NBA Grind Down: Friday, February 7th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2014-02-07 21:48:43

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

Portland at Indiana

Vegas Line – Indiana -6, 195.5 Over/Under
Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert

Portland

The Blazers travel to Indiana to take on the #1 defense in the NBA. The Pacers are by far the best team when it comes to defensive efficiency and they are ranked 7th or better against every position on the floor in terms of fantasy points allowed. The Pacers have dipped in the rankings over the last 15 days, but that’s more of an aberration than anything else. With a tough matchup and an expected output well below their season average, it’s safe to avoid the Blazers in your daily fantasy lineups tonight.

Indiana

The Pacers on the other hand have a very favorable matchup. The Blazers play at a much faster pace than the Pacers do and that should translate into an extra couple of possessions. The big story in this game is that Lance Stephenson will sit out tonight. He is still sore after that hard fall the other night. That means Danny Granger will get the start and he immediately becomes one of the top value plays on the board. Stephenson’s absence also boosts Paul George and George Hill value as they will have the ball in their hands more often. Hill makes a nice contrarian play at the point.

Danny Granger – Granger will be a popular play tonight and for good reason. He has really played well in limited minutes off the bench this season and now we get to see what he can do with starter’s minutes. He has a nice matchup against Matthews and I’m expecting the Pacers to try to exploit that matchup in the post. Expecting somewhere around 20 FP’s is certainly realistic from Granger tonight.

Paul George – George is one of my favorite plays on the board tonight. His numbers have dipped slightly thanks to the stellar play of Lance Stephenson, but with him out, I expect George to get the lion’s share of shot attempts tonight. While Batum is known as a lock down defender, the Blazers are ranked 14th against SF’s over the season and 24th over the last 15 days.

Oklahoma City at Orlando

Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -9, 200 Over/Under
Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Afflalo-Harris-Davis-Vucevic

Oklahoma City

The Thunder are 9 point favorites tonight against the Magic in a game that features a total of exaclty 200 points. Both of these teams play at a fairly quick pace as they both average at least 96 possessions per game. The Magic’s defense has really faltered over the last month or so and the addition of Nikola Vucevic back into the lineup has yet to make an improvement. The Magic are ranked 17th or worse at defending all positions on the floor. Reggie Jackson has some value at PG, but his salary has gone up on most sites which hurts his appeal.

Kevin Durant – At this point in the season, there are going to be very few instances where Durant isn’t the top fantasy option when the Thunder are on the schedule. Durant is playing at an extremely high level and can be counted on for around 50 FP’s per outing. I like the matchup against the Magic and think he is very much in play tonight.

Serge Ibaka – Ibaka has topped 35 FP’s in 4 of his last 5 games and has finally started to block shots at a rate similar to that of the past few seasons. When he is blocking shots, it not only helps his fantasy output, but it gets him going offensively as well. I think he can pick up a few blocks tonight against Glen Davis.

Orlando

The Magic have been a tough team to predict now that Nikola Vucevic and Jameer Nelson are both back in the lineup. They have 6 legitimate fantasy options on a nightly basis which really makes it hard to predict which players are going to have good games. The Magic have been changing their starting lineup to match up with opponents and with Durant at the 3, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them start Tobias Harris over Victor Oladipo. Either way, I don’t see either one as a great fantasy option.

Jameer Nelson – Nelson is the one Magic player that is in a favorable matchup tonight. The Thunder have struggled to defend the PG position all season long and that hasn’t changed with Reggie Jackson at the helm. The Thunder are giving up the 5th most FP’s to PG’s this season and Nelson should see a healthy dose of minutes in this one.

L.A.Lakers at Philadelphia

Vegas Line – Philadelphia -4, 219 Over/Under
L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Nash-Blake-Johnson-Kelly-Sacre
Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Anderson-Turner-Young-Hawes

L.A.Lakers

This game should have some fireworks tonight. We have the two worst defenses in the league and two of the fastest-paced teams in the league. The total for this game is set at 219 points which actually seems a bit low considering the fact that it’s the Lakers and Sixers. This will be one of the best games to target tonight. Before we get into the picks, let’s give a quick injury update. The Lakers will be without Pau Gasol, Nick Young, Jordan Farmar, and Jodie Meeks tonight. They will likely have Jordan Hill and Steve Nash back for tonight’s game though. Steve Blake is listed as a game-time decision. With all of the injuries, there are going to be quite a few players that see big minutes tonight.

Wes Johnson – Johnson is coming off of a big game against the Cavs and he will likely be asked to play close to 40 minutes again tonight. Johnson is one of the better value plays on the board tonight. 40 minutes against the Sixers and good things are bound to happen.

Robert Sacre – Sacre is close to minimum salary across the board tonight and he makes a great punt option at Center. He’s played well in his two starts with Pau out and I expect him to play well again tonight. Taking him at Center will allow you to stack the rest of your team with the more expensive high upside players. I could see him getting 6 or 7 times value on sites like FD & DK and getting 3 times value on DS & SS.

