NBA Grind Down: Monday, April 13th
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: Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NBA Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review.
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Detroit at Cleveland – 7:00 PM
- Vegas Line – Cleveland -6.5, 202.5 Over/Under
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jackson-Caldwell-Pope-Butler-Monroe-Drummond
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Smith-James-Love-Mozgov
| Detroit | Cleveland | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 202 |  | Vegas Total | 202 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 6.5 | Vegas Sprd | -6.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 98.0 | Team Proj. | 104.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.40 | Team Pace | 94.80 | |||||||||
| 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 | Reggie Jackson | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Caron Butler | Greg Monroe | Andre Drummond | Proj Starter | Kyrie Irving | J.R. Smith | LeBron James | Kevin Love | Timofey Mozgov | |
| Opp. Season | 12 | 21 | 18 | 10 | 14 | Opp. Season | 4 | 18 | 15 | 29 | 29 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 25 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 26 | Opp. Last 7 | 9 | 29 | 10 | 29 | 9 | |
Detroit
The Pistons are not in the playoff hunt, but they are still playing hard down the stretch of the season. It’s safe to expect their starters to see their usual allotment of minutes tonight, as they head to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers. The biggest issue here is their matchup. The Cavaliers are ranked 12th in points allowed per game and 8th in rebounding differential this season. The Pistons are also 6.5-point underdogs with their team total set at only 98 points.
Opponent Breakdown (Cleveland)
Record: 51-29
Points Allowed Per Game: 98.6 (Rank: 12)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 19
Rebounding Differential Rank: 8
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Andre Drummond (FD: $9200, DK: $8400 / MPG: 31 / Usage Rate: 21.6)
Greg Monroe (FD: $8400, DK: $7400 / MPG: 31 / Usage Rate: 23.9)
Reggie Jackson (FD: $8600, DK: $8500 / MPG: 29 / Usage Rate: 24.7)
Cleveland
The Cavaliers are locked into the two-seed in the Eastern Conference, so there is nothing to play for in the final two games of the regular season. After resting their starters yesterday against the Celtics, LeBron James and company should be back in the lineup tonight against the Pistons. Even though they will start the game, there is a good chance that all five starters will be limited in some capacity. There is no reason for Cleveland to risk any injuries this close to the playoffs.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
None
Milwaukee at Philadelphia – 7:00 PM
- Vegas Line – Milwaukee -1.5, 192 Over/Under
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Middleton-Antetokounmpo-Ilyasova-Pachulia
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Smith-Richardson-Covington-Grant-Aldemir
| Milwaukee | Philadelphia | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 192 |  | Vegas Total | 192 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -1.5 | Vegas Sprd | 1.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 96.8 | Team Proj. | 95.3 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.22 | Team Pace | 98.29 | |||||||||
| 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 | Michael Carter-Williams | Khris Middleton | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Ersan Ilyasova | Zaza Pachulia | Proj Starter | Ish Smith | Jason Richardson | Robert Covington | Jerami Grant | Furkan Aldemir | |
| Opp. Season | 27 | 28 | 17 | 25 | 30 | Opp. Season | 1 | 12 | 24 | 13 | 15 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 25 | 22 | Opp. Last 7 | 21 | 2 | 18 | 23 | 3 | |
Milwaukee
The Bucks are all but locked into the six-seed in the Eastern Conference and coach Jason Kidd said that he may lower the playing time of his starters in their final two games. The Bucks draw a favorable matchup against the Sixers, who are ranked 18th in points allowed per game and 29th in rebounding differential this season. This should be a close, competitive game, but it’s hard to count on any Bucks’ player seeing more than 30 minutes of action. Once again, we want to target teams that have something to play for down the stretch of the regular season.
Opponent Breakdown (Philadelphia)
Record: 18-62
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.8 (Rank: 18)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 13
Rebounding Differential Rank: 29
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Michael Carter-Williams (FD: $7100, DK: $6600 / MPG: 33 / Usage Rate: 26.8)
Khris Middleton (FD: $6800, DK: $6000 / MPG: 30 / Usage Rate: 19.8)
Philadelphia
The Sixers will be without Nerlens Noel tonight, which means Jerami Grant will likely draw another start at power forward. Noel’s absence will also give a boost to Thomas Robinson off the bench. The Sixers are hoping to have Ish Smith back for tonight’s game though, after missing Saturday’s game against the Bulls. The Sixers draw a tough matchup against the Bucks, but Vegas is expecting this to be a very competitive game. The Sixers are installed as 1.5-point favorites with their team total set at 95 points.
