NBA Grind Down: Friday, November 22nd - Page 2
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San Antonio at Memphis
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -1, 186 Over/Under
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Allen-Prince-Randolph-Gasol
San Antonio
The Spurs and Grizzlies games are almost always very close, hard fought battles. Both of these teams have been very good defensively and Vegas has this game projected as the lowest scoring game of the night. The total is set at only 184 points. You could take a chance on Tony Parker or Kawhi Leonard tonight, but neither have favorable matchups and with so many other options, I would recommend taking players with more upside.
Memphis
The Grizzlies and Spurs both play at a very slow pace and the matchup does not line up well for the Grizzlies. Take a quick look at the Spurs DvP rankings and you will see a lot of red rankings. The Spurs are ranked in the top 10 against every singles position this season. They have been playing shut down defense and at this point I don’t want to have anything to do with that defense. Even though Zach Randolph has been hot, there are better options at his price point.
Brooklyn at Minnesota
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Livingston-Johnson-Pierce-Blatche-Garnett
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic
Brooklyn
The Nets are in a tail-spin and it’s not looking like it’s going to get better anytime soon. They have already ruled out Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Jason Terry for tonight’s game. While this game certainly has blowout potential, there are a few value plays that are in play thanks to the minutes that are opened up by all of these injuries.
- Shaun Livingston – Livingston has played better than D-Will this season and will not get another start with D-Will out. Look for him to continue to be a great value play and pick up right where he left off. The Wolves are a very fast-paced team so the Nets shouldn’t have a problem scoring points.
- Andray Blatche – Blatche has been a great play with Lopez out. He’s averaging close to 30 FP’s per game with Lopez out and should continue to see big minutes tonight. While Reggie Evans is the starter, Blatche is the better fantasy option.
- Joe Johnson – While Johnson has been an average SG at best this season, he has topped 20 FP’s in three straight games and should see major minutes tonight. I love the matchup against Kevin Martin, he should be able to post him up and shoot over him all night.
Minnesota
I was a little surprised to see the line in this game at only 9. The Wolves have been blowing teams out all season long and are facing a very short handed Nets team. With the potential for a blowout, my rule is to avoid the top dollar players. It’s a safe approach that typically works out more often than not. For that reason, I will be fading Kevin Love.
- Ricky Rubio – Rubio has a great matchup against the Nets who are ranked 27th against opposing PG’s. Rubio should be able to attack the rim and make plays for his teammates. The Nets are a team that is very turnover prone so I like Rubio’s chances to pick up a few steals as well.
- Nikola Pekovic – The Wolves are really pushing the ball this season and it’s taken a toll on Pek’s numbers. He is a much better player in the half court than he is running the floor, no surprise there. The Nets are one of the slower paced teams in the league and Pek should have a nice game against the banged up interior of the Nets.
Cleveland at New Orleans
- Vegas Line – New Orleans -6.5, 194.5 Over/Under
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Waiters-Clark-Thompson-Varejao
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Holiday-Gordon-Aminu-Davis-Smith
Cleveland
The Cavs are only averaging 92 points per game, they have really had a tough time getting things going offensively. They just don’t have a group that plays well together. Andrew Bynum is not a good pick and roll player as he has clearly lost a lot of speed, Dion Waiters is coming off the bench thanks to his feud with the coach, and Jarrett Jack and Kyrie Irving have not played well together. While I like the price of Irving on a couple of sites, Jrue Holiday is one of the better on ball defenders. There aren’t any fantasy options that stand out here.
New Orleans
The Pelicans are surprisingly scoring over 100 points per game. Jrue Holiday has really made an effort to push the ball up the floor and get into their offense quickly. Looking at the DvP rankings, Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis have the best matchups.
- Jrue Holiday – The Cavs are currently ranked 29th against opposing PG’s and Jrue is playing much better lately. He’s averaged over 30 FP’s in his last 3 games and should be in play tonight at home where he is averaging 10 more FP’s per game than the does on the road.
- Anthony Davis – It’s going to be tough to pay up for Davis in cash games tonight, but I think he makes a great GPP play thanks to his upside. He’s pretty much the only player in the league that can put up 20 FP’s with blocks and steals alone. Add in his offensive production and his ability to hit the glass and he is one of the highest upside plays on the board.
