NBA Grind Down: Monday, December 16th
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: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Detroit at Indiana
- Vegas Line – Indiana -11, 192.5 Over/Under
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
Detroit
The Pistons are in a tough situation tonight. They are playing in a back to back after an overtime game against the Blazers last night. Not only will they be on tired legs, but they lost on a buzzer beater which has to hurt. I’m not expecting a great performance out of them tonight. The Pacers rank in the top 12 against every position except for PG. This game has fade written all over it.
Indiana
The Pacers are at the top of the league in point differential and are one of the toughest teams at home. I like their matchup against the Pistons, but I just don’t see this one staying very close. The Pistons are ranked dead last against opposing SF’s though so if you think that the Pistons can keep this one close, it is a great matchup for Paul George.
L.A.Lakers at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -6, 204.5 Over/Under
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Young-Bryant-Meeks-Williams-Gasol
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers will be without Jordan Farmar and Steve Blake again tonight so look for Kobe Bryant to handle the point again. He’s played pretty decent in his first few games, but he’s overpriced on most sites. I think he is in play on SS and DD, but should be avoided everywhere else. The Hawks have not defended any position that well this season. While I like Jodie Meeks as a GPP play, Pau Gasol is the only cash play here.
- Pau Gasol – Pau is still nursing an injury, but it hasn’t affected his play much which is a good sign. He’s still seeing over 30 minutes per game in close games and has a nice matchup tonight against Horford. Gasol’s price has come down across the board and I think he can top 30 fantasy points in this one.
Atlanta
Both of these teams are fairly fast-paced and the Hawks have one of the best matchups on the board. The Lakers are doing their best to keep up with the awful defense of the Sixers. The Lakers rank in the bottom 4 against PG’s, SG’s, PF’s, and Centers so there are a lot of good fantasy options here. While I like the matchup for Paul Millsap, he is a bit overpriced thanks to his recent play. Kyle Korver is in play, but he’s a bit risky so I see him more as a GPP play.
- Jeff Teague – Teague has one of the better matchups on the board tonight. The Lakers have not defended PG’s well this season and are currently without a PG. I don’t think Kobe or Meeks is going to be able to keep up with Teague. Look for him to push the pace and create easy buckets for himself and his teammates.
- Al Horford – Horford has been one of the more productive fantasy centers in the NBA this season. He always seems to hover around that 30 fantasy point mark and you have to like his chances to reach that mark again tonight against the Lakers who are ranked 28th against Centers this season.
Minnesota at Boston
- Vegas Line – Minnesota -1.5, 199.5 Over/Under
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Bass
Minnesota
This is one of my favorite games of the night. Even though this game doesn’t have the highest total of the night, it is expected to be a close game and it’s filled with viable fantasy options. The Celtics have really improved their defense down low. Earlier in the season, they were one of the worst teams defending the paint and now are ranked in the top 15 against PF’s and Centers. That said, Kevin Love is matchup proof and is in play every night. If you don’t believe me, check out his game log against the Spurs and that tough matchup.
- Kevin Martin – My guess is that Avery Bradley will be defending Rubio tonight which leaves the much weaker defender, Jordan Crawford, on Martin. Martin is coming off of a terrible performance last night and I think he bounces back nicely tonight. I’m predicting a 30 fantasy point effort from him tonight.
- Nikola Pekovic – While Sullinger has really played well this season, he’s a bit undersized as a Center. And the one thing that you don’t want to be if you are facing Pek is undersized. I’m expecting a big double-double from him tonight.
Boston
The Celtics have fantasy options almost every night that they take the floor because they have 3 very good players that all contribute. They don’t have a star on their team so their salaries are always affordable. The Wolves are one of the fastest-paced teams in the league and it shows in their DvP rankings. They rank in the bottom half of the league against every position except for PF.
- Jordan Crawford – It doesn’t really matter if Rubio or Martin is defending him tonight. Both of them are below average defenders and Crawford should continue to post big numbers. I think he has outpriced himself on DS, but is in play everywhere else.
- Jeff Green – Green is coming off of one of his weakest games of the season. He only managed to score 8 points in 29 minutes. I expect both of those numbers to take a big spike tonight. Look for him to be more aggressive offensively and get back to his 25+ FP outputs.
Philadelphia at Brooklyn
- Vegas Line – Brooklyn -10, 207 Over/Under
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Wroten-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Williams-Johnson-Pierce-Garnett-Lopez
Philadelphia
The Sixers are not a good team. They continue to get blown out, but they play at such a quick pace that it doesn’t really matter. There are still fantasy options when the Sixers play because most of the players in these games end up covering their value by the end of 3 quarters. The Nets do not defend PG’s or Centers well and those are the two positions to target here.
- Tony Wroten – MCW is out once again tonight so look for Wroten to continue his hot streak. He seems to top 25 fantasy points every night and he has a great matchup against Williams and the Nets. He offers great value for his price on most sites.
- Spencer Hawes – I like Hawes a lot tonight. I think Lopez is going to have a really tough time defending him on the perimeter and we have seen games where Hawes just sits at the 3-point line and launches.
Brooklyn
The Nets are in a great spot tonight. Anytime a team faces the Sixers, you want to take at least one option on that team. The Sixers rank in the bottom 5 against every single position and are giving up the most points per game in the league. Everyone is in play here, but D-Will and Johnson are my favorite plays here.
- Deron Williams – I do like Brook Lopez here as well, but he’s nursing an injury, so I’d rather take Williams who is in the same price range. Williams has really played well since coming back from his injury and he should post monster numbers against the Sixers who are ranked dead last against PG’s this season.
- Joe Johnson – Johnson is my dark horse pick of the night. He won’t be very highly owned tonight even though he has a great matchup. Johnson has been quiet over the last couple of weeks but a lot of open looks from 3 should change that.
Utah at Miami
- Vegas Line – Miami -12, 198.5 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter
- Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Battier-Bosh
Utah
I’m surprised that the line in this game is only 12. The Jazz have been playing much better of late, but this just doesn’t seem like a great spot for them. Even if Wade ends up sitting out, this Heat team is tough to beat at home and the Jazz have been on the wrong end of too many blowouts this season. You can use Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke in GPP’s, but I will be staying far away from them in cash games.
Miami
Even though the Heat are big favorites tonight, there may be a couple of options if Dwyane Wade sits out tonight. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Mario Chalmers would all see a slight bump if Wade can’t go, but LeBron is a little too expensive for me to trust in cash games. None of the Heat players will be highly owned tonight, so use them as GPP options if you decide to use them at all.