NBA Grind Down: Saturday, December 20th
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 NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review.
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Phoenix at New York
- Vegas Line – Phoenix -5, 204 Over/Under
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Bledsoe-Tucker-Morris-Len
- New York Proj. Starters – Calderon-Hardaway-Wear-Stoudemire-Aldrich
| Phoenix | New York | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 204 |  | Vegas Total | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -5.0 | Vegas Sprd | ||||||||||
| Team Proj. | 104.5 | Team Proj. | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | 98.68 | Team Pace | 92.06 | |||||||||
| 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 | Goran Dragic | Eric Bledsoe | P.J. Tucker | Markieff Morris | Alex Len | Proj Starter | Jose Calderon | Tim Hardaway | Travis Wear | Amar’e Stoudemire | Cole Aldrich | |
| Opp. Season | 3 | 26 | 7 | 21 | 12 | Opp. Season | 13 | 25 | 3 | 9 | 29 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 27 | 10 | Opp. Last 7 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 1 | 27 | |
Phoenix
The Suns travel to New York for a day game to kick off the Saturday slate today. Isaiah Thomas and more recently Goran Dragic have returned from their injuries, though Dragic did complain of fatigue in the second half of their game on Wednesday. After two days off though, we should see a Phoenix squad that is at full strength. Their guards will benefit greatly from the injury to Iman Shumpert, easily the best defender on the Knicks.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Isaiah Thomas — When all three of the trio of Thomas, Dragic and Eric Bledsoe are healthy, it’s tough to roster any in cash games, but the price on Thomas makes him a steal in GPP’s. The elite DvP ranks that New York shows against point guards is deceptive with Calderon back and Shumpert out, and it’s likely to drive his ownership percentage much lower than it should be.
Markieff Morris — Seemingly always in play for GPP’s, Morris could really benefit if the Knicks roll out a lineup with Carmelo Anthony at power forward. His game log against Charlotte is deceptively disappointing because he was ejected after two technical fouls. On a per-minute basis though, the production is certainly there at nearly a point-per-minute, and his price on FanDuel is a bargain.
New York
New York plays way up in pace today against a Suns team that loves to run. J.R. Smith is doubtful to play and Carmelo Anthony is a game time decision again. Both Smith and Melo sitting would again open up more usage opportunities for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Amar’e Stoudemire. The Knicks intended to rest Stoudemire last game, but couldn’t really afford to with all of their injuries, so there’s a slight chance that if Anthony plays that Stoudemire could sit.
Elite Plays
Amar’e Stoudemire — Stoudemire is still a good play at his price regardless of who else is going to be out there on the court with him. For $6,000 on DK he is usually going to get you 30 points, and a 5x multiple in cash games is usually about what you want to target. He’s good to use in a GPP too based on this matchup; Phoenix has given up some monster games to opposing bigs recently, including a three game stretch where Andre Drummond, Chris Bosh and Blake Griffin each went for 45 fantasy points or more.
Secondary Plays
Tim Hardaway Jr. — His price on DraftKings has taken him out of play there, but on FanDuel we can feel comfortable using Hardaway Jr. in cash games and GPP’s if Melo and Smith are ruled out. Much of the scoring responsibility falls on him, and against the Suns and other teams that like to run, you should be looking to target the opposing guards.
Portland at New Orleans
- Vegas Line – Portland -1, 206 Over/Under
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Crabbe-Aldridge-Freeland
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Holiday-Rivers-Babbitt-Davis-Asik
| Portland | New Orleans | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total |  | Vegas Total | 206 | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | Vegas Sprd | 1.0 | ||||||||||
| Team Proj. | Team Proj. | 102.5 | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.28 | Team Pace | 95.02 | |||||||||
| 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 | Damian Lillard | Wesley Matthews | Allen Crabbe | LaMarcus Aldridge | Joel Freeland | Proj Starter | Jrue Holiday | Austin Rivers | Luke Babbitt | Anthony Davis | Omer Asik | |
| Opp. Season | 17 | 13 | 30 | 3 | 15 | Opp. Season | 7 | 4 | 25 | 8 | 18 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 2 | 24 | Opp. Last 7 | 2 | 25 | 11 | 26 | 3 | |
Portland
Triple overtime last night against the Spurs should be enough to scare you off using any Trail Blazers in your cash games. LaMarcus Aldridge played 52 minutes, and Damian Lillard played 53 minutes — and this is the Blazers’ second out of four games in five days — so expect the starters to see well below their minutes average tonight.
Elite Plays
Thomas Robinson — Robinson is probably going to be my favorite GPP play of the day. It’s the perfect storm of his point-per-minute production combined with him burning a bunch of owners last night (decreasing his ownership percentage tonight), and the fact that he will likely be relied on to play more minutes because of how many minutes his teammates played last night.
