NBA Grind Down: Saturday, December 21st
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
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Memphis at New York
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Allen-Prince-Randolph-Koufos
- New York Proj. Starters – Udrih-Shumpert-Smith-Anthony-Chandler
Memphis
Two early games today and while not all sites are doing early leagues, there are a few so we will break down these games quickly. Tony Allen will play in this game even after receiving stitches after the last game. The Knicks have been very good down low defensively ranking 1st and 3rd against PF’s and Centers. That said, I think Zach Randolph is in play as the Grizzlies are still short-handed down low. They are expected to get Mike Conley back though.
- Tony Allen – Allen is playing big minutes and has a nice matchup against the Knicks. With Prince doubtful for this game, Allen should be in for another big game. The Knicks are a team that turns the ball over and Allen could grab a few steals tonight.
New York
The Knicks have a tough matchup today. Both of these teams play at an extremely slow pace and this is expected to be one of the lowest scoring games today. The Grizzlies defense rankings have really dropped lately though so I wouldn’t rule out all of the Knicks. Tony Allen would normally be guarding Melo, but if Melo starts at the 4, then I highly doubt Allen will be guarding him. I think Melo is in play.
- Beno Udrih – With Prigioni and Felton both out, Udrih is getting all of the minutes that he can handle at the point. He played great in his start the other night and he should make a great value play again today.
Washington at Boston
- Vegas Line – Boston -1.5, 193.5 Over/Under
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Ariza-Hilario-Gortat
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Bass
Washington
The Wizards and Celtics is expected to come down to the wire. The line is close and the total is right in that average range. The Celtics defense has been very good this season though. Their worst DvP ranking against any position is 17th against it’s against PF’s. With Beal back, that hurts the value of Webster and Ariza. The bigs are a bit too inconsistent for me. And John Wall will be locked up against Bradley who is one of the best on ball defenders in the league. There aren’t any great fantasy options here.
Boston
The Celtics have been playing well and a lot of that has to do with big man Jared Sullinger. He has really started to play well and is coming off of back to back big games. He will look to make it 3 tonight against Gortat and the Wizards. It’s a tough matchup, but I do think he still carries value on sites that haven’t adjusted his price to match his recent production.
- Jeff Green – Green is always one of my favorite plays and I’m not exactly sure why. I like to think that I don’t have any biases in DFS, but I’m starting to wonder if I’m thinking of the Jeff Green from last season. Anywho, the Wizards are ranked 25th against SF’s this season and he has a decent shot of topping 30 FP’s.
Utah at Charlotte
- Vegas Line – Charlotte -4.5, 188 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Williams-Favors
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Taylor-McRoberts-Jefferson
Utah
Right when I start to have a little faith in my hometown team, they go out and put up an absolute dud against the Hawks last night. Hopefully they can bounce back tonight. At least their starters will be well rested. Looking at the DvP rankings of the Bobcats, there are two positions to target here, SF and Center. I’m not going anywhere near Richard Jefferson, but I do think Derrick Favors should play well.
- Derrick Favors – Before last night’s game, Favors had scored over 30 FP’s in 4 of his last 5 games. He is starting to play like the player they know he can be and I think he will put up solid numbers tonight. He will be facing his old teammate Al Jefferson who is not a great defender.
Charlotte
The Bobcats made a huge comeback last night and pulled off an improbable win against the Pistons. Tonight they face the Jazz at home. I’m guessing that this game will be close as the Jazz are in a bounce back spot and the Bobcats are in a letdown spot. This will be the first time that Al Jefferson faces his former team and you have to think that he will have some added motivation. Kemba Walker plays extremely well at home, but Burke has been a solid defender which hurts his value.
- Al Jefferson – Jefferson has scored over 35 FP’s in 4 of his last 5 games and has a great chance to top that mark again tonight. The Jazz have given up the most FP’s to opposing Centers over the last 14 days and Jefferson has that added motivation.
Sacramento at Orlando
- Vegas Line – Orlando -3.5, 202 Over/Under
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Davis-Vucevic
Sacramento
The Kings played well in the first half against the Heat, but they struggled once the Heat turned up their defensive pressure. Tonight they have a much better matchup against the Magic who are ranked 14th or worse against every position except for Center. I wouldn’t rule out DeMarcus Cousins, but I wouldn’t pay the price for him either. Maybe in a GPP, but for cash games, his price tag is just too high.
- Isaiah Thomas – Thomas’ has had a couple of down games which has led to his price coming down a little bit. I love the matchup against the Magic and I think he gets back to playing well tonight. Expect him to play 35+ minutes and top 30 FP’s.
Orlando
The Magic have a great matchup against the Kings. If you look at the Kings’ DvP rankings, you will see a lot of favorable matchups. The Kings really struggle to defend both of the guard positions as well as PF’s. Nikola Vucevic is also in play here, Cousins has never been known for his defense.
- Victor Oladipo – Oladipo is in that price range where you need at least 25 FP’s out of him for him to cover his value. Yet, he has only topped 25 FP’s one time in the last 7 games. This should make people afraid to take him. I think this matchup lines up perfectly with his style of play.
Houston at Detroit
- Vegas Line – Houston -2, 211.5 Over/Under
- Houston Proj. Starters – Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
Houston
The Rockets and Pistons has one of the highest totals of the night. Not only that, but the line in this game makes us think that it should be a close game. Both of these teams are coming off of disappointing losses last night and they should both play better tonight. The Pistons have not defended any position that well this season so you can really take your pick of the bunch here.
- Patrick Beverley – There hasn’t been an update on Lin for tonight’s game, but after sitting out last night, I would imagine he will sit out tonight as well. Beverley should see a ton of minutes as he will be tasked with defending Jennings. Beverley is cheap and has a good shot of topping 25 FP’s.
- Dwight Howard – Howard has really picked up his game over the last few weeks and has a great matchup tonight against Drummond. Even though common thought in the NBA is that Drummond is one of the best defending big men, the DvP rankings suggest otherwise. The Pistons have been below average at defending Centers.
Detroit
The Pistons have a fantastic matchup tonight. I usually like to avoid all Pistons not name Andre Drummond for cash games, but tonight is a different story. Josh Smith has proved that his recent success is not a fluke, look for him to stay aggressive in this one and post another solid stat line. I also like Drummond here, but he could easily get into foul trouble against Dwight, so I would rather save a little bit of cap space and take Greg Monroe instead.
- Greg Monroe – The Rockets are ranked 25th against PF’s this season and Monroe should be able to dominate Jones down low. Monroe has been very consistent by scoring over 25 FP’s in each of his last 6 games. I think he tops 30 FP’s tonight.