NBA Daily Grind Down: Thursday 2/28
The RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down article is going to give you an in-depth analysis on every game each night (3 games minimum). This article will give you defense vs. position rankings and make notes on where you can exploit these matchups.
While there are only 3 games on the schedule tonight, it is at least better than having only 2 games. There are a couple of injuries and a suspension that could help make building your team a little bit easier. There are also a few advantageous matchups that you will want to look at.
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.
L.A.Clippers @ Indiana – 7:00 pm EST
| L.A.Clippers D-Rank | Last 10 | Season | Indiana D-Rank | Last 10 | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | 6 | 1 | Point Guard | 7 | 7 |
| Shooting Guard | 16 | 9 | Shooting Guard | 9 | 18 |
| Small Forward | 11 | 18 | Small Forward | 6 | 1 |
| Power Forward | 8 | 5 | Power Forward | 7 | 1 |
| Center | 12 | 5 | Center | 8 | 9 |
- Looking at this game, you can see a lot of red and yellow defensive rankings which is usually bad news for fantasy players. The Clippers are pretty solid all around defensively, but are ranked 18th against SF’s so I could see Paul George having a nice game. Also, the suspension of Roy Hibbert is really going to open some minutes for Ian Mahinmi and Tyler Hansborough. If you can get them for cheap, they should be able to produce enough to be worth taking.
- Indiana’s defense is even stronger than the Clippers and they are ranked in the top against every position over the last 10 games. It’s hard to take anyone with a matchup like this, but I could see Chris Paul having a nice game, he usually steps it up in big games. Also, if you are looking for a value at the Center position, DeAndre Jordan should have a size advantage as Mahinmi won’t be able to play all game.
Philadelphia @ Chicago – 8:00 pm EST
| Philadelphia D-Rank | Last 10 | Season | Chicago D-Rank | Last 10 | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | 23 | 20 | Point Guard | 4 | 13 |
| Shooting Guard | 8 | 3 | Shooting Guard | 1 | 1 |
| Small Forward | 9 | 15 | Small Forward | 17 | 13 |
| Power Forward | 4 | 8 | Power Forward | 22 | 6 |
| Center | 23 | 25 | Center | 11 | 2 |
- The Sixers defense gives us a couple of openings. They really struggle at defending PG’s and Centers as they are ranked in the bottom third of the league in both. There is buzz about Derrick Rose making his return tonight, but if he doesn’t go, Kirk Hinrich could make a decent play if you can get him for cheap. However, the best play on the Bulls tonight is Joakim Noah, he has been on a tear recently and should have a big advantage over both Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen. Expect a 15 point, 15 board, 5 assist, and 5 block game from the former Gator.
- The Bulls are another team that is great defensively, so you are really going to have to work hard to find good plays tonight. There really isn’t anyone that you can trust on the Sixers, so if it’s possible, stay away from them and load up on players from the last game of the night.
Minnesota @ L.A.Lakers – 10:30 pm EST
| Minnesota D-Rank | Last 10 | Season | L.A.Lakers D-Rank | Last 10 | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | 27 | 28 | Point Guard | 21 | 29 |
| Shooting Guard | 21 | 23 | Shooting Guard | 19 | 20 |
| Small Forward | 14 | 4 | Small Forward | 13 | 24 |
| Power Forward | 23 | 27 | Power Forward | 19 | 17 |
| Center | 4 | 1 | Center | 28 | 22 |
- All right, now let’s get into some good matchups. The T-Wolves rank in the bottom third of the league against PG’s, SG’s, and PF’s. This means good matchups for Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Earl Clark. Last time these teams met, Nash went for 38 fantasy points so don’t be shy about taking him. Kobe is really playing well and should be a solid pick and while Clark is in a slump, you can get him for cheaper than usual. The big question is what to do with Dwight Howard. The rankings say to stay away from Dwight as the Wolves are ranked 1st in the league against opposing Centers, but there really aren’t many options at Center. My advice is to trust your gut on this one.
- Last up we have the Lakers defense which leaves plenty of matchups to love. They are ranked in the bottom half of the league against every position and really struggle against PG’s and Centers. Ricky Rubio is my favorite play on the Wolves as he is much quicker than Nash is. Look for him to have a big game and look for J.J. Barea to come off the bench and provide some solid play. Also, with Andrei Kirilenko out tonight, Derrick Williams and Dante Cunningham should both get plenty of playing time and are both solid options as well.