NBA Grind Down: Monday, March 23rd - Page Two
Washington at Golden State – 10:30 PM
- Vegas Line – Golden State -11.5, 203.5 Over/Under
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Pierce-Hilario-Gortat
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Holiday-Barnes-Green-Bogut
| Washington | Golden State | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 203.5 |  | Vegas Total | 203.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 11.5 | Vegas Sprd | -11.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 96.0 | Team Proj. | 107.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.83 | Team Pace | 100.72 | |||||||||
| 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 | John Wall | Bradley Beal | Paul Pierce | Nene Hilario | Marcin Gortat | Proj Starter | Stephen Curry | Justin Holiday | Harrison Barnes | Draymond Green | Andrew Bogut | |
| Opp. Season | 6 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 19 | Opp. Season | 11 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 12 | Opp. Last 7 | 18 | 20 | 6 | 26 | 7 | |
Washington
The Wizards forgot to show up against the Kings last night. Their punishment is having to play Warriors on the second half of back-to-back road games. The Wizards are 11.5-point underdogs, but something tells me that they will play better tonight. If they are somehow able to keep this game close, there could be some terrific fantasy options on both sides.
Opponent Breakdown (Golden State)
Record: 56-13
Points Allowed Per Game: 99.3 (Rank: 14)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 1
Rebounding Differential Rank: 17
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
John Wall (FD: $9600, DK: $8700 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 25.2)
Wall struggled last night against the Kings, but we can forgive him for one bad fantasy outing. He had been on a tear before that game, averaging 45.4 fantasy points in his previous five contests. Wall’s price on DraftKings is still very appealing at $8,700. The Wizards are going to need a big game from Wall if they are going to have any chance of pulling off the upset against the Warriors.
Bradley Beal (FD: $5800, DK: $5800 / MPG: 34 / Usage Rate: 22)
Beal is a borderline elite play tonight at shooting guard. He has scored at least 25 fantasy points in five of his last seven games and he is not going to have to deal with Klay Thompson (doubtful). Beal’s price is depressed and this game will be played at a very quick pace. He’s worth a look tonight, especially on FanDuel where we have to roster two shooting guards.
Golden State
The Warriors are double-digit favorites at home tonight against the Wizards. Klay Thompson is not expected to play in this game, which solidifies the minutes for Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Justin Holiday. Overall, this is not a great matchup for fantasy production. The Wizards are ranked seventh or better in points allowed per game, defensive efficiency, and rebounding differential this season.
Opponent Breakdown (Washington)
Record: 40-30
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.5 (Rank: 7)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 5
Rebounding Differential Rank: 4
Elite Plays
Stephen Curry (FD: $9800, DK: $9400 / MPG: 33 / Usage Rate: 28.2)
Curry is the premier point guard on tonight’s schedule. The question isn’t whether or not he will play well, it’s whether or not he will play enough minutes to reach value at his price point. Steve Kerr loves to give his starters as much rest as possible, which makes targeting Curry a scary proposition in a game where they are favored by 11.5 points. Curry is a strong play tonight, but he does come with some risk in a game that could turn into a blowout.
Secondary Plays
Harrison Barnes (FD: $4400, DK: $4600 and Andre Iguodala (FD: $5000, DK: $4400) would both see a sizable boost if Klay Thompson is unable to play tonight. Both would become serviceable punts at small forward in his absence.