NBA Daily Grind Down: Tuesday 4/2
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.
Only 3 games on the NBA schedule tonight and with baseball starting yesterday, it takes a die hard grinder to want to play in NBA leagues tonight. I know that there are at least a few of you out there (including myself) that will be playing tonight, so hopefully today’s Grind Down can steer you in the right direction with your picks.
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.
Chicago @ Washington – 7:00 pm EDT
| Chicago D-Rank | Last 10 | Season | Washington D-Rank | Last 10 | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | 7 | 9 | Point Guard | 22 | 15 |
| Shooting Guard | 19 | 1 | Shooting Guard | 29 | 13 |
| Small Forward | 26 | 13 | Small Forward | 7 | 11 |
| Power Forward | 20 | 10 | Power Forward | 7 | 15 |
| Center | 21 | 6 | Center | 4 | 7 |
- The Bulls defense has really struggled in the last 10 games and there is a big reason why. It’s the injury to that good looking Joakim Noah. He is the anchor of their defense and without him, they are just average. He is out again tonight so don’t be afraid to take Wizards players. John Wall has been on fire lately and won’t have many problems getting the basket with Noah out.
- For the Wizards, their defense has really been solid the last month or so with the exception of their guards. John Wall has been much more concerned with his offensive stats. However, I don’t trust Kirk Hinrich or Nate Robinson enough to play them tonight. With Noah out, I think Taj Gibson still carries some value as he gets most of his points off of blocks and rebounds anyway.
New York @ Miami – 8:00 pm EDT
| New York D-Rank | Last 10 | Season | Miami D-Rank | Last 10 | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | 6 | 10 | Point Guard | 2 | 2 |
| Shooting Guard | 5 | 6 | Shooting Guard | 9 | 3 |
| Small Forward | 28 | 3 | Small Forward | 5 | 5 |
| Power Forward | 8 | 3 | Power Forward | 22 | 7 |
| Center | 2 | 1 | Center | 6 | 14 |
- New York is one of the few teams that seems to have Miami’s numbers and they might be getting Tyson Chandler back tonight. New York’s defense has been off the charts good lately, but it just came out that the Heat are going to rest Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Mario Chalmers once again tonight. This leaves us with value plays all over the place. Chris Bosh becomes a must play, Norris Cole gets a huge bump, Udonis Haslem should pick up some extra minutes, and Ray Allen will likely get a few more shots than normal. It’s not a bad idea to stack the Heat tonight.
- Miami’s defense is also very good but without Lebron, Wade, and Chalmers that sort of changes everything. I think Carmelo Anthony should have his way with the Heat defenders and really put together a nice game. Outside of Melo, J.R. Smith has been lights out lately, he is a solid play but will likely be really expensive.
Dallas @ L.A.Lakers – 10:30 pm EDT
| Dallas D-Rank | Last 10 | Season | L.A.Lakers D-Rank | Last 10 | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | 10 | 14 | Point Guard | 28 | 30 |
| Shooting Guard | 21 | 29 | Shooting Guard | 24 | 24 |
| Small Forward | 8 | 24 | Small Forward | 17 | 21 |
| Power Forward | 19 | 22 | Power Forward | 5 | 19 |
| Center | 25 | 16 | Center | 20 | 22 |
- This is a huge game for both of these teams. It seems like we haven’t had a meaningful game in the NBA for weeks, but we finally have one. The loser of this game will really be behind the 8-ball and behind the 8th-spot. Dallas isn’t known for their great defense and neither are the Lakers. This should be a close, high scoring game. For the Lakers, I love Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard. The Lakers will be without Nash tonight so expect Kobe to be both the scorer and playmaker. Steve Blake is also worth a look as he gets the start for Nash.
- For the Mavs, I think Dirk Nowitzki should be able to find some success against Pau Gasol. Pau isn’t the quickest defender and I think he will struggle to get out and defend Dirk. Call me crazy, but I think O.J. Mayo is also a decent pick, he is dirt cheap on some sites and plays 40 minutes per game. Anyone playing 40 minutes against the Lakers should be able to put up some sort of stats.