NBA Grind Down: Monday, May 4th
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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Chicago at Cleveland – 7:00 PM ET
- Vegas Line – Cleveland -5, 194 Over/Under
- Chicago Proj. Starters – Rose-Butler-Dunleavy-Gasol-Noah
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Shumpert-James-Thompson-Mozgov
| Chicago | Cleveland | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 194 |  | Vegas Total | 194 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 5.0 | Vegas Sprd | -5.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 94.5 | Team Proj. | 99.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.74 | Team Pace | 95.92 | |||||||||
| 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 | Derrick Rose | Jimmy Butler | Mike Dunleavy | Pau Gasol | Joakim Noah | Proj Starter | Kyrie Irving | Iman Shumpert | LeBron James | Tristan Thompson | Timofey Mozgov | |
| Opp. Season | 8 | 20 | 25 | 8 | 12 | Opp. Season | 25 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 8 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | Opp. Last 7 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | ||||||
Chicago
Much like the first-round matchup between the Spurs and the Clippers, this is the series that I am most excited to see in Round 2. The Bulls were the one team that most experts gave a chance to take down the Cavaliers and now that Kevin Love is out, their chances have gotten even better. The Bulls don’t have home-court advantage in this series, but they will try to steal one of the first two games in Cleveland. The Bulls are listed as 5-point underdogs tonight in Game 1 with their team total set at 94.5 points.
Opponent Breakdown (Cleveland)
Points Allowed Per Game: 98.5 (Rank: 12)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 20
Rebounding Differential Rank: 8
Elite Plays
Pau Gasol (FanDuel: $8500, DraftKings: $8500 / MPG: 34 / Usage Rate: 24.4)
With Kevin Love out, the Cavaliers are extremely thin in the front-court. The Bulls will look to beat Cleveland down low and that starts by getting Pau Gasol the ball. He has had a career season and he is coming off of a strong series against the Bucks, averaging 39 fantasy points in 35 minutes per contest. He should see a small boost in minutes in this series and he’ll have a tremendous advantage down low over the likes of Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov.
Derrick Rose (FD: $7500, DK: $7400 / MPG: 31 / Usage Rate: 30.9)
Rose wants to prove that he is still the best point guard in the NBA. He has a chance to prove just that in this series, as he will go mano a mano with Kyrie Irving. Rose showed signs of brilliance against the Bucks in Round 1, but he had trouble with both turnovers and consistency. He should be able to attack the rim at will in this series, as the Cavaliers don’t have an elite shot blocker. Given the lack of options at point guard in this two-game slate, Rose is close to a must-play in cash games.
Joakim Noah (FD: $6500, DK: $6300 / MPG: 31 / Usage Rate: 13.7)
Noah is feeling ill, but he practiced on Saturday and is in no danger of missing tonight’s game against the Cavaliers. Noah played well against the Bucks in Round 1, averaging 30 fantasy points per game. He should be able to replicate that type of production in this series, especially if the Cavaliers go big to try to match up with the Bulls. While Dwight Howard makes the most sense in cash games, Noah deserves consideration on sites that allow you to roster two centers.
Secondary Plays
Jimmy Butler (FD: $8900, DK: $8700 / MPG: 39 / Usage Rate: 21.7)
Mike Dunleavy (FD: $4200, DK: $4900 / MPG: 29 / Usage Rate: 14.3)
Cleveland
The Cavaliers may have swept the Celtics, but they didn’t come out of the series unscathed. They lost Kevin Love for the rest of the postseason and they will be without J.R. Smith for the first two games in Round 2. The loss of Love and Smith opens the door for value in the DFS landscape, which there has been very little of so far in the playoffs. Even though the Cavaliers are short-handed, they are still listed as 5-point favorites with their team total set at 99.5 points.
Opponent Breakdown (Chicago)
Points Allowed Per Game: 98 (Rank: 10)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 11
Rebounding Differential Rank: 5
Elite Plays
Kyrie Irving (FD: $8800, DK: $8500 / MPG: 37 / Usage Rate: 26.1)
With Kevin Love and J.R. Smith out, Irving is going to shoulder a lot of the load offensively in Game 1 against the Bulls. Irving is coming off of a terrific Round 1 series against the Celtics, averaging 38 fantasy points in 41 minutes per game. He’ll likely see an uptick in his minutes and his usage rate in this series. He also draws a favorable matchup against a Bulls’ defense that allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to the point guard position during the regular season.
Tristan Thompson (FD: $4900, DK: $5000 / MPG: 27 / Usage Rate: 13.9)
Thompson is expected to draw the start at power forward tonight against the Bulls. Given the lack of front-court depth, he could realistically push for 35 minutes per game in this series. Foul trouble is a concern with Thompson, but at his price point, that’s a risk that we should be willing to take. He averaged 20 fantasy points in 27 minutes per contest during the regular season. Now that he is expected to start, he immediately becomes one of the best value plays on the board.
Iman Shumpert (FD: $4500, DK: $4100 / MPG: 25 / Usage Rate: 17.2)
The Cavaliers’ starters for Game 1 haven’t been announced yet, but it will likely be either Iman Shumpert or Matthew Dellavedova starting for the suspended J.R. Smith. Shumpert should see 30+ minutes of action tonight and possibly more as he will likely be tasked with defending Jimmy Butler. Shumpert is cheap and should have little trouble reaching his value expectations, given his expected increase in playing time.
