NBA Grind Down: Monday, November 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: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Minnesota at Cleveland
| Minnesota | Cleveland | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 196.5 |  | Vegas | 196.5 | |||||||
| Spread | 2.0 | Spread | -2.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 100.93 | Pace | 98.43 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 21 | 8 | 25 | 5 | 8 | Season | 4 | 21 | 18 | 11 | 19 | |
| Last10 | 21 | 8 | 25 | 5 | 8 | Last10 | 4 | 21 | 18 | 11 | 19 | |
| Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic | Irving-Waiters-Clark-Thompson-Varejao | |||||||||||
Minnesota
The Wolves are playing at a much quicker pace than they did last season. They are currently the 5th highest scoring team in the league at 109.7 points per game. This could explain the slow start for Nikola Pekovic, he’s a player that excels in the half court. He’s certainly not going to beat anyone down the floor. This is something to watch during the first few weeks of the season.
The Wolves take on the Cavs tonight in Cleveland. Vegas expects this to be a very close, fairly high scoring game which is great for the fantasy appeal of this game. The Cavs interior defense has been very solid so far this season, but they have really struggled against PG’s. I also wouldn’t put too much stock in their PF rankings as Love is just a different animal.
Players to Target
- Ricky Rubio – Rubio is averaging 12 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals per game this season. Those are very impressive numbers. One of my favorite reasons to take Rubio is that he doesn’t rely on scoring to get his fantasy points so even if he is not shooting well, he can still cover his value by doing everything else on the court. Rubio has a good matchup against Kyrie and should post similar numbers to his averages.
- Kevin Love – The Cavs are currently ranked 5th against opposing PF’s this season, but they haven’t faced anyone near the caliber of Love. You saw what Love did to the good interior defense of the Knicks last night. Love is basically matchup proof and gets so many easy buckets that it’s hard not to consider him the top option every night that he takes the floor.
Cleveland
The Cavs are playing at a fairly quick pace with 98 possessions per 48 minutes, however they have not been shooting the ball well and are ranked dead last in points scored per game. Many people projected the Cavs to take a big step forward this season, but they are going to have to start playing better for that to happen. The quiet start by Kyrie shouldn’t concern you, he’s still a top 8 fantasy PG and he should be treated as such.
The Cavs matchup against the Wolves is a good one. The Wolves are giving up about 99 points per game and have struggled to guard every position except for PG this season. I expect those rankings to flip flop here in the next few weeks though. Rubio is easily their worst on ball defender and Love and Pekovic are two of the better defending big men in the league.
Players to Target
- Kyrie Irving – Irving has been very quiet to start the season. His high in minutes is only 34 and his high in points scored is only 16. I expect him to top both of those numbers tonight against the Wolves. He’s had some issues with foul trouble early on and has struggled to get used to playing with Jarrett Jack. Like I mentioned above, Rubio is one of the worst on ball defenders that you will find.
- Anderson Varejao – Before he got hurt last season, Varejao was averaging 14 points and 14 rebounds per game. He’s not getting quite as many minutes as he did last season but I blame his slow start on rust. He is a great hustle player that just outworks his opponents. His price is very affordable across the board and I think this is the night that he breaks out.
Golden State at Philadelphia
| Golden State | Philadelphia | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 212.0 |  | Vegas | 212.0 | |||||||
| Spread | -7.0 | Spread | 7.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 102.79 | Pace | 103.20 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 24 | 5 | 30 | 23 | 6 | Season | 28 | 17 | 8 | 20 | 13 | |
| Last10 | 24 | 5 | 30 | 23 | 6 | Last10 | 28 | 17 | 8 | 20 | 13 | |
| Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Lee-Bogut | Carter-Williams-Anderson-Turner-Young-Hawes | |||||||||||
Golden State
The Warriors are one of my favorite teams to see on the schedule. They have plenty of fantasy options on their team and give a big boost to their opponents fantasy values as well. The Warriors are the 2nd highest scoring team in the league and are giving up 102 points per game. A quicker tempo never hurts either team’s fantasy value.
The Warriors travel to Philly to take on the Sixers. Vegas expects this game to be close and high scoring, in fact the 212 total of this game is the highest of the night. The Sixers have been bad on defense all around so the Warrior’s picks really come down to which players have the better value.
Players to Target
- Stephen Curry – Curry is the best shooter in the game and he isn’t shy about pulling the trigger. He is a little less valuable on sites that negate for missed shots, but he’s in play on sites across the board thanks to his matchup. Curry will be matched up against MCW who got torched by John Wall the other night. I expect Curry to put on a clinic in this one.
- David Lee – Lee is still underpriced on a few sites. One site in particular is Starstreet. I think he is close to a must play over there. Lee is a very consistent option at PF that is a low risk, medium reward play tonight against the Sixers. Look for Lee to be a lock for 15 and 10 tonight.
Philadelphia
The Sixers have really changed their offensive gameplan this season. They are actually playing at a faster pace than the Warriors and are the 4th highest scoring team in the league. They are a very talented group of young players that can all run the floor well. They are still gelling as a team, but they have to be excited about the way that MCW has been playing.
