NBA Grind Down: Saturday, March 29th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2014-03-29 16:24:03

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 NBA 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

Detroit at Philadelphia

Vegas Line – Detroit -5.5, 210.5 Over/Under
Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Singler-Smith-Monroe
Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Anderson-Thompson-Young-Sims

Detroit

The Pistons are coming off of a blowout loss to the Heat last night and will look to bounce back against the Sixers tonight. The Sixers currently own a 26 game losing streak, however Vegas only has the Pistons listed as 5 point favorites. The total for this game is set at 210 points and this should be one of the best games to target tonight.

The Sixers are giving up the most points per game this season, they are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, and they are ranked 28th or worse against all five positions on the floor. All five starters from the Pistons are in play and it may smart to employ a Pistons’ mini-stack here. Brandon Jennings and Greg Monroe both make solid plays. Kyle Singler, Rodney Stuckey, and Jonas Jerebko all make nice punt plays.

Andre Drummond – Drummond got off to a quick start against the Heat, but his teammates forgot to show up to the arena and the Pistons were out of that game by halftime. Tonight should be a much different story. Drummond should be able to dominate the glass on both ends of the floor and I have a feeling that we will be seeing plenty of highlight reel dunks from him as well.

Josh Smith – This is the perfect type of game for J-Smoove. He is facing a turnover team that also gets their shots blocked at one of the highest rates in the NBA. Smith is averaging a 17/8/6/3/2 line against the Sixers in their first 3 meetings of the season. That roughly equates to around 45 FP’s per game.

Philadelphia

The Sixers will hope to end their 26 game losing streak tonight and they have a decent shot of doing it. The Pistons are one of the worst defenses in the league and are ranked below average defensively against all five positions on the floor. Thaddeus Young makes a nice upside play here, but his inability to post double-digit rebounds really hurts his consistency. Henry Sims makes a nice play at Center on sites where he is still cheap. James Anderson is also worth a look at SG, he has topped 30 FP’s in back to back games.

Michael Carter-Williams – The Pistons have been one of the worst teams against PG’s this season and I love the matchup against Jennings. In two games against the Pistons this season, MCW is averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. MCW’s price has come down a bit after 3 subpar fantasy performances in a row. It’s a great time to buy low on him.

L.A.Clippers at Houston

Vegas Line – Houston -2, 215 Over/Under
L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Collison-Barnes-Griffin-Jordan
Houston Proj. Starters – Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard

L.A.Clippers

The Clippers and Rockets game has the highest total of the night. The total is set at 217 points and this game is expected to be close throughout. The Rockets have defended the PG and Center positions well this season, but with Patrick Beverley out of the foreseeable future, they will likely drop in the DvP rankings against PG’s.

Blake Griffin – The Rockets have been one of the worst teams against PF’s all season long and this is the first game in a while where we don’t have to factor in a possible blowout for the Clippers. Griffin has topped 45 FP’s in 4 of his last 6 games and has a great chance to reach that mark again tonight.

Chris Paul – Even though the Rockets are solid defensively against PG’s on the season, the defensive drop-off between Beverley and Lin is a big one. CP3 should be able to do just about whatever he wants on the floor and if he can get into the lane at will, he will have plenty of options once he gets there. He’s one of my top plays on the board tonight.

Houston

The Rockets have a nice matchup tonight against the uptempo Clippers. While the Clippers are holding opponents to 100 points per game, the Rockets are projected to score 109 points tonight. The Rockets will be without Patrick Beverley tonight which means Jeremy Lin will draw the start at PG. While I like his uptick in production moving forward, I will likely be avoiding him tonight against the Clippers who are ranked 1st in the league against opposing PG’s.

Dwight Howard has been ruled out for tonight’s game which means Omer Asik will draw another start. Terrence Jones should also see a nice uptick in production with Dwight out. Both make solid plays tonight. Chandler Parsons will likely play around 40 minutes and fill up the stat sheet like he does so well. He makes a terrific play in cash games.

James Harden – Harden is coming off of a huge triple-double in only 31 minutes against the Sixers. He has another solid matchup tonight against the smaller Collison. Harden is at his best in fast-paced games where he can attack the rim and draw fouls. Harden is one of the top fantasy options on the board tonight.

