NBA Grind Down: Saturday, February 28th - Page Two
San Antonio at Phoenix – 9:00 PM EST
- Vegas Line – Phoenix -1, 208 Over/Under
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Baynes
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Bledsoe-Knight-Tucker-Morris-Len
| San Antonio | Phoenix | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 208 |  | Vegas Total | 208 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 1.0 | Vegas Sprd | -1.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 103.50 | Team Proj. | 104.50 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.51 | Team Pace | 99.36 | |||||||||
| 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 | Tony Parker | Danny Green | Kawhi Leonard | Tim Duncan | Aron Baynes | Proj Starter | Eric Bledsoe | Brandon Knight | P.J. Tucker | Markieff Morris | Alex Len | |
| Opp. Season | 19 | 23 | 26 | 8 | 20 | Opp. Season | 11 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 18 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | Opp. Last 7 | 17 | 27 | 12 | 11 | 6 | ||||||
San Antonio
Nobody expected the Spurs to drop a fifth straight game on Friday night, and they were able to pull out a win against Sacramento. San Antonio is hanging on to the seventh seed right now, but they have three teams within four games of them (Phoenix being one of those teams). The Suns play at a much faster pace than the Spurs, but the Spurs have been able to slow it down in each of the first two meetings (under 200 total both games).
Elite Plays
Gregg Popovich makes it hard to recommend any elite plays from the Spurs.
Secondary Plays
Kawhi Leonard – Leonard and Popovich seem to be back on the same page, and Leonard has put together two good games in a row. Leonard is a guy that can fill up the stat sheet, and it gives him a ton of upside in a matchup like this. Leonard is the one Spur I can trust, and I would consider him in play in all formats tonight.
Phoenix
Phoenix is coming off a big win Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Phoenix is one game behind the Thunder for the eighth seed, and only 4.5 games behind the Spurs for the seventh seed. This is a big home game for the Suns, and currently has the highest total on the night.
Elite Plays
Eric Bledsoe – Since the trades of Thomas and Dragic, Bledsoe is averaging just over 40 fantasy points per game. Bledsoe has seen a slight bump in usage, but has seen a much higher average in minutes. The Spurs have really struggled guarding opposing guards lately, and Bledsoe playing well, will be key to the Suns beating the Spurs.
Secondary Plays
Alex Len – The Suns have unleashed Alex Len, and he is playing very well with the uptick in minutes. He’s played at least 30 minutes in four of his last five games, and was in foul trouble against Denver in the game he didn’t. Len has gone for at least 30 fantasy points in three of his last five games. I think Len will fly under the radar tonight, and be a lower owned center in GPPs.
Milwaukee at Utah – 9:00 PM EST
- Vegas Line – Utah -3, 186 Over/Under
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Middleton-Antetokounmpo-Ilyasova-Pachulia
- Utah Proj. Starters – Exum-Ingles-Hayward-Favors-Gobert
| Milwaukee | Utah | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 186 |  | Vegas Total | 186 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 3.00 | Vegas Sprd | -3.00 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 91.5 | Team Proj. | 94.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.37 | Team Pace | 92.84 | |||||||||
| 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 | Michael Carter-Williams | Khris Middleton | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Ersan Ilyasova | Zaza Pachulia | Proj Starter | Dante Exum | Joe Ingles | Gordon Hayward | Derrick Favors | Rudy Gobert | |
| Opp. Season | 8 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 1 | Opp. Season | 1 | 12 | 21 | 11 | 21 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 20 | 1 | Opp. Last 7 | 9 | 23 | 3 | 23 | 11 | |
Milwaukee
Milwaukee will be traveling to Utah for tonight’s game. This game is sitting at a 185.5 total, which is eight points lower than any other game. Utah is the second slowest team as far as pace goes, and has only allowed over 100 points once out of the last ten games. MCW is still priced too high for the minutes he’s playing, and I just can’t see spending up for him until we see an increase in minutes.
Elite Plays
None.
Secondary Plays
Khris Middleton – Middleton was pretty disappointing last night, but we have to have a short memory for DFS. Middleton hasn’t shown much upside lately, but he’s a consistent guy at a position that is tough to fill. His price across the industry doesn’t put him in the value area, but he has hit 27+ fantasy points in five of his last seven games.
Ersan Ilyasova – Ilyasova has quietly posted double-doubles in two of his last three games. He entered the starting lineup against Chicago on the 23rd, and it looks like he earned some extra playing time. It’s tough to predict the Bucks rotations, so I still wouldn’t trust Ilyasova in my cash game lineups.
Utah
Like I mentioned above, Utah plays at a very slow pace, and it’s tough to target a lot of players from this game. Since the trade on Kanter, it seems like Utah wants to see what they have in Rudy Gobert. Utah is all but out of the playoff picture; they are playing for chemistry, and getting ready to bounce back next season.
Elite Plays
Derrick Favors – Favors has been playing very well this season, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down in the second half of the season. He has at least 30 fantasy points in ten of his last twelve games, and has a solid floor for cash games. He’s a tough GPP play because his upside seems limited with a solid center next to him, and he’s only topped 40 twice in ten games.
Rudy Gobert – Gobert has really benefited from the trade of Kanter, and has played at least 30 minutes in three straight games. He’s posted at least 30 fantasy points in each of those three games. There’s no question Gobert is going to play a ton of minutes for the rest of the season, and is a very solid cash game center. Milwaukee’s front court is very limited these days, and I don’t see anyone that can match up well with Gobert.
Secondary Plays
None.