Utah at Dallas
- Vegas Line – Dallas -11.5, 203 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burks-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Blair
Utah
The Jazz continue to be an awful team. The good news for them is that their high draft pick Trey Burke is finally on the floor. He’s still seeing very limited minutes and is not a fantasy option right now, but it’s a situation to monitor going forward because he is going to see huge minutes as the starting PG. With the Jazz you always have to worry about a blowout, especially on the road. They are double-digit underdogs in this one and should have a hard time keeping up with the high scoring Mavs. Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter make decent GPP plays, but are too risky for cash games.
Dallas
The Mavs are the 3rd highest scoring team in the league at 107 points per game. They are really pushing the tempo and have been a great team to target from a fantasy perspective. Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis have both been on fire over the past few games. While I like to take players that are hot, the blowout factor is rearing it’s ugly horns in this one. The Jazz have already lost 9 games by 9 or more points this season. I hate to completely fade a high scoring offense like the Mavs, but there are better options at each position.
Chicago at Portland
- Vegas Line – Portland -3.5, 190 Over/Under
- Chicago Proj. Starters – Rose-Dunleavy-Deng-Boozer-Noah
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
Chicago
NOTE: Player’s in this game are not included in FanDuel’s player pool tonight
The Bulls are in a tough spot tonight. They are short handed without Jimmy Butler, they are playing in a back to back situation, and they are facing a Blazers team that is one of the biggest surprises in the league. All of that said, I think the Bulls are a great team to target tonight. The absence of Jimmy Butler means Mike Dunleavy will get the start at SG. He played great last night and is a great value play that should see big minutes. The injury should also open up minutes for Kirk Hinrich and I could see Luol Deng topping 40 minutes if this game is close. All of them are in play tonight and they still aren’t my favorite plays here.
- Derrick Rose – Rose has yet to shoot 50% in any game this season, but he is starting to show his explosiveness and I like the fact that he is still being very aggressive. I think playing in a back to back will actually help him tonight because he doesn’t have time to think about his recent struggles, he just has to get out there and play. The Blazers have struggled against PG’s and I think this will be his best game of the year.
- Carlos Boozer – Boozer’s price has been dropping thanks to his past few games, but Boozer had a big breakout game last night and should see plenty of minutes tonight against the Blazers. Even though the DvP rankings say otherwise, I think he shows up big against Aldridge and the Blazers.
Portland
The Blazers have played great early on in the season and will look to keep it going tonight against the short handed Bulls. The Blazers are only favored by 3 in this game even though they are at home and facing a team that is in a back to back situation. This tells me more about Vegas’ faith in the Bulls than it does about the Blazers. Either way, it’s good from a fantasy point of view. Looking at the DvP rankings, the Bulls have struggled against SF’s and PF’s, but I think those numbers are a bit skewed because Luol Deng is one of the best defenders in the league and he held Wilson Chandler scoreless last night.
- LaMarcus Aldridge – The biggest weakness in the Bulls defense is probably Mike Dunleavy, but Carlos Boozer gives him a run for his money. Aldridge has been on fire to start the season and he has so many different ways he can score. That fadeaway of his is impossible to stop and he can also attack the rim. Look for Aldridge to put up big numbers again tonight.
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Golden State at L.A.Lakers
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Lee-Bogut
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Blake-Meeks-Johnson-Hill-Gasol
Golden State
The Warriors are expecting to get Stephen Curry back for tonight’s game, but there is always the possibility that he is a late scratch. For that reason, I would not take him on sites that lock your entire roster. If you play on a site that allows late player swaps, he is definitely in play, but you don’t want to risk it on the other sites. The Warriors have a great matchup against the Lakers tonight who seem to be allergic to defense.
- David Lee – The Lakers are ranked 29th against PF’s this season and even though they have gotten some nice production from Hill on the offensive side, he hasn’t helped their defense. Lee is a very safe play tonight, he should be in for a double-double and score around 30 FP’s.
- Klay Thompson – Thompson is one of the best shooters in the league and is a very streaky shooter. Once that first shot goes down and his confidence is up, he can really start lighting it up. I love the matchup against the Lakers and he has a nice size advantage over Jodie Meeks.
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers were hoping to have Kobe Bryant back, but his debut will not be tonight. They are also going to be without Steve Nash and Chris Kaman. The Lakers are not a great team, but they do provide us with some good fantasy options. Steve Blake has been playing great basketball as the PG, Pau Gasol has picked up his game, and this Lakers bench plays well at home. However, the best value here is Jordan Hill.
- Jordan Hill – Hill has played well ever since he was awarded the starting PF position. Hill is averaging over 35 FP’s in his last four games and has a nice matchup against the Warriors. He is still very cheap across the board and makes a good play in all types of leagues.