NBA Grind Down: Friday, December 20th
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
Brooklyn at Philadelphia
- Vegas Line – Brooklyn -6.5, 211 Over/Under
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Williams-Johnson-Pierce-Garnett-Lopez
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Wroten-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
Brooklyn
What’s up Gridners, welcome to another edition of the NBA Grind Down. As always, thanks for reading. We start with the Nets and Sixers in what is expected to be an extremely high scoring game. In case you have been hiding under a rock, let me give you an update: this Sixers defense is bad, historically bad. They are giving up 111 points per game and rank in the bottom 4 against every single position on the floor.
Before we get to the picks, we need to note a couple of injuries. Kevin Garnett has been ruled out of tonight’s game, look for Andray Blatche to be the biggest beneficiary with KG out. Also, Joe Johnson is a game-time decision, if he can’t go, that would bump up both Paul Pierce and Alan Anderson.
- Deron Williams – If you haven’t ever read one of my Grind Down’s, I will let you in on a little secret, I love taking PG’s against the Sixers. They have given up the most FP’s to PG’s this season and it’s not even close. D-Will is finally starting to look like the D-Will that we’ve known over the years and should have a field day against this defense. He should easily post a double-double here.
- Brook Lopez – Like I said above, there is no better matchup than the Sixers and the fact that this game is in Philly helps the value of both teams because the Sixers should be able to keep it close. Brook should be able to dominate down low and hopefully pick up a few rebounds along the way.
Philadelphia
The Sixers will get their star PG back tonight and it couldn’t have come any sooner. They have been in an absolute free-fall lately and Michael Carter-Williams should be able to right the ship, at least a little bit. I’m not sure how many minutes he is going to play, but I always recommend the same thing with players coming back from an injury, give it a game or two before putting them in your lineup. It’s a safe approach and with so many other options, it’s not going to hurt you.
The Nets have struggled against SG and Center this season and those are the two positions that I am targeting tonight for the Sixers. Thaddeus Young is also in play, but he is more of a site specific play as his price varies across the board.
- Evan Turner – I always like taking Turner when his price is affordable because he can do so many things on the floor. His biggest problem is that he often loses his aggressiveness and just sits in the corner on offense. If you’ve ever watched a Sixers game you know what I’m talking about. The best part is that he raises his hand the whole time while he’s in the corner. Anyway, back to why I like him. The Nets are not great defensively and Turner’s price is depressed across the board.
- Spencer Hawes – Hawes is in the same boat as Turner, his price is extremely cheap across the board. Having MCW back in the lineup should really help his value. While Wroten is a solid PG, he was a shoot first PG in the pick and roll. Look for MCW to find him for some open looks from the perimeter. Lopez will have a hard time defending him out there.
Utah at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -7.5, 198.5 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Williams-Favors
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
Utah
The Jazz have been playing much better basketball over the last couple of weeks and we finally don’t have to avoid them anytime they are on the schedule. While they are decent underdogs tonight against the Hawks, they should be able to keep it close enough for the starters to see their usual number of minutes. The Hawks have been very average defensively this season, they rank between 14th and 21st against every position so everyone is in play here. I think Gordon Hayward makes a nice GPP play, but the best play here is their rookie PG.
- Trey Burke – Burke has really been playing well. He has topped 25 FP’s in 6 of his last 7 and is coming off of a career game against the Magic in which he put up 30 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. Look for him to stay hot tonight against the Hawks. His price is starting to come up, but it still doesn’t reflect his actual fantasy value. Take him while he is under-priced.
Atlanta
The Hawks are in a pretty good spot tonight. Vegas expects them to score in the hundreds and they are playing at home. The Jazz have been good at defending PG’s and SG’s this season, but have really struggled against the other 3 positions. Even though Jeff Teague has broken out of his slump, I think there are better options in his price range considering his tough matchup. I’m targeting the bigs here.
- Al Horford – One of my favorite parts about taking one of the Hawks bigs is that they don’t really take production away from each other. They have both had big games together on numerous occasions. The Jazz have not defended Centers well this season and recently let Nikola Vucevic go off against them. Horford makes a nice cash game play.
- Paul Millsap – When you see Millsap’s price it can be difficult to pay that much for him, but he is having a career year and now gets to face his former team that didn’t resign him in the offseason. Millsap should have a little added motivation to play well tonight.
