NBA Daily Grind Down: Wednesday 4/17

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-04-17 06:06:28

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.

It is officially the last day of the NBA season. It seems like a bad day, but the last few weeks of basketball have been tough to watch and fantasy basketball just hasn’t been the same with all of the teams resting their players. I’m excited for the playoffs to start. But before that happens, we have one last night of regular season basketball. There are likely going to be a bunch of players sitting out, so today it’s more critical than ever to check your player news.

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.

Washington @ Chicago – 8:00 pm EDT

• The good thing about the Wizards is that they are out of the playoffs, so there is no reason for them to rest players. John Wall is one of the few superstars that are in play today. Trevor Booker also gets a boost tonight because Nene Hilario is going to be out. Emeka Okafor is a decent option as well, but I’m guessing he is only going to get around 25 minutes.
• Chicago is tied with Atlanta for the 5th seed, so I’d imagine that they are going to want to win and end up playing the Nets instead of the Pacers. Unless you hear anything otherwise, don’t be afraid to take Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, and Luol Deng.

New Orleans @ Dallas – 8:00 pm EDT

• Neither of these teams are in the playoffs so they will most likely play their guys their usual allotment of minutes. The Hornets will be without Anthony Davis tonight so that opens the door for Ryan Anderson to have a big game. I think he has great value tonight. Greivis Vasquez is a decent play as well.
• Dallas is beard free, or at least they should be after they finally got to .500. The Mavs are pretty much injury free at this point and all are in play if you can trust any of them.

Phoenix @ Denver – 8:00 pm EDT

• The end of the season can’t come fast enough for the Suns after another down year. But with one game still to play, I think they come out and play hard. Goran Dragic is the only guy I am willing to take though.
• The Nuggets currently have a one game lead for the 3 seed so they are going to do everything they can to win and lock up that seed. I think there players will play full minutes if it doesn’t turn into a blowout, but that is a very real possibility. Andre Iguodala, Corey Brewer, and Wilson Chandler are the plays here.

Philadelphia @ Indiana – 8:00 pm EDT

• Philly will have their full complement of players tonight and with Indiana locked into the 3 seed, Philly will likely be playing against the Pacers bench most of the game. That could be great news fantasy wise. Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes could all have big games.
• Like I said, the Pacers are locked into the 3 seed and will likely be resting players or at the very least only playing them a certain amount of minutes. The bench players could play a big role in this one and should have great value.

Orlando @ Miami – 8:00 pm EDT

• Orlando is letting all of their young players play all of the minutes they can handle. Nikola Vucevic has been a beast down low lately and has already had plenty of success against the Heat. If you can afford him, take him. Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih are also solid plays.
• The Heat have been resting guys for weeks and there is no reason that they won’t do it again tonight. Take a look at who they rest and play the bench players that fill in. Last game, Norris Cole had a monster night.

Detroit @ Brooklyn – 8:00 pm EDT

• The Pistons are also letting the young guns run the show and a matchup against Brooklyn is a great one. The Nets are locked into the 4 seed and are likely going to be resting players. That really helps the value of the Pistons players. I like Brandon Knight, Andre Drummond, and Greg Monroe.
• The Nets are locked into the 4 seed and will likely rest players or play them limited minutes. Cue the bench. I could see Marshon Brooks and Andray Blatche having big games in this one.

Atlanta @ New York – 8:00 pm EDT

• The Hawks really rested their players last night and got beat bad by the Raptors. It’s a bit confusing to me because they dropped to the 6 seed. Not sure what they are planning on doing tonight so check back for updates closer to tipoff.
• The Knicks have nothing to play for tonight and I am guessing that you won’t see any of their key players play at all tonight. Another game where the bench will play a big role.

Minnesota @ San Antonio – 8:00 pm EDT

• The T-Wolves are finally healthy but they really haven’t played well in the last couple of games. Nikola Pekovic is questionable in this one and if there is any concern about his injury, I’d imagine they would sit him. I’m not too crazy about the Wolves today.
• Coach Pop invented the sitting of star players, with the Spurs locked in the number 2 spot, no way he plays any of his stars.

Milwaukee @ Oklahoma City – 8:00 pm EDT

• Milwaukee is locked into that 8th spot so they have nothing to play for, but I do like John Henson tonight. He has been putting up some monster lines with Larry Sanders out.
• OKC has the number 1 seed locked down which means shut down mode for Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka. I am guessing they get 15-20 minutes, but they could just sit out altogether.

Boston @ Toronto – 8:00 pm EDT

• Boston is another team that can’t improve their position. They will likely shut it down tonight and get ready for the playoffs. No point in risking an injury. The bench players will get plenty of run.
• The Raptors are one of the few teams that will have everyone in play. Rudy Gay has been playing well and Jonas Valanciunas should dominate inside if KG and crew sit out.

Utah @ Memphis – 8:00 pm EDT

• FINALLY A GAME THAT MEANS SOMETHING! The Jazz need a win and a Lakers loss. While the Jazz have a terrible matchup, you have to think that they will play well. Al Jefferson should at lease be considered and I think Mo Williams has decent value.
• The Grizzlies also need a win to secure home court advantage in the first round. Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol are all good plays, Conley is my favorite though.

Cleveland @ Charlotte – 8:00 pm EDT

• Cleveland and Charlotte is a fantastic way to end the season. This could be the best game of the night as far as fantasy basketball is concerned. Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Kemba Walker, and Josh McRoberts will all likely be in my lineup.

Houston @ L.A.Lakers – 10:30 pm EDT

• The Rockets can keep the Lakers out of the playoffs and in addition to that motivation, I believe they can still take over the 6 seed if they win and Golden State loses so they will likely try to win tonight. James Harden has a fantastic matchup.
• Lakers are in a must win situation so I expect them all to step up and play well. Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Steve Blake are all great options today. I would be sure to at least take two of the three.

Golden State @ Portland – 10:30 pm EDT

• I believe Golden State needs to win to stay ahead of the Rockets, but I’m sure we will find out if they are resting any guys early today. If they are going to try to win, David Lee and Stephen Curry are both decent options.
• For the Blazers, I like Damian Lillard and maybe J.J. Hickson if Aldridge is out.