NBA Daily Grind Down: Monday & Tuesday

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-04-22 16:41:08

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.

The NBA playoffs are one of the few times of year where you can just sit down and watch an entire day of meaningful basketball. While there haven’t been many close games so far, the playoffs will surely heat up and provide us with plenty of drama. We are not going to be doing a Daily Grind Down for the playoffs since the matchups will stay the same, but I thought I would do one for the next two days just in case you wanted some extra research.

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.

Monday 4/22

Chicago @ Brooklyn – 8:00 pm EDT

• I expect this game to be much closer than game 1. The Bulls are really short handed at this point, but it sounds like Joakim Noah is still going to try to give it a go. This clouds things for the big men of the Bulls, but Carlos Boozer still managed to have a big game last time and he is a good option again tonight. I expect Luol Deng to get going a bit tonight so expect a solid all around game from him. Last but not least is Jimmy Butler, he isn’t going to wow you with any one stat category, but he usually fills up the stat sheet, including the minutes column.
• The Nets came out on fire in game 1 which was good at first, but it ended up taking away minutes from both Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. Expect this one to be a bit closer so those guys should get their full amount of minutes and both are in play today. Another guy to keep your eye on is Reggie Evans, he is all about rebounds and putbacks and had a pretty decent first game.

Memphis @ L.A.Clippers – 10:30 pm EDT

• The Grizzlies rarely get blown out so don’t expect that to happen again in game 2. I think we see a very nice bounce back game and if I had money on this one, it would go on the Grizz. I think Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are the plays here, but if you can get Zach Randolph for a lot cheaper than Gasol, then maybe take a shot on him instead.
• Even though the Clippers dominated the Grizzlies, it was another quiet night for Blake Griffin. I’m not exactly sure why his production has dropped so far over the last month, but until he picks it up, I’m going to save myself the trouble and stay away from him. Chris Paul on the other hand lives for the playoffs. If you can afford him, I wouldn’t hesitate taking him, even against this tough defense.

Tuesday 4/23

Milwaukee @ Miami – 7:30 pm EDT

• The Bucks hung around for a little while in game 1 and then Miami turned on the switch and turned it into a 30 point blowout. Don’t expect the Bucks to be able to keep it close in game 2 either. But, even with that said, I still think Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings have value. The coach seems to keep one or the other in even when they are getting blown out. Jennings is my favorite of the two though, just because of his track record against the Heat.
• It’s hard to pay the price for any of the Big 3 of the Heat because you don’t know how many minutes you are going to get. I think they all will make great plays in games 3 and 4 because those games should be a bit closer. Even though there is blowout potential though, I still think Dwyane Wade is a good play against the much smaller Monta Ellis. And as always, any Center against the Bucks could have a big game so Bosh is in play as well.

Boston @ New York – 8:00 pm EDT

• I think this series is going to be one of the best first round series this year. The Celtics are always going to put up a fight in the playoffs and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one goes 7. Jeff Green had a monster game 1 and I love how many minutes Doc is giving him. He makes a great play once again, but I think this game is going to belong to Paul Pierce. He will top 25 actual points, GUARANSHEED.
• Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks continued their hot play of late, but Melo held on to the ball way too much in game 1 and the Knicks are lucky that the Celtics couldn’t hit shots. I think Doc has a great game plan to stop Carmelo and I don’t think he is going to do enough to be worth taking for how expensive he is. J.R. Smith is worth a look though, he had a fairly quiet game 1 and you can’t keep this guy quiet for too long.

Golden State @ Denver – 10:30 pm EDT

• The Warriors took a huge blow when David Lee hit that floor and tore his hip flexor. You hate to see guys get hurt, especially in the playoffs. But the Warriors just have to move on and so do we. With D Lee out, it gives a huge bump to both Andrew Bogut and Carl Landry. Both are as close to must plays as you are going to find. I also think that means that Stephen Curry is going to have to score more for them to win, and boy can he score!
• Last but not least is the Nuggets. A lot of people took Evan Fournier in game 1, but I’m just not sold on him. If he doesn’t play well in the first few minutes, he is going to get subbed out for Andre Miller or Corey Brewer. I just don’t think he is going to get a chance to do much. Miller on the other hand took over game 1 with his old school moves and makes a great play again in game 2. I also love Wilson Chandler, especially if Faried is going to be out again. But even if Faried does play, I still think Chandler is going to have a big game. Miller, Chandler, and Iguodala are all in play.