I love the matchup for them tonight against the Warriors. If there is a game to stack players from, this is it. There are going to be a lot of points scored in this one and don’t be surprised if they hit the over of 212. The Warriors have been good against two positions this season: SG and C. It’s not surprising that their two best defenders (Iguodala and Bogut) play those positions.
Players to Target
- Michael Carter-Williams – MCW is a playmaker. He’s still young and very raw, but you have to love the way he plays the game. He backed up his big first game against the Heat with two solid games against the Wizards and Bulls. His price is rising across the board, but it still looks a little low to me. My favorite part about this play tonight is that he is at home.
- Thaddeus Young – Thaddeus has been all over the board with his fantasy performances this season. He’s scored 19, 40, and 27 fantasy points. While you would like him to be a bit more consistent, he has great upside and should be a better option tonight than Hawes.
Boston at Memphis
| Boston | Memphis | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 186.5 |  | Vegas | 186.5 | |||||||
| Spread | 11.5 | Spread | -11.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 93.27 | Pace | 96.98 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 11 | 15 | 29 | 14 | 18 | Season | 13 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 29 | |
| Last10 | 11 | 15 | 29 | 14 | 18 | Last10 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 29 | |
| Bradley-Green-Wallace-Bass-Faverani | Conley-Allen-Pondexter-Randolph-Gasol | |||||||||||
Boston
The Celtics have a long season ahead of them, including a very tough night against the Grizzlies tonight. These two teams are two of the slower paced teams in the league and the line for his game has the Grizzlies favored by 11.5. Even with the short slate of games, it’s going to be hard to take many players from this game with the potential blowout. If you are going to target any Cetlics, make it the value players.
Players to Target
- Brandon Bass – Bass makes a decent pick for one reason and one reason only: minutes. He is playing 30+ minutes each night and is actually more involved on offense than he has been in the last few years. He has an extremely tough matchup against Z-Bo and Gasol, but the price is good and he should be able to cover his value.
Memphis
The Grizzlies have picked up their pace a little this season, but they are still a team that is going to win in the half court. They have one of the best defenses in the league and the truth is that Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol just wouldn’t excel in an uptempo style of offense. The Grizzlies are huge favorites in this game and I wouldn’t be afraid to fade the Grizzlies altogether.
Players to Target
- Marc Gasol – Gasol is the one Grizzlies player that I will be targeting tonight. The Celtics big men are both undersized and the C’s are currently ranked 29 against opposing Centers. Marc can fill up the stat sheet and will usually get a couple of blocks and steals which always helps your fantasy point total. Gasol should put up nice numbers against the 6’11” Faverani.
Houston at L.A.Clippers
| Houston | L.A.Clippers | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 208.0 |  | Vegas | 208.0 | |||||||
| Spread | 5.0 | Spread | -5.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 97.51 | Pace | 100.67 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 18 | 4 | 21 | 26 | 20 | Season | 7 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 11 | |
| Last10 | 18 | 4 | 21 | 26 | 20 | Last10 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 11 | |
| Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Asik-Howard | Paul-Redick-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan | |||||||||||
Houston
There are a lot of high scoring teams playing tonight. The Rockets are currently the 10th highest scoring team in the league but they should climb the rankings as the season goes on. They are still not giving Dwight enough touches down low, but there are only so many shots to go around even if you play with a quick pace.
This should be a great game to watch. Both of these teams are trying to become contenders in the West and they’ve both played pretty well to start the season. This game has the 2nd highest over/under of the night and their should be plenty of fantasy points to go around.
+Players to Target*
- Dwight Howard – Dwight has had 10 or less field goal attempts in two of the three games this season. That’s just not enough touches in the post. I would expect that the Rockets want to get him more involved, but the Lakers never found a way to do that last year. The Clippers have struggled against Centers this season and even if Dwight isn’t scoring, he should have no problem padding his rebounds and blocks.
- Chandler Parsons – I love Parsons individual matchup tonight. Jared Dudley is not a great defender and Parsons is coming off of his best game so far this season. Parsons can fill up the stat sheet and plays over 35 minutes on most nights.
L.A.Clippers
Chris Paul is off to an amazing start. He’s averaging close to 55 fantasy points per game and has the Clippers playing with incredible efficiency. They are the highest scoring team in the league and should only add to that tonight against this bad defense of the Rockets. While DeAndre Jordan has played well, I don’t like the matchup against Dwight, he could get into early foul trouble and be forced to sit most of the game.
+Players to Target*
- Chris Paul – Paul is making an early case for MVP. He has this offense humming and has a dream matchup against Jeremy Lin and the Rockets tonight. I have him ranked 2nd overall tonight right behind Kevin Love.
- Blake Griffin – Griffin will likely be matched up against Asik and if so, you have to love his prospects. Griffin should beat Asik up and down the floor every time down and be on the receiving end of a few CP3 alley-oops.
- J.J. Redick – Redick is a great scorer so when he gets a good matchup, you should be targeting him. The Rockets seem to overpursue on defense which leads to a lot of open looks.