NBA Grind Down: Friday, October 31st
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!
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Memphis at Indiana
- Vegas Line – Memphis -7, 184.5 Over/Under
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Lee-Allen-Randolph-Gasol
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Sloan-Miles-Hill-Scola-Hibbert
| Memphis | Indiana | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 184 |  | Vegas Total | 184 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -7.0 | Vegas Sprd | 7.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 95.8 | Team Proj. | 88.8 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 91.93 | Team Pace | 95.30 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proj Starter | Mike Conley | Courtney Lee | Tony Allen | Zach Randolph | Marc Gasol | Proj Starter | Donald Sloan | C.J. Miles | Solomon Hill | Luis Scola | Roy Hibbert | |
| Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Memphis
Happy Halloween Grinders! Halloween will never be the same as it was when we were little. We got to dress up as whatever we wanted, we could run around the neighborhood with no parental supervision, and then we were rewarded for our efforts with mounds and mound of candy that kept us up into the wee hours of the night. Luckily for us, we have daily fantasy basketball to look forward to. There are big Halloween tournaments across the industry with FanDuel’s $150,000 NBA Scream and DraftKings $100,000 Trick or Treat Special.
It’s only been one game, but Memphis actually had 99 possessions in their first game of the season. While that’s something to monitor moving forward, I’ll trust the sample size of an entire season rather than a single game. Vegas agrees with me here as the total for his game is set at 184.5 points which is by far the lowest of the night.
In their first game of the season, the Grizzlies saw little production from their bench. All five starters played at least 33 minutes while the bench accounted for only 10 of their 105 points. The Grizzlies bigs, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, had their way down low against the Wolves as they combined for 57 points and 22 rebounds. Tonight the Grizzlies square off against a hobbled Pacers team that is not the same team defensively as they were last season.
Prime Plays
Mike Conley – Once again, the low total in this game does concern me a bit. It’s expected to be a very slow-paced game that will likely be done on the defensive end. That said, Conley draws a nice matchup against third-string PG Donald Sloan who gave up a big outing to Tony Wroten in the Pacers first game of the season. Conley meanwhile, has a high floor. He finished with 16 points and 6 assists against the Wolves and should be able to improve on those numbers tonight.
Secondary Plays
Marc Gasol – Even in a tough matchup against Nikola Pekovic, there was no stopping Gasol in their season opener. He finished with 32 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. If you are new to daily fantasy basketball, you will quickly get used to these well-rounded stat lines from Gasol. He’s a big that can score, rebound, pass, and defend. Tonight’s matchup against Roy Hibbert isn’t ideal, but it’s better than his matchup against Pekovic the other night.
Zach Randolph – Of the two Grizzlies bigs, Randolph has the better matchup of the two. Luis Scola is not the same defender as he once was. There aren’t many nights during the season where Randolph is facing someone with a similar vertical. That said, you may not want to chase the points here after his big outing against the Wolves.
Indiana
David West out, check. George Hill out, check. Paul George out, check. C.J. Watson out, check. Lance Stephenson gone, check. It may be a nightmare for the Pacers, but it’s a rerfect recipe for value in daily fantasy basketball. The Pacers backups will see extended minutes for the second straight game. In their opener, here’s how the minutes were distributed for players that saw at least 20 minutes of action: Donald Sloan 34, C.J. Miles, 33, Roy Hibbert 32, Chris Copeland 26, Luis Scola 25, Solomon Hill 23, and Lavoy Allen.
While the prices on the Pacers players have gone up a bit, they are still under-priced given their expected production. The matchup against the Grizzlies may be the toughest on the board, but once again, value trumps everything else in the NBA.
Prime Plays
Donald Sloan – Sloan was one of the favorite value plays on Wednesday night and he certainly didn’t disappoint. He finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. What’s even more promising is that he is just continuing the solid play that he had all throughout the preseason. Sloan’s price has gone up quite a bit, but he’s still in play tonight against the Grizzlies as there is no one challenging him for minutes.
C.J. Miles – Miles had one of the worst first quarters that I’ve seen in a while, but he turned it around and finished with 15 points in the opener against the Sixers. Miles is more of a scorer than anything else, but he could easily score 20 points tonight as he’ll likely lead the team in shot attempts again. If he scores 20 points, that’s pretty close to reaching value on most sites. Anything else that he does on the floor after that would just be icing on the cake. Take advantage of his low price/opportunity while you still can.
