NBA Grind Down: Friday, December 13th
Welcome to the RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down Article. Each day, we’ll break down all of the matchups with a focus on defense vs. position stats. The Grind Down shows you Vegas lines, defense stats and projected starting lineups for each and every game.
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. Use this article to help you gain a better understanding of the matchups for the coming week and build from there. We have everything you could possibly need on our Daily Research console for you to be a successful daily fantasy player!
Note: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Charlotte at Indiana
- Vegas Line – Indiana -12, 183 Over/Under
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Taylor-McRoberts-Jefferson
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
Charlotte
It’s a big Friday as usual in the NBA. With so many games to get through, I will focus more on the individual plays and less on the team analysis. Let’s get right into it. The Bobcats have an extremely tough matchup tonight against the Pacers. Not only are they double-digit underdogs, but the Pacers have one of the best defenses in the league and this Bobcats team has had it’s struggles on the road. Don’t be surprised if this game gets out of hand early. With so many options, this one is an easy fade.
Indiana
The Pacers have a nice matchup against the Bobcats who struggle against SF’s and Centers, but the blowout factor outweighs everything here. The Pacers lead the league in point differential this season and are facing a Bobcats team that has really struggled on the road. Taking any of the starters from this game could end up costing you as they could very likely be on the bench the entire 4th quarter. Just avoid this game and move on to the next one.
Cleveland at Orlando
- Vegas Line – Orlando -2, 194 Over/Under
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Waiters-Gee-Thompson-Bynum
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Davis-Vucevic
Cleveland
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a Kyrie sighting! Kyrie finally had the breakout game that we have been waiting months for. Something tells me that he is going to go on an incredible hot streak now. The Cavs have a nice matchup against the Magic tonight. While Tristan Thompson has been playing well, he’s a bit overpriced and may have a tough time pounding the glass with Big Baby boxing him out.
- Kyrie Irving – When Irving is on, there really isn’t anyone that can guard him. Even though the Magic are ranked in the top 10 against PG’s this season, Jameer really isn’t a great defender and Kyrie should have no problem creating his own shot. I expect him to take over this game just like he did the other night.
- Andrew Bynum – Bynum is my favorite value play at Center tonight. Even though he is on a minutes restriction, he can easily cover his value in 25 minutes of play. The Magic have a big frontcourt and Bynum should see his full minute limit tonight. I’m expecting a strong double-double from him tonight.
Orlando
The Magic are expected to be in a close game tonight against the Cavs, but it’s hard for me to find any viable fantasy options here. Tobias Harris is expected to be back tonight which muddies the minutes for both Nikola Vucevic and Glen Davis. Victor Oladipo and Arron Afflalo haven’t been posting great numbers because with everyone healthy, there just aren’t enough shots to go around. Jameer Nelson is probably the one player to take a close look at though because he is the motor of this offense and is riding a hot streak.
Philadelphia at Toronto
- Vegas Line – Toronto -8.5, 206 Over/Under
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Wroten-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Ross-Johnson-Valanciunas
Philadelphia
Two contrasting styles of play here. Looking at these teams pace of play, the Sixers average a full 7 more possessions per game than the Raptors. In games like this, the result usually ends up being somewhere in the middle, so expect the Sixers to see less possessions than their average and the Raptors to see more possessions than their average. That means downgrade the Sixers and upgrade the Raptors.
- Tony Wroten – Wroten is really the only Sixers player that I am considering tonight. You can make a case for Turner or Hawes in a GPP, but Wroten is the only cash play that I like. MCW has been ruled out and Wroten is still affordable across the board. He can do a little of everything on the floor and should be able to cover his value here.
Toronto
One of the best strategies in DFS is to take players against the Sixers. It works almost every time. They have the league’s worst defense and have given up a ton of fantasy points to every position on the floor. I’m not sure how the new players will affect the playing time of the other players, but I doubt Vasquez or Patterson sees more than 10-15 minutes tonight. All of the starting five is in play here, but there are two players that really stand out.
- Kyle Lowry – There is a lot of trade talk concerning Lowry, but as long as he’s not traded by tip-off, he is one of the best plays on the board. The Sixers are by far the worst team against opposing PG’s and Lowry should have a monster game. He should push the pace and fill up the stat sheet. I’m predicting a 20, 8, and 8 game from him tonight.
- DeMar DeRozan – Without Gay, DeRozan is really their go to scorer now. He’s been playing huge minutes since the trade and should continue to see 35+ minutes. The Sixers are also ranked dead last against SG’s this season and DeRozan should see plenty of open looks in transition.
Washington at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Webster-Ariza-Booker-Gortat
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
Washington
The Wizards could get both Martell Webster and Nene Hilario back tonight. They are both listed as questionable so make sure to check the injury news closer to tip-off for an update. Their availability really affects the value of the rest of the team so it’s hard to break down the team until we know for sure. That said, the Hawks have struggled against every position this season, particularly SG and Center.
- Marcin Gortat – Gortat makes sense even if Nene is back, but he will get a slight bump if Nene can’t go tonight. The Wizards are ranked 23rd against Centers on the season and Gortat should post some big numbers in this one. He’s a low risk, medium reward play at Center.
- Trevor Ariza – Ariza is in the same boat as Gortat, he’s in play either way, but would get a slight bump if Webster can’t play. Ariza is playing major minutes and has nice upside thanks to his ability to fill up all areas of the stat sheet.
Atlanta
The Hawks have an interesting matchup tonight. If you look at the Wizards DvP rankings, they are good at defending PG’s, PF’s, and Centers and struggle to defend SG’s and SF’s. Yet with the Hawks, the three best fantasy players play the three positions that the Wizards are the best at defending. Both bigs really have tough matchups and I’m just not seeing much upside for them. I do think Jeff Teague could play well here though, he is under-priced on a few sites too.
New York at Boston
- Vegas Line – Boston -3.5, 191 Over/Under
- New York Proj. Starters – Prigioni-Shumpert-Anthony-Bargnani-Martin
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Bass
New York
The last time these two teams met, the Celtics were up by 30 in the first half, and that game was played in New York. Vegas expects a much better performance out of the Knicks this time around though and so do I. The Knicks will be without Raymond Felton again so look for Pablo Prigioni to get the start. He’s close to minimum salary on most sites and makes a nice, safe value play. Expect him to score 15+ fantasy points tonight.
- Carmelo Anthony – Even though Melo has an extremely tough matchup, he has proven time and time again that he is matchup-proof. He is playing at an incredibly high level and I don’t think Jeff Green is going to be able to slow him down. The best part about Melo is his willingness to hit the glass, he’s averaging over 10 rebounds per game with Chandler out.
Boston
The Celtics have an interesting matchup. If you look at the Knicks’ DvP rankings, they are really good at defending bigs this season, but I still think Jared Sullinger is in play here. Jordan Crawford continues to play at an extremely high level, but will be in a tough matchup with Prigioni.
- Jeff Green – Green is my favorite play here. I love the fact that he is playing 35+ minutes per game now and he has been much more aggressive on the offensive end. If he could just pick up his rebounding, he would really become a solid fantasy option. His price is affordable across the board and he should play well tonight.