NBA Grind Down Monday, November 24th - Page Two
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Indiana at Dallas
- Vegas Line – Dallas -13.5, 197.5 Over/Under
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Sloan-Hill-Copeland-Scola-Mahinmi
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Nelson-Ellis-Parsons-Nowitzki-Chandler
| Indiana | Dallas | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 197.5 |  | Vegas Total | 197.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 13.5 | Vegas Sprd | -13.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 91.75 | Team Proj. | 105.25 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 92.27 | Team Pace | 95.37 | |||||||||
| 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 | Donald Sloan | Solomon Hill | Chris Copeland | Luis Scola | Roy Hibbert | Proj Starter | Jameer Nelson | Monta Ellis | Chandler Parsons | Dirk Nowitzki | Tyson Chandler | |
| Opp. Season | 15 | 14 | 22 | 7 | 11 | Opp. Season | 23 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 30 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 13 | 28 | 10 | 10 | 20 | Opp. Last 7 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 17 | 30 | |
Indiana
The Pacers just can’t seem to escape the injury bug. In addition to all of the injuries that have already piled up, they will now be without Roy Hibbert, who sprained his ankle the other night. The Pacers travel to Dallas to take on a very talented Mavericks team. They are currently 13.5-point favorites, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one get out of hand by halftime. It will be tempting to target a few Pacers tonight, but I think I will look another direction.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Ian Mahinmi (FD: $3900, DK: $3400 / MPG: 17 / Usage Rate: 13)
With Roy Hibbert out, Mahinmi is expected to draw the start at center. He’s only played limited minutes off the bench this season, but he did have 12 points and 10 rebounds the other night after Hibbert went down with his injury. At close to minimum-salary, he’s worth a look tonight, even in a tough matchup against Tyson Chandler.
Lavoy Allen (FD: $4500, DK: $3000 / MPG: 23 / Usage Rate: 15.9)
Roy Hibbert’s absence could mean extended playing time for Allen off the bench. He’s played well this season when given playing time. He has topped 17 fantasy points (FD scoring) in six of his last seven games, and could see upwards of 30 minutes tonight against the Mavericks.
Dallas
The Mavericks are already a tough team to target in daily fantasy basketball. Now, we throw in a potential blowout against one of the slowest-paced teams in the league. This is not a game that I want to have very much exposure to as I fully expect the Mavericks to take care of business at home. With six other games on the schedule, there aren’t any must-plays on the Mavericks tonight.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Tyson Chandler (FD: $6300, DK: $6200 / MPG: 27 / Usage Rate: 14.5)
Chandler has had a couple of bad fantasy outings this season, which has kept his price at a very playable level. While his minutes per game (27) aren’t exactly where we want them to be, he is a good play tonight against the Pacers, who are ranked dead last in fantasy points allowed to opposing centers.
Chicago at Utah
- Vegas Line – Chicago -2, 192.5 Over/Under
- Chicago Proj. Starters – Rose(?)-Butler-Dunleavy-Gasol(?)-Noah
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Burks-Hayward-Kanter-Favors
| Chicago | Utah | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 192.5 |  | Vegas Total | 192.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -2.0 | Vegas Sprd | 2.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 97.25 | Team Proj. | 95.25 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.43 | Team Pace | 93.04 | |||||||||
| 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 | Trey Burke | Alec Burks | Gordon Hayward | Enes Kanter | Derrick Favors | |
| Opp. Season | 20 | 6 | 26 | 27 | 3 | Opp. Season | 16 | 13 | 25 | 13 | 24 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 14 | 18 | 27 | 15 | 9 | Opp. Last 7 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 29 | |
Chicago
The Bulls have ruled out Taj Gibson for tonight’s game. Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, and Kirk Hinrich are all headed for game-time decisions. With this game being a 9:00 ET start, we may not hear anything about them until after the first game tips off. Tonight’s game against the Jazz is expected to be slow-paced, but the Jazz are ranked 27th in defensive efficiency. Depending on injuries, it may not be a bad idea to take a few Bulls’ players tonight.
Elite Plays
Joakim Noah (FD: $8000, DK: $7200 / MPG: 31 / Usage Rate: 14.6)
Noah is one of my favorite plays at center tonight, even if Pau Gasol plays. He should see some extended playing time with Taj Gibson out, and the offense will run through him if Gasol is out as well. Noah is averaging 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists per game over his last seven, and should be able to replicate that tonight against the Jazz.
Jimmy Butler (FD: $7700, DK: $7400 / MPG: 39 / Usage Rate: 21.9)
Butler has been terrific for the Bulls this season. He is averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. While those are impressive, my favorite stat is that he is averaging close to 40 minutes per game. He’s one of the top SG plays tonight.
Secondary Plays
Aaron Brooks (FD: $4100, DK: $4900 / MPG: 20 / Usage Rate: 26.9)
This pick hinges on the health of Derrick Rose. As of this morning, Kirk Hinrich was listed as doubtful, while Derrick Rose was listed as a game-time decision. Worst case scenario for Brooks is that he will play back-up PG to Rose who likely won’t top 25 minutes anyway. Brooks is in play either way, but if he ends up getting the start, he’s as close to a must play as you are going to find. Brooks is averaging close to one fantasy point per minute and has a very high usage rate of 26.9 when he is on the floor.
Nikola Mirotic (FD: $3700, DK: $4300 / MPG: 14 / Usage Rate: 19.3)
The Bulls will be short-handed in their front-court again tonight. Taj Gibson has already been ruled out, while Pau Gasol is currently listed as a game-time decision. Mirotic saw a huge boost in minutes and production with these two out the other night. He finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists in 35 minutes of action. Even if Gasol plays tonight, Mirotic should see 25+ minutes off the bench.
Utah
Last season, a matchup against the Bulls was an automatic avoid for fantasy purposes. That hasn’t been the case this season though. The Bulls have played at a quicker pace, and they’ve been much worse on the defensive end of the floor. The Bulls have also struggled to rebound the basketball, as they are ranked 20th in rebounding differential.
Elite Plays
Gordon Hayward (FD: $7500, DK: $7600 / MPG: 34 / Usage Rate: 24.4)
Small Forward is a tough position tonight. You can pay up for LeBron James, but it’s going to be hard to fit both James and Harden in the same lineup. For that reason, I will likely be targeting the mid-range at SF. Hayward is off to a great start this season, averaging 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He has the highest usage rate of any player on the Jazz at 24.4. Tonight he draws a favorable matchup against the Bulls, who are ranked 25th in fantasy points allowed to opposing SFs this season.
Secondary Plays
Derrick Favors (FD: $7000, DK: $7100 / MPG: 30 / Usage Rate: 22.9)
Favors continues to frustrate those of us that play daily fantasy basketball. He has a ton of talent, he just can’t seem to string together good fantasy outings. His inconsistency takes him out of cash game consideration, but he offers good upside for tournaments. The Bulls front-court will be short-handed and they have struggled on the glass this season.