NBA Grind Down: Friday, November 29th - Page 3
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New York at Denver
- Vegas Line – Denver -9, 202 Over/Under
- New York Proj. Starters – Felton-Shumpert-Anthony-Bargnani-Martin
- Denver Proj. Starters – Lawson-Foye-Chandler-Faried-Hickson
New York
The Knicks have lost 4 straight games by double-digits, but they do have a favorable matchup tonight if they can keep it close. The Nuggets are giving up 103 points per game. The only problem is that I’m not sure the Knicks will be able to keep up with them. They have not played well as a team and this could be another blowout. For that reason, I’m not paying up for Carmelo Anthony tonight.
- Andrea Bargnani – Even through the Knicks struggles, Bargnani has been playing well. He’s scored over 25 FP’s in seven of his last eight games which is really impressive considering his very inconsistent play in the past. Keep playing Bargnani, but stay away from the rest of the dumpster-fire Knicks.
Denver
The Nuggets have a nice matchup against the Knicks, but like I said above, this game could easily turn into a blowout with the way that the Knicks have been playing. The Nuggets are 9 point favorites here which is right on the edge of when I start to factor in a potential blowout. I don’t think it’s wise to pay up for Ty Lawson, but the rest of the starters are in play.
- J.J. Hickson – If you look at the DvP rankings from the last 15 days, you will see that the Knicks have been average at defending Centers even though they have a great season long ranking. That is because Bargnani is playing Center now instead of Chandler. Bargnani is not a great defender and Hickson should play well here.
Phoenix at Utah
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Bledsoe-Tucker-Frye-Plumlee
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter
Phoenix
The Suns have won three of their last four games and a lot of that has to do with the play of both Goran Dragic and Channing Frye. They have both been on fire over the last couple of weeks and should continue that hot play tonight against the Jazz. While Eric Bledsoe is a game-time decision for tonight’s game, he has been a game-time decision for weeks now and he hasn’t played. At this point, I think it’s safe to rule him out unless we hear otherwise.
- Channing Frye – Frye has been on fire lately. He’s scored over 25 FP’s in 5 of his last 6 games and has put up 44 and 35 FP’s in his last two games. The Jazz are undersized right now with Marvin Williams starting at PF. Look for Frye to keep up his hot play. The best part about Frye is that his price has yet to reflect his production so he is still cheap across the board.
Utah
The Jazz should play well tonight at home. They are expected to get Enes Kanter back and they finally have their top rookie back in the lineup. I expect Marvin Williams to start at PF again and for the Jazz to bring Kanter off the bench. Vegas has the Jazz as 2 point underdogs with an over/under of 190 points.
- * Gordon Hayward* – Hayward has been all over the map this season, but he is one of the few players in his price range that can potentially put up 40+ fantasy points. He is facing the Suns at home tonight and should play well here. Hayward put up an incredible line of 18, 10, and 8 in their first matchup this season. His price has come down, but the upside is still there.
L.A.Clippers at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Vasquez-McLemore-Williams-Thompson-Cousins
L.A.Clippers
This is expected to be one of the highest scoring games of the night and there are plays from both teams that I like. The Kings have only defended SG’s well this season and have really struggled against PG’s, PF’s, and Centers. That leaves us with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan as options. While I think they could all play well here, my favorite is the man who leads the league in touches per game.
- Chris Paul – The Kings really struggle to defend PG’s this season and Paul is putting up MVP type numbers. I think he will fly under the radar tonight with all of the other big names on the board. Look for him to post a huge stat line and easily top 40 FP’s.
Sacramento
The Kings are still a team that I don’t trust, but they are expected to play well tonight. They’ve been competitive with the Clippers in their earlier meetings this season and should continue that tonight at home. The Clippers have struggled against big men this season.
- DeMarcus Cousins – Cousins has faced this same Clippers team twice already this season and has put up monster games in both. He put up 55 and 48 fantasy points in those two outings. He seems to be able to find the holes in this defense and this is one of the few times that I am actually going to recommend taking Cousins in cash games.