Opponent Breakdown (Milwaukee)
Record: 40-40
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.3 (Rank: 6)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 3
Rebounding Differential Rank: 21
Elite Plays
Ish Smith (FD: $6100, DK: $6200 / MPG: 15 / Usage Rate: 24.9)
Smith is expected to play tonight, which means he should go back to seeing around 32-35 minutes of playing time with Isaiah Canaan out for the season. Smith has played well in his last eight games, averaging just over 30 fantasy points per contest. He draws a favorable matchup against Michael Carter-Williams and the Bucks, who are ranked 21st against point guards over the last seven days.
Secondary Plays
Robert Covington (FD: $5200, DK: $5600 / MPG: 28 / Usage Rate: 21.3)
Thomas Robinson (FD: $4600, DK: $4000 / MPG: 14 / Usage Rate: 19.2)
Jerami Grant (FD: $3500, DK: $3400 / MPG: 20 / Usage Rate: 16.2)
Houston at Charlotte – 7:00 PM
- Vegas Line – Houston -10.5, 199.5 Over/Under
- Houston Proj. Starters – Terry-Harden-Ariza-Jones-Howard
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Taylor-Williams-Biyombo
| Houston | Charlotte | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 199 |  | Vegas Total | 199 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -10.5 | Vegas Sprd | 10.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 105.0 | Team Proj. | 94.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 99.17 | Team Pace | 95.58 | |||||||||
| 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 | Jason Terry | James Harden | Trevor Ariza | Terrence Jones | Dwight Howard | Proj Starter | Kemba Walker | Gerald Henderson | Jeff Taylor | Marvin Williams | Bismack Biyombo | |
| Opp. Season | 17 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 6 | Opp. Season | 3 | 20 | 21 | 28 | 21 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 20 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 24 | Opp. Last 7 | 11 | 9 | 27 | 27 | 14 | |
Houston
The Rockets are still trying to secure home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs, so their starters should see their usual allotment of minutes in a game that does mean something. Dwight Howard will not play tonight, as he is still resting on the second half of back-to-backs. With Howard out, Terrence Jones and Josh Smith will both see a sizable fantasy boost. The Rockets draw a mediocre matchup against a short-handed Hornets’ team that plays at an extremely slow pace.
Opponent Breakdown (Charlotte)
Record: 33-47
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.4 (Rank: 8)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 6
Rebounding Differential Rank: 12
Elite Plays
Terrence Jones (FD: $6000, DK: $5900 / MPG: 27 / Usage Rate: 19.2)
Jones is the preferred play tonight against the injury-ravaged Hornets. He should see an uptick in both minutes and usage with Dwight Howard out and he also draws a favorable matchup against the Hornets, who are ranked 18th against power forwards this season. Jones’ production has been down with Howard in the lineup, which has brought his price point down to a very playable level on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Secondary Plays
James Harden (FD: $11100, DK: $10600 / MPG: 37 / Usage Rate: 31.3)
Josh Smith (FD: $6900, DK: $6300 / MPG: 28 / Usage Rate: 24.2)
Trevor Ariza (FD: $6700, DK: $6400 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 16.8)
Charlotte
The Hornets have been ruled out of playoff contention, so don’t be surprised if they shut down Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Lance Stephenson for the rest of the season. The Hornets have been on the wrong end of quite a few blowouts recently and I’m afraid they could be on the wrong end of another one tonight against the Rockets. The Hornets are 10.5-point underdogs at home. In this matchup, the Hornets’ players are secondary options at best.
Opponent Breakdown (Houston)
Record: 54-26
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.7 (Rank: 17)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 6
Rebounding Differential Rank: 16
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Kemba Walker (FD: $7300, DK: $7400 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 25.9)
Bismack Biyombo (FD: $4500, DK: $5200 / MPG: 18 / Usage Rate: 11.9)
New York at Atlanta – 7:30 PM
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -14, 197.5 Over/Under
- New York Proj. Starters – Galloway-Hardaway-Thomas-Smith-Aldrich
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Muscala-Horford
| New York | Atlanta | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 197 |  | Vegas Total | 197 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 14.0 | Vegas Sprd | -14.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 91.8 | Team Proj. | 105.8 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 93.48 | Team Pace | 96.12 | |||||||||
| 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 | Langston Galloway | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Lance Thomas | Jason Smith | Cole Aldrich | Proj Starter | Jeff Teague | Kyle Korver | DeMarre Carroll | Mike Muscala | Al Horford | |
| Opp. Season | 13 | 17 | 10 | 16 | 9 | Opp. Season | 23 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 25 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 8 | Opp. Last 7 | 27 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 23 | |
New York
The Knicks are counting down the days until they can officially end their season. It has been an awful year for a team that has not been able to stay healthy. Andrea Bargnani is the latest Knicks’ player to get hurt. He’s currently listed as questionable for tonight’s game, but I’d be surprised to see him play again this season. The Knicks are 14-point underdogs tonight against the Hawks, who are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.
