NBA Grind Down: Monday, March 10th - Page 2

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2014-03-10 20:21:43

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Atlanta at Utah

Vegas Line – Atlanta -1.5, 203 Over/Under
Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Antic
Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Williams-Favors

Atlanta

This game has revenge factor written all over it. The Hawks have 3 players on their roster that used to play for the Jazz and the Jazz have Marvin Williams who used to play for the Hawks. If you love to chase that extra motivation that revenge games offer, this one is for you. The Jazz are one of the slowest paced teams in the league, but the total for this game is high enough that I’m not sure we need to factor that in tonight.

The Jazz are a very average team defensively. They are ranked 9th and 12th against PF’s and SG’s, but are ranked 17th or worse against the other 3 positions on the floor. Kyle Korver was a fan favorite in Utah and I could see him having a nice game tonight. DeMarre Carroll is a great value play on DK and FD. Jeff Teague has a solid matchup against the rookie Burke. All these players are solid options tonight.

Paul Millsap – Millsap looks like he is back to being fully healthy. He played 33 minutes in their last game and should see even more tonight against the Jazz. This is Paul’s first game back in Utah and I expect him to really respond well. He will likely be a bit overlooked to as he has only played 2 games since coming back from injury.

Utah

The Jazz have a very nice matchup tonight against the Hawks who have given up at least 102 points in each of their last 6 games. The Hawks are now ranked 17th or worse against all five positions on the floor in terms of fantasy points allowed. The Hawks are also the 4th worst rebounding team in the league which should give a small fantasy booth to both Favors and Hayward. Trey Burke has really played well at home this season. He makes a nice punt option at PG tonight.

Derrick Favors – Favors didn’t play great in his first meeting against the Hawks, but I believe Al Horford was still playing and Favors only ended up playing 21 minutes in that game. Favors is coming off of a very nice game against the Sixers the other night and should be a dominant force on both ends against this under-sized Hawks’ frontcourt.

Gordon Hayward – Hayward is one of those players that is always set at a very tempting price. He has an incredible ceiling, but he also has a very low floor. Even though Carroll is a solid defender, the Hawks have really struggled as a team defensively and I expect this to be a solid outing for Hayward.

Phoenix at L.A.Clippers

Vegas Line – L.A.Clippers -10, 220 Over/Under
Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Green-Tucker-Frye-Len
L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Collison-Barnes-Griffin-Jordan

Phoenix

The Suns could get Eric Bledsoe back for tonight’s game. He is listed as questionable so make sure to check his status later in the day. Having Bledsoe back will likely impact both Goran Dragic and Gerald Green from a fantasy standpoint. Speaking of Green, he has been on fire lately, In his past 4 games, he is averaging over 45 FP’s per game. If Bledsoe does have to sit, don’t be afraid to ride the hot shooting hand of Green.

The Clippers are a very fast-paced team, but they have been very stingy against opposing PG’s this season. Chris Paul and Darren Collison will both spend time on Goran Dragic tonight and that is two very tough matchups. Dragic should be avoided tonight even with the high total set for this game.

Markieff Morris – The Morris train is always a bumpy one. You never really know what you can expect out of him on a nightly basis, but you can’t argue with his upside. Morris is under $6k on FD and DK tonight and is a bargain at that price. Even though he struggled against the Clippers the other night, he got into early foul trouble and never really got it going.

L.A.Clippers

The Clippers continue to be huge favorites everytime that they play at home. They have won 7 straight games and look like a team that is ready for the playoffs. Their matchup tonight against the Suns is a favorable one. Chris Paul struggled in his first two outings against the Suns, but they were both strange games. The Clippers lost by 30 in one game and we saw Collison and Barnes both catch fire in the second game. I like Paul tonight on both FD and DK.

DeAndre Jordan is a solid play at Center tonight, while he is only averaging 6 points per game this season against the Suns, he is averaging 18 rebounds in those contests. Matt Barnes will likely be crashing back down to Earth here soon and with his raised price, I’m not taking the bait on him tonight. Darren Collison should be a solid play again tonight as Jamal Crawford has already been ruled out after coming back from his injury too soon.

Blake Griffin – Griffin also had a quiet game against the Suns the other night, but both Collison and Barnes had huge fantasy performances and I don’t think we can count on that happening again. The Suns are a below average rebounding team and have given up the 4th most FP’s to PF’s over the last 15 days.