Milwaukee at Cleveland
- Vegas Line – Cleveland -9, 191 Over/Under
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Antetokounmpo-Butler-Udoh-Henson
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Waiters-Gee-Thompson-Bynum
Milwaukee
The Bucks have been extremely short-handed all season long which has really opened up some minutes for some young players. The Bucks are expected to get O.J. Mayo back tonight, but Giannis aka the alphabet is expected to get the start again. He has really played well over the last couple of weeks and I still like him as a value play tonight. John Henson makes a great GPP play, but he has priced himself out of being a good cash game play. In addition to those picks, there are two more that stand out as solid plays:
- Brandon Knight – Even though the line is 9 for this game, the Cavs are not a team that has many blowout wins. This game should stay within striking distance for the Bucks. Knight is coming off of a career game against the Knicks and remains a great play tonight against the Cavs who are ranked 25th against PG’s this season.
- Khris Middleton – Middleton has been playing huge minutes and Caron Butler is not expected to be back for tonight’s game so that should continue tonight. The Cavs are ranked dead last in the league at defending SF’s and Middleton has nice upside in this matchup.
Cleveland
The Cavs are in a favorable spot tonight. They are facing an extremely short-handed Bucks team at home and they are expected to win this game fairly easily. Even though the Bucks have been good at defending PG’s this season, Kyrie is pretty much matchup proof. When it comes to Kyrie, it’s more about his aggressiveness than it is his matchup because he can create his own shot whenever he wants it. I expect him to stay hot in this one, but he is listed as a GTD so make sure to check your injury news closer to tip-off. Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson are both in play here, but I think there are better options in their price ranges.
- Andrew Bynum – Bynum can put up fantasy points in a hurry. He can also play 10 straight minutes without doing anything on the court. It seems like he doesn’t quite have his confidence back. That said, he is dirt cheap across the board and has put up over 25 FP’s in 4 of his last 8 games including 2 games over 40 FP’s. He has a great matchup tonight against the Bucks who are extremely under-sized down low.
Charlotte at Detroit
- Vegas Line – Detroit -5.5, 192.5 Over/Under
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Taylor-McRoberts-Jefferson
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
Charlotte
There are a couple of lines today that are quite puzzling. The Lakers line is the most puzzling, but this one is a close 2nd. The Pistons have so much more talent than the Bobcats and are playing at home. Yet, they are only favored by 5.5 points. In these situations, I tend to trust the line over my gut so I will ignore the potential for a blowout. The Pistons have really only defended SG’s well this season. While Kemba Walker has a nice matchup, his numbers take a big dip on the road. There’s only one play that stands out to me here.
- Al Jefferson – Jefferson has really been playing well and draws an excellent matchup against the Pistons who have been surprisingly average at defending opposing bigs. Jefferson is one of those players that has so many moves in his arsenal that it’s hard to block his shots. I think he is going to give Drummond some fits down low.
Detroit
The Pistons are in an interesting spot tonight. Like I mentioned earlier, I think that the Pistons could get up big in this one. It’s also a tough matchup considering the Bobcats pace of play. This game has one of the lowest totals of the night. Josh Smith has been playing great over his last few games, but he’s too inconsistent to trust in cash games. Brandon Jennings has a tough matchup against the Bobcats who are ranked 6th against PG’s on the season. Same goes for Greg Monroe as the Bobcats are ranked 4th against opposing PF’s. The only play here is Andre Drummond.
- Andre Drummond – While I do think he is going to have a tough time defending Big Al in the post, Big Al is going to have a tough time keeping Drummond off the glass. Drummond has great upside and is extremely under-priced on a couple of different sites tonight. He should be considered a top 4 Center tonight.
Sacramento at Miami
- Vegas Line – Miami -10.5, 205.5 Over/Under
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
- Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Battier-Bosh
Sacramento
Every once in a while, the Kings come out and put on a surprising performance. Something tells me that they will come out and play well against the Heat tonight. The Heat’s weakness is their inability to defend talented big men and there aren’t many other big men as talented as DeMarcus Cousins. Not only that, but Isaiah Thomas seems to love facing the Heat. In 3 career games against them, he has averaged 24 points and 6 assists per game in limited minutes. Rudy Gay can be safely ignored as he will be locked up with LeBron.
- DeMarcus Cousins – Cousins may be priced a little too high for cash games, but he makes a great GPP play tonight. The Heat have not defended Centers well and we know how under-sized Bosh is as a Center. The Kings should go to him early and often and if they can keep it close, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him post a 30 and 15 game.
Miami
While I think the Kings play well tonight, it’s just a hunch. The possibility of a blowout is still very high and for that reason, I don’t think I will be paying up for either superstar in this one. I think Chris Bosh has some value on sites where his price is down, but other than that, I’ll be fading the Heat players.