Opponent Breakdown (Atlanta)
Record: 60-20
Points Allowed Per Game: 97 (Rank: 4)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 6
Rebounding Differential Rank: 27
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Langston Galloway (FD: $6200, DK: $5600 / MPG: 32 / Usage Rate: 18.9)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (FD: $3900, DK: $3900 / MPG: 24 / Usage Rate: 23.5)
Cole Aldrich (FD: $3800, DK: $3000 / MPG: 16 / Usage Rate: 17.5)
Atlanta
The Hawks are locked into the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They have nothing to play for in the final two games of the season, so now it’s that time where they have to juggle the thin line between being rusty with too much rest and playing their starters too many minutes. Paul Millsap may sit out again tonight, but the rest of the starters are tentatively expected to be in the lineup. There is no reason to risk it by targeting the Hawks though, as there are plenty of other options in tonight’s full slate of games.
Opponent Breakdown (New York)
Record: 16-64
Points Allowed Per Game: 101 (Rank: 20)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 28
Rebounding Differential Rank: 28
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Mike Muscala (FD: $4300, DK: $4300 / MPG: 11 / Usage Rate: 17.4)
Orlando at Miami – 7:30 PM
- Vegas Line – Miami -8, 197.5 Over/Under
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Payton-Oladipo-Harris-Dedmon-Vucevic
- Miami Proj. Starters – Dragic-Wade-Deng-Haslem-Whiteside
| Orlando | Miami | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 197 |  | Vegas Total | 197 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 8.0 | Vegas Sprd | -8.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 94.8 | Team Proj. | 102.8 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.95 | Team Pace | 93.11 | |||||||||
| 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 | Elfrid Payton | Victor Oladipo | Tobias Harris | Dewayne Dedmon | Nikola Vucevic | Proj Starter | Goran Dragic | Dwyane Wade | Luol Deng | Udonis Haslem | Hassan Whiteside | |
| Opp. Season | 10 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 10 | Opp. Season | 21 | 10 | 30 | 23 | 22 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 12 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 4 | Opp. Last 7 | 1 | 22 | 2 | 15 | 27 | |
Orlando
The Magic have nothing to play for at this point, but they are trying to develop as much chemistry as possible between their talented young core group of players. Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton, and Tobias Harris should all see 35+ minutes of action tonight against the Heat. This may not be the best matchup on the board, but the Magic are one of the few teams that are predictable when it comes to their rotation.
Opponent Breakdown (Miami)
Record: 35-45
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.3 (Rank: 6)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 19
Rebounding Differential Rank: 23
Elite Plays
Elfrid Payton (FD: $8000, DK: $7800 / MPG: 30 / Usage Rate: 18.5)
Secondary Plays
Nikola Vucevic (FD: $8400, DK: $8000 / MPG: 34 / Usage Rate: 25.9)
Victor Oladipo (FD: $8000, DK: $7500 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 24.9)
Tobias Harris (FD: $6500, DK: $6600 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 22.6)
Miami
The Heat are two games out of the playoff race with only two games to play. They would have to have the Nets and Pacers both lose their last two games and they would have to win the tiebreaker between the three teams. Their playoff chances are very slim at this point. That said, they should still play to win tonight in a very favorable matchup against the Magic. The Magic are ranked 23rd in points allowed per game and 22nd in rebounding differential this season.
Opponent Breakdown (Orlando)
Record: 25-55
Points Allowed Per Game: 101.4 (Rank: 23)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 25
Rebounding Differential Rank: 22
Elite Plays
Hassan Whiteside (FD: $7700, DK: $7300 / MPG: 23 / Usage Rate: 20.5)
As long as Whiteside gets the green light to play tonight (hand), he should be considered one of the top options at center. He is coming off of two huge fantasy outings, scoring 38 and 48 fantasy points against the Raptors and Bulls. He draws a much more favorable matchup tonight against the Magic, who have struggled to defend the paint all season. Take advantage of the matchup and the discounted price point with Whiteside tonight against Orlando.
Dwyane Wade (FD: $6800, DK: $7200 / MPG: 32 / Usage Rate: 34.4)
Even though they are all but out of the playoff race, the Heat should still try to win tonight’s game against the Magic. Wade is extremely cheap on both FanDuel and DraftKings and he should be considered an elite play at shooting guard. Wade has scored at least 31 fantasy points in three of his last five games and he should have a very high usage rate tonight against the Magic.
Secondary Plays
Goran Dragic (FD: $6400, DK: $6800 / MPG: 34 / Usage Rate: 21.3)