. I could see Kyrie having a good game, but the rest of the team should struggle against this defense.

Charlotte @ Detroit – 7:30 pm EDT

• Charlotte mailed it in months ago, but a matchup with Detroit is a good one. Kemba Walker is the only guy I can usually trust on the Bobcats, but I am going out on a limb and saying that Josh McRoberts comes up with a 25+ fantasy point night.
• You have to love the Pistons matchup tonight. Andre Drummond should be on your team, especially now that he is able to play 30+ minutes. Take him and if Jose Calderon is out again, a combo of Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey looks pretty good.

Boston @ Miami – 7:30 pm EDT

• The Celtics can technically still get the 6 seed, but are basically locked into that 7 spot and have been resting starters for months now. If any of the main players sit, then you can plug in some guys, but if everyone plays there just isn’t enough value to go around.
• Miami is resting everyone these days. Wait and see who it will be tonight and plug in the backups. No reason not to take the backups, especially in a home game.

L.A.Clippers @ New Orleans – 8:00 pm EDT

• The Clippers still have something to play for and draw a good matchup with the Hornets. Blake Griffin finally had a good game the other night and should be able to do that again tonight. Chris Paul is a bit too expensive for my tastes though.
• The Hornets have long been out of the playoff picture and are playing their young guys a lot of minutes at this point. The problem tonight is the matchup against the Clippers. Avoid

Memphis @ Houston – 8:00 pm EDT

• Memphis is still fighting for positioning and a matchup against the Rockets is a great one. Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol are all high on my list today. I would take your favorite two of the three.
• Houston is still fighting for the 6 seed, but I like to stay away from anyone playing the Grizzlies. Especially when it is a high scoring team because the Grizzlies slow the game down too much.

Denver @ Dallas – 8:30 pm EDT

• Denver is a safe bet for the 3 seed but still need a win tonight. Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer both got a huge bump in value when Danilo went down and are both in play tonight. I also like Andre Iguodala, he is their playmaker on offense right now.
• Dallas is basically out of the playoff picture, but they do have something to play for and that’s to shave those UGLY beards. Dirk Nowitzki is the guy I am playing.

Sacramento @ San Antonio – 8:30 pm EDT

• Hate taking players on bad teams against the Spurs. Just not worth it.
• For the Spurs, there could be some value in the backups if there is any injury news to the Starters, but if everyone plays, I think it turns into a blowout really fast.

Minnesota @ Utah – 9:00 pm EDT

• T-Wolves are finally healthy and playing well and have a chance to keep the Jazz out of the playoffs, that’s pretty good motivation. I think Ricky Rubio is a great play tonight and I think he gets 5+ steals against Mo Williams. Andrei Kirilenko is also an interesting play against his old team.
• For the Jazz, it is a must win. While it’s not usually good for the team, Mo Williams likes to try to take over these types of games so expect him to get plenty of shots up. I think he has a big night. Paul Millsap is the other guy I’m looking at, Al Jefferson has a tough matchup and I think Millsap will outplay him.

Oklahoma City @ Portland – 10:00 pm EDT

• OKC needs a win to stay tied with the Spurs. Expect full minutes for everyone involved. Durant and Westbrook are both solid plays, but my favorite pick is Serge Ibaka with Perkins out tonight.
• The Blazers are just waiting for the season to end and it seems like the only guys that really care anymore are Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, but they both have tough matchups.

Golden State @ L.A.Lakers – 10:30 pm EDT

• I am a Jazz fan, so I am rooting for Golden State in this one. This should be a fun high scoring game. With Bogut out, David Lee is a must play tonight and Stephen Curry has the dream matchup.
• Like I keep saying, take Kobe in must win games, he always comes through. I like him and Pau Gasol tonight for the Lakers. They seem to be running the offense through Pau and he has put up some monster games.