NBA Grind Down: Sunday, November 23rd
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: 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
Portland at Boston
- Vegas Line – Portland -5.5, 212.5 Over/Under
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
- Boston Proj. Starters – Rondo-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Olynyk
| Portland | Boston | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total |  | Vegas Total | 212 | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | Vegas Sprd | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| Team Proj. | Team Proj. | 103.5 | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.81 | Team Pace | 100.20 | |||||||||
| 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 | Damian Lillard | Wesley Matthews | Nicolas Batum | LaMarcus Aldridge | Robin Lopez | Proj Starter | Rajon Rondo | Avery Bradley | Jeff Green | Jared Sullinger | Kelly Olynyk | |
| Opp. Season | 26 | 10 | 8 | 30 | 2 | Opp. Season | 17 | 2 | 18 | 6 | 16 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 29 | 26 | Opp. Last 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 2 | |
Portland
There are a few games on this short slate that have huge totals. We are starting off with the first one being Portland and Boston. The Blazers are rolling right now as they have won 6 in a row coming into Sunday’s game. They are putting up some big offensive numbers as they are scoring 104.4 points per game which places them 6th in the league. A good defensive team at home, the Blazers have given up 107.3 points on the road. This game on paper looks to be a fast paced, high scoring affair as the Blazers are 5’ point favorites with a total of 212.
Elite Plays
Damien Lillard – The Blazers are rolling and it is due to the play of Lillard. He has scored at least 39 FD points in his last 5 games straight and has a great matchup as the Celtics and Rondo are 25th in the league in PG points against.
LaMarcus Aldridge – I think both of the studs from the Blazers are in play here tonight. No one on the Celtics could possibly defend LA on the inside as they are last in the league at defending the power forward position. Aldridge has been Mr. Consistent with 35+ FD points in each of his last 6 games. He is easily the top PF with Griffin getting a tough matchup.
Secondary Plays
Wesley Matthews – He gets a ton of minutes per game and will launch up a bunch of threes. In a fast-paced game like this, he could come up big for you tonight.
Boston
Boston scores a lot of points (106.2 for 4th in the league), but they have been on the opposite trend as the Blazers. Boston has lost 4 of 5 with their only win coming against the lowly Sixers. Tonight they will try to get back on track against a very good Blazers squad.
Elite Plays
Rajon Rondo – Rondo is coming off one of his worst games that I can remember as he only had 4 points and 4 assists against the Grizzlies. I will chalk that up to the tough matchup as prior to that game he nearing a triple double in his previous 4 games. He will look to push the pace against Lillard who has not been known for his defense in his first two years.
Secondary Plays
Kelly Olynyk – This is purely a GPP play as he has been very up and down in play and minutes this year. He is coming off a game where he was really the only Celtic to play well and I think there will be very low ownership due to his lackluster efforts prior.
Charlotte at Miami
- Vegas Line – Miami -5, 193 Over/Under
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Stephenson-Williams-Jefferson
- Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Brown-Deng-Williams-Bosh
| Charlotte | Miami | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 193 |  | Vegas Total | 193 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 5.0 | Vegas Sprd | -5.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 94.0 | Team Proj. | 99.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 93.74 | Team Pace | 92.54 | |||||||||
| 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 | Kemba Walker | Gerald Henderson | Lance Stephenson | Marvin Williams | Al Jefferson | Proj Starter | Mario Chalmers | Shannon Brown | Luol Deng | Shawne Williams | Chris Bosh | |
| Opp. Season | 7 | 30 | 10 | 2 | 25 | Opp. Season | 28 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 18 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 9 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 24 | Opp. Last 7 | 17 | 10 | 28 | 7 | 15 | |
Charlotte
The Hornets will look to end their current 4 game losing streak as they go down to Miami. The Hornets are a bit riddled by injury as a lot of wing players such as MKG and Hairston have been forced out with injury. One good sign was the return of Gary Neal and his 17 points off the bench. The Hornets are one of the slowest paced teams on the slate tonight in what should be a low scoring but close game with a total set at 187.
