NBA Daily Grind Down: Monday 3/25

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-03-25 16:45:42

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.

There are only 6 games on the schedule tonight and there are plenty of injuries to go around meaning that there should be plenty of value plays. Anytime there are a lot of cheap players to take, that means you can load up on the stars, and Kobe Bryant can’t get a much better matchup tonight against the Warriors.

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.

Atlanta @ Indiana – 7:00 pm EDT

• First up today is the Hawks defense. Outside of Al Horford, they really don’t have any great defenders and from their last 10 game rankings, it doesn’t look like Horford is playing that great of defense either. This leaves Indiana with plenty of good matchups tonight, especially if David West is going to be out again. If he is out, Roy Hibbert and Tyler Hansbrough both make great plays again and as always, Paul George could put up a big game.
• Indiana on the other hand is very good on defense and they have three rankings in the top 10. For this reason, I don’t love any of the Hawks players tonight unless you can get one of them for a cheap price for whatever reason. Just stay away and then you won’t have to worry about them.

Miami @ Orlando – 7:00 pm EDT

• Miami continues it’s epic win streak and it will likely keep going tonight against the Magic. The Heat’s defense has been amazing lately and the only reason I like any of the Magic players tonight is due to injuries. Looks like the Magic will be without Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Afflalo tonight which opens the door up for Tobias Harris, Kyle O’Quinn, and Maurice Harkless. I think all three could be nice plays if the price is right.
• Orlando is bad defensively, but the problem is that they are bad offensively as well and will likely get blown out of this game. The only way I would take any of the Heat players tonight is if Dwyane Wade sits out again tonight. If he does, Chris Bosh could be counted on to score a bit more.

Memphis @ Washington – 7:00 pm EDT

• A lot of good defensive teams on the schedule tonight and Memphis may be the best of them all. They rank in the top 6 against every single position, every single position! This doesn’t bode well for the Wizard players and the safest bet is to just stay away.
• For the Wizards, there are a few plays that look tempting tonight. With Marc Gasol out tonight, both Zach Randolph and Ed Davis should see an increase in production and should be good plays. Also, if you can afford Mike Conley he could be worth it as John Wall isn’t very concerned about defense.

Denver @ New Orleans – 8:00 pm EDT

• Denver is a team that you love to take fantasy players against. They have bad rankings against every position except for SG. This game may not be that close, but Greivis Vasquez has been ruled out already which makes Brian Roberts a must play if he is cheap enough. I also think this helps out Eric Gordon value even though Iguodala will be guarding him.
• For the Nuggets, it sounds like they are going to be getting both Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler back which really clouds the value for all of the Nuggets. I would maybe take a shot on Danilo Gallinari because he has had the hot hand, but you never know with the Nuggets.

Philadelphia @ Utah – 9:00 pm EDT

• The Sixers played last night and have really been struggling on defense lately. This is exactly what the Jazz need as they have been falling apart. I like the matchup for Mo Williams and I think Gordon Hayward should have a nice bounce back game tonight at home. I would probably stay away from the four big men of the Jazz, but if you have to take one, take Al Jefferson. He always plays well at home and gets the most consistent minutes.
• The Jazz have been awful against every positions except for Center lately. This opens the door for big games from Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, and Evan Turner. Yes, even struggling Evan Turner should have a decent game against the Jazz.

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

• Last but not least is the battle of no defenses. If you were going to load up players from one game tonight, this would be the game to do it. The Lakers struggle all around and with Stephen Curry being very questionable, this could be a monster game for Jarrett Jack. I also like the plays of Klay Thompson and David Lee but I would stay away from Bogut just in case he gets into foul trouble.
• For the Lakers, it’s hard to determine production at this point because they finally have all of their players back. I would certainly take a shot on Kobe Bryant, he should still score around 20 points, but now that he has all of his weapons, I expect him to increase his assists. Dwight Howard could also have a big night, but keep in mind, it is Dwight Howard and he can screw up your lineup any given night.