NBA Grind Down: Saturday, December 28th
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
Cleveland at Boston
- Vegas Line – Boston -3.5, 195.5 Over/Under
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Miles-Gee-Thompson-Bynum
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Bass
Cleveland
There are a lot of games to get to today, so I will try to focus on the top picks from each team unless there are injuries that you need to keep your eye on.
- Tristan Thompson – Thompson has scored over 25 FP’s in 3 of his last 4 games and has a nice matchup against the Celtics who are ranked 21st against PF’s on the season. The Celtics frontcourt is a bit under-sized and he should have a big game on the glass.
- Kyrie Irving – Irving has been on fire this season at home. He’s averaging close to 40 FP’s at home and has a decent matchup against the Celtics. Even though Avery Bradley is a solid defender, Irving is the motor of this offense and should be able to keep things rolling tonight.
Boston
- Jordan Crawford – Crawford and the C’s are in a bit of a slump, but they should break out of it today against the Cavs. They are small favorites and the Cavs have been awful against PG’s this season. PG’s seem to have career games against the Cavs and I think Crawford should play well.
- Jeff Green – Green is extremely cheap on DS in this morning’s game. Look for him to easily cover his value here. The Cavs are ranked dead last in the league against SF’s.
Brooklyn at Indiana
- Vegas Line – Indiana -13, 194 Over/Under
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Williams-Johnson-Pierce-Teletovic-Garnett
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
Brooklyn
- Mirza Teletovic – The Nets are full of injuries which opens up big minutes for a lot of players. The problem is that they are facing one of the league’s best defenses and they are 13 point underdogs. I wouldn’t pay for any of the big names on the Nets tonight. I do like Teletovic though, he should see big minutes even if this game turns into a blowout. He has a great chance to top 20 FP’s.
Indiana
- Roy Hibbert – I love the matchup for the Pacers, but they are favored by 13 and have been in as many blowouts as anyone this season. For that reason, I will be avoiding the expensive Paul George. Hibbert is in play though, his price is depressed across the board and he is facing a Nets frontcourt that is extremely shorthanded.
- George Hill – Hill is in play thanks to his incredibly cheap price tag. He’s cheap across the board and is an absolute steal on DS tonight at under 8k. Look for him to cover his value with the potential for much more. The Nets have not defended PG’s well this season.
New York at Toronto
- Vegas Line – Toronto -7, 191.5 Over/Under
- New York Proj. Starters – Udrih-Shumpert-Smith-Anthony-Chandler
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Ross-Johnson-Valanciunas
New York
- J.R. Smith – These two teams played last night in New York and face each other again tonight in Toronto. My guess is that 24 hours are not enough for Carmelo to give it a go. If he is out again tonight, look for J.R. to have another big game offensively.
- Beno Udrih – Hopefully a few of you listened when I recommended Udrih yesterday. He had a great game last night and faces the same team tonight. While I don’t expect him to post the exact same numbers, I do think he can top 25 FP’s again.
- Tyson Chandler – Chandler got in foul trouble early and never really got into the flow of the game. Bargnani ended up being the better play of the two. Tonight, I think Chandler outplays him and posts a solid double-double.
Toronto
- Kyle Lowry – Lowry has really been playing well. He seems to top 30 FP’s in every game that he plays. He played great last night against the Knicks and should post similar, if not better, numbers tonight. Beno does not have good defense and Lowry should take advantage. I’m not too high on any of the other Raptors tonight, but DeMar DeRozan makes a decent GPP play.
Detroit at Washington
- Vegas Line – Washington -2.5, 202 Over/Under
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Ariza-Hilario-Gortat
Detroit
- Andre Drummond – Even though the DvP rankings suggest taking Josh Smith, I think his recent play has put his price out of play. Smith is a very inconsistent player and I don’t suggest paying a premium price for him even in a good matchup. I do however like Drummond. He got in foul trouble early last night and should come out and have a great bounce back games. I could see him posting a huge double-double and mixing in a few blocks and steals.
Washington
- John Wall – Wall is one of my favorite overall plays tonight. He has a great matchup against Jennings who doesn’t play much defense and he is playing at home in what is expected to be a very close game. Wall seems to top 35 FP’s every game and I think he could push for 40+ tonight.
- Marcin Gortat – Common thought is that Drummond is one of the best big man defenders in the league, but the Pistons are actually ranked 27th against Centers on the season. Gortat has been in a mini-slump lately and his price has come down. Now is the time to buy low on him, especially with Nene on a minutes limit.
Charlotte at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -5.5, 193.5 Over/Under
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Tolliver-McRoberts-Jefferson
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
Charlotte
- Al Jefferson – I don’t love any of the Bobcats tonight, but I do like Jefferson. He has been playing well and has a favorable matchup against the Hawks who have been below average at defending Centers. I would avoid Kemba Walker as he hasn’t played as good on the road as he has at home. I would also avoid Josh McRoberts as he should come back down to Earth after his big game last night.
Atlanta
- Paul Millsap – With Al Horford done for the year, that opens the door for Millsap to carry this team offensively. He is already putting up career numbers and I expect those numbers to get even better now that Horford is out. Treat Millsap as a top fantasy option tonight, even in a tough matchup.
- Jeff Teague – Teague has been on fire lately and even though he has a tough matchup tonight against Kemba, he may be relied on to shoulder the load offensively with Horford out. Keep using Teague and ride the hot hand.