NBA Grind Down: Friday, November 29th - Page 2
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L.A.Lakers at Detroit
- Vegas Line – Detroit -5, 202 Over/Under
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Blake-Meeks-Johnson-Hill-Gasol
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
L.A.Lakers
Don’t look now, but the Lakers have won four of their last five games. They are finally playing well as a team and we can finally start to use them as viable fantasy options. Vegas has the Pistons favored by 5 with the total set at 202 points. Both of those are promising to see and open up some good fantasy options. Steve Blake continues to play at a high level, but his price varies so drastically across the different sites that he remains a site specific play. If he’s still cheap on your site, get him in your lineup.
- Pau Gasol – It looks like D’Antoni has already started to give up on Jordan Hill. He’s seeing less and less minutes every night which is a bit confusing to me, but hey I’m not an NBA coach. Pau on the other hand continues to see big minutes. The Pistons rank 25 against Centers this season and Pau should be in for another productive fantasy night.
Detroit
The Pistons have a great matchup against the Lakers tonight who are giving up 102 points per game. The Lakers rank in the bottom 5 against every single position except for SF, so there are quite a few options that make sense in this one. While I usually don’t like to take these Pistons in cash games, the matchup is good enough that I am going to trust a couple of them.
- Andre Drummond – Drummond had a stretch of seven straight games in which he scored more than 35 FP’s. He has shown that he can be a consistently good fantasy player and I love the matchup against the Lakers who really struggle to defend the paint. He has a major strength advantage over Pau and should be a beast on the glass tonight.
- Brandon Jennings – Jennings has been up and down all season long, but there aren’t many better matchups on the board for PG’s. The Lakers are ranked 25th against PG’s this season and Jennings is the motor of this team. He should be able to push the tempo and create easy shots for both himself and his teammates.
Brooklyn at Houston
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Livingston-Johnson-Pierce-Blatche-Garnett
- Houston Proj. Starters – Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard
Brooklyn
The Nets continue to lose, but they have at least been competitive lately. They have already ruled out Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, and Jason Terry and have Brook Lopez listed as a game-time decision. This means that you should continue to use the usual cast of characters as solid value plays. The only thing to worry about here is the potential blowout, the Rockets are favored by double-digits and this Nets team has given up a few times already this season.
- Joe Johnson – Johnson has really picked up his game. He’s scored over 20 FP’s in seven straight games and has a great chance to top that mark tonight against this below average defense. I think there are options with better upside in his price range, but his consistency puts him in play as a value play.
Houston
The Rockets will likely get James Harden back tonight, but he is technically listed as a game-time decision so make sure to keep your eye out for any updates as we get closer to tipoff. The Rockets have a nice matchup against the Nets, but the fact that they are double digit favorites makes me want to stay away from the expensive players which means I will be fading both Dwight Howard and James Harden. Jeremy Lin has been ruled out for a couple of weeks so make sure to get him out of your lineups.
- Patrick Beverley – With Lin out, that should open up some minutes and production for Beverley. He’s been playing 30+ minutes with Lin in the lineup and my guess is that number will go up to 35+ per game now. He is cheap across the board and is one of my sleepers tonight.
Golden State at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -7, 203.5 Over/Under
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Barnes-Lee-Bogut
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
Golden State
Two titans of the West battle tonight in what should be a very high scoring game. Vegas has the total of this game set at 207 points. The Thunder defend SF’s and Centers well, but really struggle to defend the other 3 positions so Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Bogut should all be on your radar
- Stephen Curry – Curry is averaging close to 40 FP’s on the road this season and will need a monster game if the Warriors want to walk away with a win in this one. Curry can fill up the stat sheet and has a nice matchup against the Thunder who are giving up the 7th most fantasy points to opposing PG’s.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder really only have 3 viable fantasy options, but they are all in play tonight against the Warriors who are not a great defensive team. While the Warriors are ranked 4th against opposing SF’s on the season, a lot of that is from the defense of Andre Iguodala and he will not be in the lineup tonight. I do think Kevin Durant plays well, but he is a bit overpriced with all of the other options out there.
- Russell Westbrook – Westbrook is coming off of a terrible 2/16 shooting performance against the Spurs, but one of the great things about the NBA is that he gets to jump right back into it a couple of days later. His matchup against the Warriors is a very favorable one, Curry is too small to defend Westbrook and he should be able to push the pace against this Warriors defense. While his shooting % is a concern, he has as much upside as any other PG tonight.
Washington at Indiana
- Vegas Line – Indiana -10, 187 Over/Under
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Webster-Ariza-Hilario-Gortat
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
Washington
The Wizards are not in a great spot tonight. They are facing one of the best defenses in the league, they are on the road, and they are double-digit underdogs. Not only that, but the salaries of Nene, Gortat, Ariza, and Webster have all gone up across the board. This one is an easy fade for me.
Indiana
The Pacers have a nice matchup tonight, but I always worry about minutes when teams are double-digit favorites. The Wizards are a fast paced team, but Vegas has this one projected as the second lowest scoring game of the night. I am not trusting any of the Pacers in cash games tonight, but there is one player that you can never rule out as a GPP play.
- Paul George – When you talk about potential upside, George is at the very top of that list. He can fill up every single stat category and can catch fire and take over games offensively. I like the matchup tonight against the Wizards who are ranked 22nd against SF’s. I don’t love him in cash games because of the potential blowout, but use him in GPP’s.
New Orleans at Philadelphia
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Holiday-Gordon-Aminu-Davis-Smith
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Anderson-Turner-Young-Hawes
New Orleans
The Pelicans are typically a slower-paced team, but it seems like every team that faces the Sixers turns into a great uptempo team. The Sixers are giving up the most points in the league and it’s not secret that it’s been a great strategy to stack the team that they are facing. By stacking, I don’t mean the whole team, but 2-3 players from the Pelicans isn’t a terrible idea with this matchup. I love both Anthony Davis and Eric Gordon, but there are some cheaper plays that I like even more.
- Jrue Holiday – The Sixers are ranked dead last in the league against opposing PG’s. Jrue should be able to push the tempo and create easy shots for both himself and his teammates. He should easily top 30 FP’s in this matchup.
- Ryan Anderson – Anderson will be under-owned tonight and has an extremely favorable matchup. Anderson is seeing 30+ minutes off the bench and can get hot at any time. He’s much cheaper than Davis and could be one of the best dollar for dollar plays on the board.
Philadelphia
The Sixers continue to push the pace. While it’s great for fantasy basketball, it hasn’t exactly translated into wins. Their matchup against the Pelicans isn’t a great one. The Pelicans are a slower paced team so look for the Sixers to have a few less possessions than their season average. It sounds like Spencer Hawes could play tonight, but check the injury news for an update closer to tipoff. There aren’t any fantasy options that really stand out to me here.