NBA Grind Down Monday, December 29th - Page Two
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Utah at L.A. Clippers
- Vegas Line – L.A. Clippers -11.5, 203.5 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hood-Hayward-Favors-Kanter
- L.A. Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Barnes-Griffin-Jordan
| Utah | L.A. Clippers | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 203 |  | Vegas Total | 203 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 11.5 | Vegas Sprd | -11.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 96.00 | Team Proj. | 107.50 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 92.56 | Team Pace | 96.38 | |||||||||
| 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 | Trey Burke | Rodney Hood | Gordon Hayward | Derrick Favors | Enes Kanter | Proj Starter | Chris Paul | J.J. Redick | Matt Barnes | Blake Griffin | DeAndre Jordan | |
| Opp. Season | 2 | 22 | 11 | 20 | 15 | Opp. Season | 7 | 9 | 10 | 25 | 4 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 3 | Opp. Last 7 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 29 | |
Utah
Alec Burks is already ruled out for tonight’s game against the Clippers giving Trey Burke another opportunity to have the ball in his hands more. The problem is that the matchup against Chris Paul doesn’t get any tougher. Big men continue to do well against the Clippers as they see a boost in their rebounding rate and usually a few open dunks as a result of aggressive interior help defense.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Derrick Favors — He has struggled in two games against the Clippers so far this year, but this is where he turns it around. Favors is coming off of a 17 point 15 rebound outing against the 76ers (it still counts). More than anything, that showed us that he’s healthy. The minutes are there and the production will follow.
Gordon Hayward — Against the Clippers this season Hayward is shooting 56.8% from the field, 52.9% from behind the arc and nearly 10 points more per game than his season average. The fast pace suits him well and frees him up for more three point opportunities. If the Jazz can keep this close, Hayward is the type of player that can take over in the fourth quarter.
L.A. Clippers
The Clippers are at home tonight against a Jazz team that plays very slow and is in the top ten at defending every position except power forwards. Utah’s defensive efficiency ranks among the worst in the league, so their ability to limit the fantasy production of the opposing teams is directly correlated to pace. If the Clipper are able to control the pace, there should be fantasy goodness everywhere.
Elite Plays
Jamaal Crawford — Crawford had been playing hurt for a while which really impacted his shooting in a bad way. He was a poor fantasy option for a while, so sites had to lower his price. Now, he says that he’s feeling better and we’re seeing the old Jamaal Crawford but his price still hasn’t adjusted back up yet. Take advantage of it while you can.
Secondary Plays
Blake Griffin — The Clippers are one of the best teams in the league at sharing the ball, and Griffin himself has been especially good in that area recently. In his last six games, he is averaging 6.5 assists per game to go along with his 23.2 points and 8.8 rebounds. It’s easier to get multiple high-priced options in your lineup on FanDuel, so pairing him with Cousins will be a popular and likely profitable choice there.