Ryan Kelly – Kelly was high on my list the other night and he is high on my list again tonight. The Lakers just don’t have a ton of healthy bodies and you can expect him to play big minutes again tonight. Kelly is a great shooter and the Sixers are not great defenders. I think he will top 20 actual points in this matchup.

Philadelphia

The Sixers have an equally juicy matchup. The Lakers are just as bad as the Sixers are defensively and this game should easily be the highest scoring game of the night. All healthy players are in play tonight from both teams. This is the perfect type of game for Michael Carter-Williams to succeed in. He’s at his best in the open floor and when he can take some chances defensively. Spencer Hawes also makes a nice play, but you have to wonder where his head is at with all of the trade rumors floating around.

Evan Turner – Turner’s price is depressed across the board thanks to his recent play. Now is the time to buy low on him. He has a fantastic matchup against the Lakers and he should be able to fill up all areas of the stat sheet.

Thaddeus Young – I will be using a lot of Young/Tuner combo a lot in my leagues tonight. Thaddeus not only has a great matchup against the uptempo Lakers, but he will be matched up with Ryan Kelly who will likely have an extremely tough time defending him in the post. Thaddeus isn’t the best rebounder on the Sixers, but I think Kelly will have a tough time keeping him off the glass.

Cleveland at Washington

Vegas Line – Washington -8.5, 199.5 Over/Under
Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Jack-Deng-Thompson-Varejao
Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Ariza-Hilario-Gortat

Cleveland

The Cavaliers have pretty much hit rock bottom after getting blown out by the Lakers at home in their last game. Now they travel to Washington to take on the Wizards. Kyrie Irving is listed as a game-time decision so make sure to check the injury news closer to tip-off for an update on his status. If he can’t go, you can safely bump up Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters, and C.J. Miles. Anderson Varejao is in play on a couple of sites. Even though it’s a tough matchup against Gortat, his price is really cheap on both DK and DS.

Jarrett Jack – Jack makes a decent play if Kyrie is in and a great play if Kyrie is out. Either way, he will be in the starting lineup tonight, the only question is whether he will start at PG or SG. His price is cheap across the board and he has good upside if Kyrie sits out.

Washington

The Wizards are 8.5 point favorites tonight in a game that could easily turn into a blowout if the Cavs are without Kyrie Irving. I don’t think that the blowout factor hurts the Wizards’ fantasy value much tonight though because even if it does get ugly, the starters should be able to have success in the first 3 quarters. The Cavs are ranked 25th and 29th against PG’s and SG’s over the last 15 days.

John Wall – Wall has scored at least 41 FP’s in each of his last 4 games and should continue that streak tonight against the Cavs who have given up the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing PG’s this season. Whether he is facing Irving or Jack, Wall should be able to create his own shot whenever he wants it.

Bradley Beal – Beal has quietly been producing solid fantasy outings. He has scored at least 24 FP’s in 8 of his last 9 games and is finally without a minutes restriction. I love his matchup tonight against Jack and/or Waiters and think he makes a great play at the SG position.

Sacramento at Boston

Vegas Line – Sacramento -2, Over/Under 201
Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-Thornton-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
Boston Proj. Starters – Rondo-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Bass

Sacramento

The Kings are 2 point favorites tonight against the Celtics who may be short-handed in the back-court tonight. The Kings should be at full strength tonight and the Big 3 are all in play here. Rudy Gay is my least favorite of the 3, but the Celtics are ranked 26th at defending the SF position over the last 15 days so he does carry some value as a GPP play.

Isaiah Thomas – IT2 should see a decent fantasy boost with Rajon Rondo out of the lineup. He will likely be defended by a combination of Phil Pressey and Jerryd Bayless. I like his odds in either of those matchups.

DeMarcus Cousins – Even though Cousins is still nursing a sore ankle, he hasn’t let that slow him down at all. He has scored over 40 FP’s in back to back games and has a very nice matchup against the under-sized Celtics bigs tonight. The Celtics have really had a problem with talented big men this season and Cousins should be treated as the top Center on the board tonight.

Boston

The Celtics will likely be without Rajon Rondo tonight which means either Phil Pressey or Jerryd Bayless will get the start at PG. They both will see a nice fantasy boost with Rondo out. Avery Bradley is also dealing with an injury and he is currently listed as questionable for tonight’s game. If he can’t go, Pressey and Bayless would likely both start and would both make great value plays. Jared Sullinger is also in play tonight, but I am worried about him getting into foul trouble if he starts out on Cousins.

Jeff Green – Green is coming off of a huge game against the Sixers and he will look to keep it going tonight against the Kings. With Rondo out and Bradley questionable, Green may have to pick up the slack offensively. I like the matchup against the uptempo Kings.