NBA Daily Grind Down: Monday 3/18

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-03-18 16:41:19

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.

We have a big Monday night on the NBA schedule with a total of 11 games. Not only that, but most of these games should be close games so that leaves us with plenty of options fantasy wise. Today’s Grind Down is headlined by Dwight Howard who gets to face the much older Jermaine O’Neal.

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 @ Cleveland – 7:00 pm EDT

• Indiana has solid rankings all around with the exception of PG’s in their last 10 games. I chalk this up to the grind of a season more than anything. George Hill is still an excellent defender and Shaun Livingston should have a tough time of things tonight. It’s hard to recommend anyone from the Cavs against the Pacers, but Dion Waiters usually plays well at home and is worth a look if the price is decent.
• The Cavs have some great rankings to take advantage of. PG, SF, and PF all rank in the bottom third of the league which means George Hill, Paul George, and David West all get a bump in value tonight. It’s going to depend on their salaries, but my favorite of the bunch is Paul George, he can do everything on the floor.

Portland @ Philadelphia – 7:00 pm EDT

• Portland is fairly average on defense, especially on the road. I like the matchup for Jrue Holiday if he isn’t too expensive and Evan Turner is a guy that can put up 25+ any night. I still don’t think I can trust Spencer Hawes unless you can get him for dirt cheap. I just remember when he went on a run like this last year and then disappeared.
• Philly struggles against PG’s and Center’s so both Damian Lillard and J.J. Hickson get a bump in value tonight. I would trust Lillard a bit more though because Hickson seems to really struggle on the road.

Washington @ Charlotte – 7:00 pm EDT

• Washington has been really good at defending SF’s and Centers so I would stay away from taking anyone in those positions. The one position that Washington hasn’t been good at defending is PG and luckily for us, that’s really the only position that I somewhat trust on the Bobcats. Kemba Walker makes a solid play tonight.
• Charlotte is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to defense. You really can’t go wrong taking any of the Wizards, but I would stick with John Wall if he is affordable and Nene Hilario. Martell Webster has been hot too, but with Beal being back, you could see his production come back down.

Dallas @ Atlanta – 7:30 pm EDT

• Dallas really struggles against SG’s, surprise surprise but I guess O.J. Mayo only cares about offense, who could have guessed that? The problem is that the Hawks don’t have a reliable SG. However, Josh Smith also has a positive matchup and has had great success against the Mavs in the past. Look for him to have a big game.
• Atlanta’s defensive rankings seem to change quite a bit and the Hawks seem to be in a lot of blowouts, with them on both sides of it. I don’t love anyone on the Mavericks tonight, but I guess Dirk Nowitzki could be worth a look.

Brooklyn @ Detroit – 7:30 pm EDT

• Brooklyn is good at defense and the Pistons are bad at offense. This usually means you should stay away from Pistons players, but Rodney Stuckey is still very cheap on some sites and has been playing great the last few games. If he is still at that low price, I like his value tonight.
• The Pistons have struggled against big men all season long and while I like Brook Lopez matchup, I hate taking Centers that don’t rebound very well. I see him putting up 20+ actual points, but you never know if he will do anything else. Deron Williams also has a good matchup going up against Calderon.

Miami @ Boston – 8:00 pm EDT

• The Heat’s streak is still alive and their defense is still solid. Hard for me to see anyone on the Celtics other than Paul Pierce having a big game tonight. The one exception to that though is Jeff Green. If Kevin Garnett is out again, Jeff Green could put up some solid numbers.
• Vegas has this game a lot closer than I would have thought, which seems to help the Heat’s fantasy value a lot. Expect solid games from Lebron James and Dwyane Wade once again.

Golden State @ New Orleans – 8:00 pm EDT

• This should be a fun game that really opens the door for guys that you wouldn’t normally think about taking. With the Warriors defense the way it is, you have to love the obvious picks of Greivis Vasquez and Anthony Davis. Both have been playing some great basketball lately. But this matchup also opens the door for guys like Ryan Anderson and Aminu, I think both of them could be worth their price.
• On the Hornets side, they really struggle against Centers and Andrew Bogut is finally healthy and playing well. He makes a good play as does Stephen Curry.

Denver @ Chicago – 8:00 pm EDT

• This should also be a good game of good offense vs. good defense. The Nuggets have a below average defense and there is no reason to think that all of the Bulls players could have good games tonight. I like Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Nate Robinson the most. I think Boozer is a bit overpriced on most sites.
• For the Bulls, they are pretty solid all around and the fact that this game will be lower scoring than Denver is used to, makes it hard to take any of the Nuggets thanks to how inconsistent they all are.

Minnesota @ Memphis – 8:00 pm EDT

• The T-Wolves could easily get run out of the gym in this one. They really struggle defensively and the fact that Memphis has such a good defense makes me scared that the Wolves will get down big early. I would stay away from this game unless you find someone with a salary that is too low to resist.

L.A.Lakers @ Phoenix – 10:00 pm EDT

• The Lakers aren’t good defensively, everyone knows this. They will also be without Kobe Bryant again which helps the Suns chances of staying in the game. I don’t trust anyone outside of Goran Dragic so I will recommend taking him against this defense and passing on the rest of the Suns.
• Without Kobe, a bunch of Lakers get a bump in value. Earl Clark, Antawn Jamison, Dwight Howard, Steve Blake, Steve Nash, and even Jodie Meeks have all seen their minutes and or production go up without Kobe in the lineup.

New York @ Utah – 10:30 pm EDT

• The last time these teams played, the Knicks beat the Jazz by 30 and it was over halfway through the third quarter. I expect this one to be a little bit different since it’s in Utah. Al Jefferson could make a great play if Tyson Chandler is out and Mo Williams is a really cheap PG option that can always explode for a big game.
• For the Knicks, it all depends on the injuries to Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony. Make sure to check the injuries and adjust your lineups accordingly.