NBA Grind Down: Saturday, January 18th Page Two
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Utah at Minnesota
- Vegas Line – Minnesota -9.5, 206.5 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Burks-Jefferson-Williams-Favors
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic
Utah
The Jazz are coming off of a big win last night against the Pistons and have been playing some great basketball over the past couple of weeks. The line in this game is borderline for blowout potential, but with the way that the Jazz have been playing, I don’t think I will factor in a blowout here. The Wolves really struggled to defend PG’s, SG’s, and SF’s. The status of Gordon Hayward will determine the value of both Richard Jefferson and Alec Burks. If Hayward is out, continue to use these two as great value plays.
- Trey Burke – Burke has a monster second half last night and should come into this game with a boost of confidence. I love his matchup against Rubio and think he makes a great play if you want to save some cap space by taking a cheaper PG.
Minnesota
The Wolves are in a pretty decent spot tonight, the Jazz struggle to defend PG’s, SF’s, and Centers. While the matchup on paper doesn’t look great for Love, it’s hard to argue against him considering the fact that he will be defended by Marvin Williams. Love should be considered the top overall option tonight. I like the matchup for Rubio, but he has struggled lately and has been losing minutes to Barea in the 4th quarter.
- Nikola Pekovic – Pek should be in for a solid game tonight. The Jazz have not defended the Center position well this season and Pek is one of the more consistent fantasy options at Center. He should easily top 30 FP’s here.
Golden State at New Orleans
- Vegas Line – Golden State -4, 202.5 Over/Under
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Lee-Bogut
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Roberts-Gordon-Aminu-Davis-Smith
Golden State
The Warriors are one of my favorite teams to target tonight. Even though the Pelicans have slowed their pace of play down a bit with Jrue out of the lineup, they have still been below average defensively over the last 15 days. This game has a high total and is expected to be a close game that comes down to the wire. Klay Thompson looks like a solid GPP play and has extra value on sites that award the 3-point bonus. Andrew Bogut also makes a decent play against the short-handed Pelicans.
- Stephen Curry – Curry has been pretty inconsistent lately, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that the Warriors are blowing teams out and he hasn’t had to play a ton of minutes. I think tonight’s game will stay close and Curry should see close to 40 minutes. Love the upside for him tonight against Roberts.
- David Lee – Lee is always one of my favorite cash game plays. If you need an expensive player that you want to be able to count on for consistent fantasy production, Lee is your guy. Even though he will be matched up with Anthony Davis, the Pelicans as a team have not defended the PF position well this season.
New Orleans
The Pelicans have a tall task ahead of them tonight, but they may be getting Tyreke Evans back for this one. He is listed as a game-time decision, but if he can suit up, it will really bolster this team’s second unit. The Warriors have been pretty solid defensively this season, but there are two plays that I like here. Brian Roberts makes a nice punt option at the PG position.
- Anthony Davis – Davis is a great play tonight. The game is expected to be uptempo and high scoring and Davis can put up fantasy points in a hurry. He has topped 35 fantasy points in each of his last 6 games and should top that mark easily against the Warriors.
Portland at Dallas
- Vegas Line – Portland -2, 214.5 Over/Under
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert
Portland
The final game of the night may be the best one. The Blazers are coming off of a big win against the Spurs in San Antonio and now will look to take out the Mavericks in Dallas. This game has the highest total of the night and there are expected to be plenty of fantasy points to go around. Robin Lopez makes a nice value play at Center if you are looking to save some cap space.
- Damian Lillard – Lillard is one of the few players in the league that can absolutely take over a game. He really played well last night and should keep it going tonight against the combo of Calderon and Larkin.
- LaMarcus Aldridge – The Mavericks were one of the best teams in the league at defending PF’s earlier in the season, but are ranked 27th against PF’s over the last 15 days. The Blazers will look to exploit Aldridge’s matchup against Dirk early and often.
Dallas
The Mavericks are always a tough team to predict, but they are expected to be one of the highest scoring teams tonight. Shawn Marion makes a nice play, his price seems a bit depressed across the industry. Monta Ellis makes a solid play, but his price has come up a bit lately. I will likely be using Dirk on a couple of sites, I like him for cash games tonight. I will be avoiding Calderon though, he has been losing minutes to Larkin recently.