Secondary Plays
LeBron James (FD: $11500, DK: $11100 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 32.5)
Timofey Mozgov (FD: $4800, DK: $5200 / MPG: 26 / Usage Rate: 16.1)
Matthew Dellavedova (FD: $2500, DK: $2300 / MPG: 20 / Usage Rate: 12.3)
L.A. Clippers at Houston – 9:30 PM ET
- Vegas Line – Houston -6, 212 Over/Under
- L.A. Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Barnes-Griffin-Jordan
- Houston Proj. Starters – Terry-Harden-Ariza-Jones-Howard
| L.A. Clippers | Houston | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 212 |  | Vegas Total | 212 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 6.0 | Vegas Sprd | -6.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 103.0 | Team Proj. | 109.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.34 | Team Pace | 104.44 | |||||||||
| 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 | Chris Paul | J.J. Redick | Matt Barnes | Blake Griffin | DeAndre Jordan | Proj Starter | Jason Terry | James Harden | Trevor Ariza | Terrence Jones | Dwight Howard | |
| Opp. Season | 3 | 23 | 18 | 29 | 21 | Opp. Season | 2 | 17 | 28 | 18 | 6 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 3 | Opp. Last 7 | ||||||
L.A. Clippers
The Clippers pulled off the impossible. They beat the Spurs in San Antonio in Game 6 and then beat them again at home in Game 7. They would love to have a few days off to rest, but that’s not the case. They have to get right back at it tonight against the Rockets. The big question surrounding the Clippers is the health of Chris Paul. The MRI on his hamstring came back clean, but he is still listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s Game 1. Even if he is able to play through the pain, he will be playing at less than 100%. The Clippers open as 6-point underdogs in Game 1 with their team total set at 103 points.
Opponent Breakdown (Houston)
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.6 (Rank: 17)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 6
Rebounding Differential Rank: 15
Elite Plays
Blake Griffin (FD: $10900, DK: $10300 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 28.1)
Griffin may have had the best first round of any player in the postseason. He averaged 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists per game against the Spurs. With Chris Paul dealing with a hamstring injury, Griffin is going to be the primary option offensively. In addition to his scoring, he has become one of the best passing big men in the NBA. He should have plenty of success in this series against the Rockets, who allowed the second-most fantasy points to the power forward position during the regular season.
Jamal Crawford (FD: $5100, DK: $4500 / MPG: 27 / Usage Rate: 28.2)
Even if Chris Paul is able to play tonight, he will be at less than 100%. Outside of Paul and Griffin, Crawford is the best creator on the Clippers and he may end up having a big role in this series. Crawford is coming off of his best game of the postseason, as he had 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in Game 7 against the Spurs. He should have a much easier time scoring against the Rockets, who are one of the fastest-paced teams in the NBA.
Secondary Plays
DeAndre Jordan (FD: $8900, DK: $8000 / MPG: 34 / Usage Rate: 13.4)
J.J. Redick (FD: $6200, DK: $5000 / MPG: 31 / Usage Rate: 20.5)
Matt Barnes (FD: $4700, DK: $4300 / MPG: 30 / Usage Rate: 14.6)
Houston
The Rockets made quick work of the Mavericks, but they didn’t prove a whole lot in that series. Dallas was short-handed and had to deal with the Rajon Rondo situation. The Rockets have a much tougher test in front of them in the second-round. The Rockets are listed as 6-point favorites tonight with their team total set at 109 points. Their total is easily the highest on the schedule and the Clippers are typically a favorable matchup for fantasy production.
Opponent Breakdown (L.A. Clippers)
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.1 (Rank: 16)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 15
Rebounding Differential Rank: 16
Elite Plays
James Harden (FD: $10300, DK: $10400 / MPG: 37 / Usage Rate: 31.3)
Griffin is the top play at any position tonight, but Harden isn’t far behind. He had a mediocre series against the Mavericks, but he will look to turn it up in Round 2 against the Clippers. Both of these teams love to push the pace and Harden should have plenty of opportunities to score in transition. The Clippers like to throw double-teams his way (especially this season), but the Rockets will develop a game plan to help mitigate that. It also helps that Dwight Howard is healthy, as he didn’t play a single game against the Clippers this season.
Dwight Howard (FD: $8100, DK: $8400 / MPG: 30 / Usage Rate: 23.3)
Howard takes the cake as the premier play at center tonight in this small two-game slate. He is coming off of a terrific series against the Mavericks, averaging 45 fantasy points per game in his last four contests. The Clippers have managed to contain centers well this season, but expect Howard to outplay DeAndre Jordan here. He is a more polished offensive player and he is considerably cheaper than Jordan on FanDuel. Look for Howard to average close to 40 minutes per game in this series.
Secondary Plays
Josh Smith (FD: $6000, DK: $6500 / MPG: 28 / Usage Rate: 24.2)
Trevor Ariza (FD: $6000, DK: $5600 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 16.8)
Corey Brewer (FD: $4300, DK: $4600 / MPG: 26 / Usage Rate: 20.9)