Secondary Plays
None
New Orleans
The Pelicans are playing some really good basketball over the last week. They beat Cleveland, took Golden State to overtime without Anthony Davis, beat Utah, and then beat the Rockets (with Dwight Howard) in Houston despite not having Tyreke Evans for that game. Their chances against an exhausted Blazers squad are very good, especially if Evans is able to return.
Elite Plays
Anthony Davis — While earlier in the year it was optimal to start with Davis in your lineup and build your team around him, the increased price has dictated that we can only use him if enough value plays present themselves. At home tonight, he’s certainly the favorite to end up as the top point scorer of the slate.
Ryan Anderson — Anderson’s shooting touch has been a big reason for the Pelicans’ recent success. In his last four games, he’s taken 35 threes and made 17 of them! Omer Asik heads to the bench in favor of the Davis-Anderson pairing in the key stretches of the game lately, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Anderson crack the starting lineup at some point.
Tyreke Evans — The Clippers stack of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan totalled 145.75 DK points last night, and tonight stacking Davis, Anderson and Evans (if healthy) could yield similar results. Evans has dealt with swelling in his knee and is a game-time decision, but he’s always a great option against teams without elite rim protectors. The best rim protector on the Blazers is Robin Lopez, currently sidelined.
Secondary Plays
None
Utah at Charlotte
- Vegas Line – Charlotte -4, 192 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Burks-Hayward-Favors-Kanter
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Kidd-Gilchrist-Zeller-Jefferson
| Utah | Charlotte | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 192 |  | Vegas Total | 192 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 4.0 | Vegas Sprd | -4.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 94.0 | Team Proj. | 98.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 92.82 | Team Pace | 94.13 | |||||||||
| 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 | Trey Burke | Alec Burks | Gordon Hayward | Derrick Favors | Enes Kanter | Proj Starter | Kemba Walker | Gerald Henderson | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | Cody Zeller | Al Jefferson | |
| Opp. Season | 29 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 16 | Opp. Season | 9 | 9 | 15 | 28 | 2 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 23 | 8 | 22 | 25 | 6 | Opp. Last 7 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 23 | 14 | |
Utah
The 28th ranked in pace Jazz travel to Charlotte to face the 25th in pace Hornets. This is going to be a slow game that I don’t want much exposure to, and even on a shorter slate, you can safely avoid it. Derrick Favors recently returned from an ankle injury, so if the team decides to rest him on the back end of a back-to-back, then Rudy Gobert would again become a top value play.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Trey Burke — Burke is likely to go somewhat unnoticed tonight in what is a great matchup for him. Despite average to above-average rankings against four positions, the Hornets are among the league’s worst at defending point guards. Look for Burke to comfortably pass the 30 fantasy point mark tonight.
Charlotte
It’s pretty rare that Charlotte plays down in pace, but such is the case tonight. As stated above, I’m not really touching this game, though the injury to Lance Stephenson (doubtful to play) does free up some value. If you’re looking for a narrative, Al Jefferson played for Utah two years ago and had double-doubles in both games against them last year.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Gary Neal — As a punt play on FanDuel, Neal is a very safe option. Though he’s not starting for Stephenson, the injury will free up more minutes. Neal is the leader of the second unit, and the backups could see a little more action with this being the back end of a back-to-back.
Atlanta at Houston
- Vegas Line – Houston -4, 201 Over/Under
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Schroder-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
- Houston Proj. Starters – Beverley-Harden-Ariza-Motiejunas-Howard
| Atlanta | Houston | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 201 |  | Vegas Total | 201 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 4.0 | Vegas Sprd | -4.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 98.5 | Team Proj. | 102.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.71 | Team Pace | 97.28 | |||||||||
| 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 | Dennis Schroder | Kyle Korver | DeMarre Carroll | Paul Millsap | Al Horford | Proj Starter | Patrick Beverley | James Harden | Trevor Ariza | Donatas Motiejunas | Dwight Howard | |
| Opp. Season | 4 | 5 | 20 | 26 | 7 | Opp. Season | 6 | 22 | 16 | 13 | 6 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 30 | 26 | Opp. Last 7 | 3 | 24 | 18 | 24 | 4 | |
Atlanta
It looks like the Hawks are likely to be without Jeff Teague again, freeing up the Dennis Schroder and Shelvin Mack value plays. Both would see plenty of Patrick Beverley and have seen their prices quickly rise, making them less of the must-plays that the were in their last game. Houston has struggled against both forward positions this year, but just traded for Corey Brewer to give them some depth and hopefully some added defense.
Elite Plays
Dennis Schroder — There’s still some value in Schroder out there, especially on Fantasy Aces at $3,900. Yes the matchup is tough, but the increase in minutes is likely to cancel the tough matchup out. Mack got more minutes than most people expected because he couldn’t miss anything. He went 6-6 from beyond the arc, and there’s no way that happens again tonight.