Secondary Plays
Luis Scola – I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that Scola will end up having the best game of any Pacers player tonight. Sure he’s old, but he can still play ball. In the opener he finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He should be able to improve on those numbers tonight against Zach Randolph whose defensive inefficiencies are often hidden by his team’s strong defense.
Cleveland at Chicago
- Vegas Line – Chicago -4.5, 193 Over/Under
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Waiters-James-Love-Varejao
- Chicago Proj. Starters – Rose-Hinrich-Dunleavy-Gasol-Noah
| Cleveland | Chicago | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 193 |  | Vegas Total | 193 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 4.5 | Vegas Sprd | -4.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 94.3 | Team Proj. | 98.8 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.50 | Team Pace | 93.22 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proj Starter | Kyrie Irving | Dion Waiters | LeBron James | Kevin Love | Anderson Varejao | Proj Starter | Derrick Rose | Kirk Hinrich | Mike Dunleavy | Pau Gasol | Joakim Noah | |
| Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Cleveland
No one was expecting the Cavs to lose their home opener. There were talks about the Cavs going undefeated at home this season. Those predictions certainly didn’t last long. Contrary to popular belief, this team is not going to win 70 games this season. They are still going to be very good, but it may take a few weeks for them to really hit their stride. Tonight’s matchup against the Bulls will likely be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals. This is one of those games where you are not going to want to leave your couch to answer the door for Trick or Treaters.
In terms of the matchup, this is not a great one for the Cavs. The Bulls may own the best defense in the NBA and they also play at one of the slowest paces in the NBA. In their first game against the Knicks, the Bulls only had 90 possessions which is about seven lower than the league average. Even worse, the Cavs have yet to define roles for each player in their offense which makes them a very tough team to predict in the early going. This may be a great game to watch, but it’s not my favorite game to target players in.
Prime Plays
NONE
Secondary Plays
Kyrie Irving – Irving played well in the Cavs’ opener. He finished with 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and a couple of steals. The two worries with Irving heading into the season were his shot attempts and his assists. He shot the ball 15 times last night and dished out 7 assists which was promising. He’s probably your best option if you are targeting any Cavs tonight.
Kevin Love – LeBron James is not going to play as bad as he did last night, but I’m not going to pay up for him in a tough matchup. Love is quite a bit cheaper that James and seems to have a higher floor thanks to his production on the glass.
Chicago
The Bulls looked great in their season opener. They held the Knicks to 80 points in a 24-point blowout in Madison Square Garden. Unlike the Cavs, the Bulls wasted no time getting their acquisition into their offense. Pau Gasol finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes of play.
The biggest issue with the Bulls right now is a lack of minutes for their star players. Coach Thibs has said that Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose will both play under 34 minutes a game. You have to think that same rule applies to Pau Gasol as they want to keep him as healthy as possible throughout the season. Jimmy Butler may be back for the Bulls tonight. He is currently listed as a game-time decision after missing the opener with a thumb injury.
Prime Plays
Taj Gibson – Gibson is one of the few bench players in the NBA that I don’t mind targeting in cash games. Even though he comes off the bench, he consistently sees 25-30 minutes per game. Gibson is priced as a backup, but he produces like a starter. In the opener against the Knicks, Gibson posted 22 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes of work. He should be close to another double-double tonight against the Cavs.
Secondary Plays
Derrick Rose – By most accounts, Rose is back and as good as ever. He didn’t overwhelm in the first game of the season, but 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals isn’t bad in only 21 minutes of playing time. He should see close to 30 minutes tonight against the Cavs in what is expected to be a close game.
Philadelphia at Milwaukee
- Vegas Line – Milwaukee -9.5, 203 Over/Under
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Wroten-Johnson-Thompson-Noel-Sims
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Dudley-Middleton-Parker-Sanders
| Philadelphia | Milwaukee | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 203 |  | Vegas Total | 203 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 9.5 | Vegas Sprd | -9.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 96.8 | Team Proj. | 106.3 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 102.10 | Team Pace | 94.24 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proj Starter | Tony Wroten | Chris Johnson | Hollis Thompson | Nerlens Noel | Henry Sims | Proj Starter | Brandon Knight | Jared Dudley | Khris Middleton | Jabari Parker | Larry Sanders | |
| Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Philadelphia
The Sixers put up a fight against the Pacers in their opener. Granted, it wasn’t a Pacers team that we are used to, but they still competed on the road in a tough environment. Tonight they square off against another young ball club in the Bucks. The Sixers are currently 9-point underdogs in a game that features a total of 202 points.