Atlanta at Washington

Vegas Line – Washington -4.5, 197 Over/Under
Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Carroll-Scott-Millsap-Antic
Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Ariza-Booker-Gortat

Atlanta

The Hawks are 5 point underdogs tonight against the Wizards in a game that features a total of 197 points. This will be a pace-down game for the Hawks as the Wizards play at a slower pace. The Wizards have been pretty solid defensively this season. They are giving up 100 points per game to opponents and have been pretty stingy when it comes to fantasy points allowed.

Pero Antic is currently listed as probable for tonight’s game and Kyle Korver has already been ruled out. Korver’s absence gives a small boost to Shelvin Mack. DeMarre Carroll is listed as a GTD, if he is forced to sit that would give a nice boost to Mike Scott and Lou Williams. I don’t love any of the high priced options here, but I don’t mind a couple of the value plays.

Washington

The Wizards have a nice matchup tonight against the Hawks who are giving up the 11th most points per game this season. The Hawks may be extremely thin once again tonight and the Wizards should be able to take advantage of that. Marcin Gortat and Drew Gooden both look like solid plays down low against this under-sized and under-manned frontcourt.

John Wall – Wall has a very favorable matchup against Teague and the Wizards and has some of the best home splits in the NBA. Wall is averaging over 40 FP’s per game at home this season and should continue that tonight. Wall is averaging 20 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds against the Hawks this season.

Bradley Beal – Ariza is also in play here, but Beal has the much better matchup of the two. DeMarre Carroll is a very solid defender and will be defending Ariza. Beal, on the other hand, will be defended by Mack. Beal had a rough outing against the Pacers last night, but should bounce back nicely tonight.

Sacramento at Dallas

Vegas Line – Dallas -10, 208.5 Over/Under
Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-McLemore-Gay-Evans-Cousins
Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert

Sacramento

The Kings are hoping to have Isaiah Thomas back for tonight’s game, but if he is forced to sit out, look for Ray McCallum to draw another start. McCallum has played well in his last two starts, but certainly has more upside than he has shown. He’s a terrific play tonight if Thomas ends up sitting out. The Kings are 10 points underdogs tonight against the Mavs and I just don’t love any plays here for cash games. I like DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay as upside plays in a tournament, but with the potential blowout, they should be avoided in cash games.

Dallas

The Mavericks have a nice matchup tonight against the Kings who are giving up the 5th most points per game this season. The Kings have been average at defending Centers, but are below average against the other 4 positions on the floor. Jose Calderon and Shawn Marion both make decent punt plays. “Dirk Nowitzki(player-profile)”:/players/Dirk_Nowitzki-1346’s price is still depressed across the industry, but his value gets hurt more than anyone else’s if this turns into a blowout.

Monta Ellis – The Kings are one of the worst teams in the league against SG’s. Monta is averaging close to 35 FP’s per game at home this season and I love his matchup against McLemore. Monta has found that high ceiling that he has earlier in the season as he has topped 36 FP’s in 3 of his last 5 games.

Miami at Milwaukee

Vegas Line – Miami -9.5, 200 Over/Under
Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Bosh-Oden
Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Sessions-Middleton-Adrien-Pachulia

Miami

The Heat had a ton of players sit out last night’s game against the Pistons and we could see something similar tonight against the Bucks. There haven’t been any updates on the Heat yet today, but we should have a general idea of who will be playing and who will be sitting by the time the first game tips off. If the Heat are short-handed once again, look to LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Toney Douglas, and Norris Cole for fantasy options tonight. However, if the Heat have all of their players back in the lineup, it’s probably best to avoid them completely against the terrible Bucks.

Milwaukee

The Bucks will be without Nate Wolters and Ersan Ilyasova and may be without Giannis Antetokounmpo and O.J. Mayo as well. Both are dealing with ankle injuries. Hopefully we will get an update on their status later on in the day. While this is an extremely tough matchup, the Bucks have a lot of scrub players that will be seeing some big minutes tonight. My favorites are Khris Middleton, Ramon Sessions, and Jeff Adrien.