Secondary Plays
Al Horford — Horford’s production in his last four games is more in line with what we expected from him entering the season. His price is based largely on his early season struggles and hasn’t caught up yet. Again, the matchup against Dwight Howard isn’t an easy one, which limits him to consideration as a GPP-only option.
Houston
The Rockets had a busy day yesterday trading for Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved. Neither should have an immediate impact and will play only small roles. The Rockets are happy to have Dwight Howard back and he’s had a big impact since returning from injury. Despite Dwight’s return, James Harden is at a season-high salary across the industry yet he still remains a tempting cash game play.
Elite Plays
James Harden — I’m comfortable throwing his last game out since it was the back end of a back-to-back and the front end was an overtime game in Denver. The three games before that he scored 61.5+ DK points in each. Over his last six games he’s attempted a low of 20 and a high of 32 field goals. He gets to the free throw line more than anyone in the league and is a triple double threat every game. Kyle Korver simply cannot cover Harden, so look for the Hawks to get creative.
Dwight Howard — The most encouraging thing about Dwight’s return has been that he’s averaging 36 minutes per game. There do not appear to be any limitations, and he’s doing a lot with the minutes, scoring 42+ DK points each game. Out of all of the elite options out there tonight, Dwight has the most upside because of his reduced price. Use him in cash and GPP’s.
Secondary Plays
Trevor Ariza — Ariza has been playing 40+ minutes pretty much every game, and this might be the last time he gets so many minutes with the addition of Corey Brewer. Ariza doesn’t ever seem to do a lot with the minutes he’s given, but he hovers right around value and never kills your roster, and sometimes all you’re looking for is a glue-piece to your lineup.
San Antonio at Dallas
- Vegas Line – Dallas -3, 205 Over/Under
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Joseph-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Diaw
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Rondo-Ellis-Parsons-Nowitzki-Chandler
| San Antonio | Dallas | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 205 |  | Vegas Total | 205 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 3.0 | Vegas Sprd | -3.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 101.0 | Team Proj. | 104.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.17 | Team Pace | 96.23 | |||||||||
| 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 | Cory Joseph | Danny Green | Kawhi Leonard | Tim Duncan | Boris Diaw | Proj Starter | Rajon Rondo | Monta Ellis | Chandler Parsons | Dirk Nowitzki | Tyson Chandler | |
| Opp. Season | 25 | 16 | 18 | 4 | 10 | Opp. Season | 8 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 14 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 28 | 2 | 30 | 3 | 11 | Opp. Last 7 | 26 | 17 | 3 | 18 | 28 | |
San Antonio
Coming off of two triple overtime games, everyone is fully expecting to see the Spurs B Team tonight. At the time of this writing, nothing has come out on any player, so it’s pretty tough to analyze the situation. Dallas and Rajon Rondo in Boston have both struggled with defending point guards, so it would set up very nicely if Tony Parker came back and the other Spurs regulars sat.
Elite Plays
Tony Parker / Cory Joseph — I’m interested in whoever starts at point guard for San Antonio tonight. When Duncan sits, you see the Spurs running up-tempo quite a bit, and Dallas is going to prefer to do the same. Dallas ranks 24th against point guards while Boston was ranked 22nd with Rondo.
Secondary Plays
Danny Green — It sure feels like this could be a Danny Green game, but he played a combined 96 minutes in the last two games! That said, the Spurs will have to suit some guys up and it would be surprising if the starters didn’t get at least 30 minutes with what is assumed will be a very small bench. Green has been shooting the ball a lot and depending on the news that breaks, he could end up being the best offensive option that the Spurs have.
Dallas
The big news out of Dallas is the Rajon Rondo trade. We need to pay attention not only to how the guard situation goes, but also what the impact of losing Brandan Wright will be. Early reports suggest that Monta Ellis will still be the preferred pick and roll option, which is interesting since Rondo might be the worst guard at shooting in the league, which frees up his defender to help.
Elite Plays
Rajon Rondo — Rondo goes from being by far the best player on his team in Boston, to arguably the third-best player in Dallas. The teammates around him are much more talented than what he had in Boston, so you’d expect Rondo’s assist numbers to go up. He hasn’t been much of a scorer this year in Boston, so the fact that Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki want to get up a lot of shots doesn’t negatively impact him. A new player at home is always amped up, so he should be aggressive. He likes to push the pace, which is going to be encouraged by Rick Carlisle. His teammates — the team that made sure Tyson Chandler went off against his old team (the Knicks) — will all be actively looking to get Rondo going and he makes for a great GPP play.
Dirk Nowitzki — It’s starting to finally rise, but Dirk’s price on DK has been robbery for your cash games. Even with the jump from $6,100 to $6,700 he provides some salary relief for you if you need a solid mid-range option.
Secondary Plays
None