We didn’t learn a whole lot about this Sixers team in their opener other than the fact that they aren’t going to ease Nerlens Noel into action. Noel finished the game with 6 points,10 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a team-high 35 minutes of action. He’s not a recommended fantasy play yet, but keep your eye on him as a potential tournament play moving forward.
Prime Plays
NONE
Secondary Plays
Tony Wroten – On Wednesday, I said that Wroten was my favorite value play of the night. He was kind enough to put up a monster stat line against the Pacers. Tonight I’m going to go the other way on Wroten and predict that he under-performs in this matchup. His ownership percentage is going to be high and it might be a nice time to fade him. Wroten’s game is built on being able to attack the rim. If you watched the game the other night, you know that he’s an awful shooter. Look for Brandon Knight, who is one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA, to cut off his driving lanes tonight. Wroten is still in play, but not a must play in my eyes.
Milwaukee
The Bucks looked great through the first three quarters of their game against the Hornets, but blew a 24-point lead. They ended up losing a tough game in overtime. Even though they didn’t come out with the win, the Bucks proved that they are heading in the right direction. They have a lot of young talent in their locker room, especially with rookie Jabari Parker on board.
In terms of the matchup, the Bucks may have the best one on the schedule. The Sixers had the worst defense in the NBA last season and it doesn’t appear that they are going to improve much in that area this season. The Sixers played with the same uptempo pace that we’ve come to expect from them. The Bucks are 9-point favorites in what should be a high scoring game. I’m hesitant to say it, but there are a few Bucks players that should be on your radar tonight.
Prime Plays
Brandon Knight – Knight got off to a blazing start to the season with 22 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds against a tough Hornets defense. Tonight he has a much easier matchup against the Sixers who were awful against the PG position last season. The Sixers picked up where they left off last season as they allowed third-string PG Donald Sloan to put up 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists against them on Wednesday night. Look for Knight to have another solid all-around performance tonight.
Khris Middleton – Tonight is a night to save at the SF position. LeBron James has a very tough matchup against the Bulls and Rudy Gay will be locked up with Nicolas Batum. Going the cheaper route at SF will allow you to spend up at the other positions. Middleton played well in the Bucks’ opener with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in 36 minutes of play. If he sees 36 minutes of action tonight against the Sixers, he should easily pay off his moderately priced salary.
Secondary Plays
Larry Sanders – Hear me out on this one. While I won’t be using Sanders in cash games, he provides nice upside as a tournament play. He got into early foul trouble in the Bucks’ opener, but still finished with a respectable fantasy outing. He should see upwards of 30 minutes tonight against a bad rebounding team.
San Antonio at Phoenix
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -1.5, 205 Over/Under
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Bonner
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Bledsoe-Dragic-Morris-Morris-Plumlee
| San Antonio | Phoenix | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 205 |  | Vegas Total | 205 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -1.5 | Vegas Sprd | 1.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 103.3 | Team Proj. | 101.8 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 97.72 | Team Pace | 97.99 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proj Starter | Proj Starter | Eric Bledsoe | Goran Dragic | Marcus Morris | Markieff Morris | Miles Plumlee | ||||||
| Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
San Antonio
The Spurs barely held on to beat the Mavericks on opening night. Tonight they travel to Phoenix to take on a talented young Suns team that had no problems dismantling the Lakers in their first game of the season. The Spurs may have Kawhi Leonard back in the lineup tonight after he missed the opener with an eye injury. The Finals MVP was cleared to play tonight, but make sure to check his status closer to tip-off as he could always be a late scratch.
This game is expected to be fast-paced as both teams like to play an uptempo style of offense. The Spurs are 1-point favorites with the total set at 208 points. This game will likely be full of fantasy goodness, but as always with the Spurs, it’s tough to predict where that goodness is going to come from.
Prime Plays
Tim Duncan – Old Reliable. Old Faithful. The Big Fundamental. Whichever nickname you prefer for Duncan, they all come back to the same concept: Duncan may not be flashy, but he’s one of the most reliable players in the game. Duncan opened his by filling up the stat sheet against the Mavericks. He finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and a steal. He should see around 30 minutes of playing time tonight against the Suns and is a safe bet for 30+ fantasy points. His high floor makes him an excellent cash game play.
Secondary Plays
Tony Parker – Like the rest of the Spurs, Parker isn’t flashy, but he gets the job done. Last season he averaged 17 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds per game. He’ll likely post similar number this year, but I like his chances to put up a big game tonight in a fast-paced battle against the Suns.
Phoenix
The Suns made quick work of the Lakers in their opener. That game was more about how bad the Lakers are rather than how good the Suns are. Tonight’s matchup against the Spurs will be a much better test for the Suns. The Spurs are commonly mis-labeled as a team that slows the ball down and plays great defense. That’s not the case as they are actually one of the faster-paced teams in the NBA. As mentioned earlier, this game has a total of 208 points which is tied for the highest total of the night.
Prime Plays
Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe was ejected in the third quarter of the opener against the Lakers, but still finished with 16 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds. He is coming into the season with a determination to prove that he is one of the best players in the league. What better way to prove that than in a game against the defending champion Spurs. Bledsoe should excel in an uptempo game where he can make plays in the open floor.
Secondary Plays
Markieff Morris – In four games against the Spurs last season, Markieff averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists per game, all of which came off of the bench. Don’t let his slow start fool you, Markieff is in for a monster season.
Marcus Morris – Marcus is the cheaper of the two brothers and actually out-produced Markieff in the first game of the season. With P.J. Tucker still out, Marcus should see extended minutes again tonight.
Portland at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – Portland -5.5, 201 Over/Under
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Collison-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
| Portland | Sacramento | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total |  | Vegas Total | 201 | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | Vegas Sprd | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| Team Proj. | Team Proj. | 97.8 | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | 97.21 | Team Pace | 96.59 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proj Starter | Damian Lillard | Wesley Matthews | Nicolas Batum | LaMarcus Aldridge | Robin Lopez | Proj Starter | Darren Collison | Ben McLemore | Rudy Gay | Jason Thompson | DeMarcus Cousins | |
| Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Opp. Last 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Portland
The Blazers are 5-point favorites tonight against the Kings in a game that features a total of 199 points. At first glance, the total does look a little low, but the Blazers played at a fairly slow pace the other night against the Thunder. The Blazers are a very talented team, but in daily fantasy basketball, teams that have all five starters contribute can be difficult to predict on a nightly basis.
Prime Plays
LaMarcus Aldridge – Aldridge only grabbed 3 rebounds against the Thunder, but did mange to put up 27 points. He was locked up in a very tough matchup against Serge Ibaka. Tonight he should have a much easier time getting open shots against the likes of Reggie Evans and Jason Thompson. Expect his rebound totals to go up tonight on route to a monster double-double.
Secondary Plays
Damian Lillard – Lillard’s matchup would be a lot more appealing if Isaiah Thomas was still in Sacramento. Darren Collison is a much better defender. That said, Lillard has great upside for the price and is in a nice bounce back spot after a quiet outing against the Thunder.
Robin Lopez – - If you want to take a contrarian route at center, Lopez is certainly in the mix. He tends to fly under the radar as he’s the Blazers’ fifth option offensively, but he’s a very capable center. Lopez finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in his first game of the season and has a good chance of putting up another double-double tonight.
Sacramento
The Kings could not get anything going offensively in the second half of their opener against the Warriors. After scoring 49 points in the first half, they could only muster up 28 points in the second half. That’s just not going to get it done in the NBA. When it comes to the Kings, there are basically three fantasy options: DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, and Darren Collison. You can easily fade the Kings altogether, but if you must have some exposure, I’ll recommend either Cousins or Collison as Gay will be locked up against Nicolas Batum.
Prime Plays
NONE
Secondary Plays
DeMarcus Cousins – Cousins is not a recommended cash game play. We like to target players that are consistent and players that have a high floor. Cousins doesn’t fit that criteria. That said, he does have tremendous upside. He’s a threat to post 30 points and 20 rebounds every time he steps out on the floor. For that reason, he’s a viable GPP play tonight against the Blazers.
Darren Collison – Collison is the opposite of Cousins. He doesn’t have a very high ceiling, but he does possess a high floor which makes him a nice cash game play. Collison played well in the opener with 13 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 5 steals in 36 minutes of work. He has a nice matchup against the Blazers who have not defended the PG position well over the last two seasons.