Elite Plays
Al Jefferson – I have been loving Al in the last two games as he has had great matchups and have bounced back from a streak of bad games he was on. His price was way to low at DK, and has risen only a bit. He makes a great play against Bosh tonight as he went for 46.5 FD points when they faced off earlier this year.
Secondary Plays
Lance Stephenson – Lance does a little bit of everything for the Hornets and is being asked to play a ton of minutes with the injuries. If he is cheap on the site you are on, he makes a decent cash game play today as I expect him to continue to score around 30 FD points.
Miami
Miami has not had a whole lot of success recently either. They have won 2 games in their last 6, but currently have a lot of good plays due to injuries. At the time of writing this there has been very little news on whether the likes of Wade and Cole are going to play, but I will treat this game like they will sit. This opens up a few very good value plays for both cash and GPP formats. Do not go overboard as the game has a low total with the Heat being slight -2 point favorites.
Elite Plays
Mario Chalmers – He did not disappoint last night as he got all the minutes he could handle. He went for 42 FD points and played 34 minutes. If he gets the chance again, he makes one of the best low-mid range plays at the PG position. Kemba is one of the worst PG defenders in the league which only makes Chalmers more reliable for points tonight.
Secondary Plays
Shabazz Napier – Same thing applies here as does with Chalmers, he is dirt cheap and will get his minutes.
Chris Bosh – He has been so consistent at the Center position all year long. His price is getting a little high, but especially with the injuries, he is looked upon as the number 1 scorer for this Heat squad. The reason he is not Elite is because I do like some other plays at Center who are a lot less in price.
L.A. Clippers at Memphis
- Vegas Line – Memphis -3, 197 Over/Under
- L.A. Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Barnes-Griffin-Jordan
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Lee-Allen-Randolph-Gasol
| L.A. Clippers | Memphis | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 197 |  | Vegas Total | 197 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 3.0 | Vegas Sprd | -3.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 97.0 | Team Proj. | 100.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.43 | Team Pace | 94.10 | |||||||||
| 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 | Chris Paul | J.J. Redick | Matt Barnes | Blake Griffin | DeAndre Jordan | Proj Starter | Mike Conley | Courtney Lee | Tony Allen | Zach Randolph | Marc Gasol | |
| Opp. Season | 2 | 5 | 12 | 14 | 7 | Opp. Season | 9 | 9 | 21 | 9 | 19 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 11 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 20 | Opp. Last 7 | 3 | 14 | 19 | 6 | 22 | |
L.A. Clippers
This is going to be a very interesting game to watch as two of the elites squads in the NBA will face off tonight. The total is set for 197 in this game which would have been unheard of for a Grizzlies team in year past. Yet, they continue to be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA as they are 3rd in the league at points allowed (92.5).
Elite Plays
Chris Paul – Due to the inside defense of the Grizzlies, I think a lot will be on CP3 to carry the load on the offensive end tonight. He seems like he will be up for the task as he has scored 35+ FD points in 8 of his last 9 games. He is tough to pay up for against the Grizzlies, but I think he puts up a solid effort tonight.
Secondary Plays
None – I do not want to pay up for Blake tonight, even though he could put up a big game, I don’t trust it.
Memphis
Memphis was battling the flu as a team recently, but it looks to be past them. The flu did not exactly stop Memphis from winning as they are 11-2 on the season and will look to keep winning tonight at home against the Clippers. Still a very good defensive team, the Grizzlies have picked it up a bit on the offensive end this year as they are in the middle of the league at points scored.
Elite Plays
Zach Randolph/Marc Gasol – It is hard to pick between these two guys as their salaries are similar and they put up very similar numbers. I think both of them put up solid games against the inside defense of the Clippers who are in the bottom third of the league against both PF and C positions.
Secondary Plays
None
Golden State at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – Golden State -8, 194 Over/Under
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Barnes-Green-Bogut
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Roberson-Thomas-Ibaka-Adams
| Golden State | Oklahoma City | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 194 |  | Vegas Total | 194 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -8.0 | Vegas Sprd | 8.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 101.0 | Team Proj. | 93.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 101.68 | Team Pace | 92.62 | |||||||||
| 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 | Stephen Curry | Klay Thompson | Harrison Barnes | Draymond Green | Andrew Bogut | Proj Starter | Reggie Jackson | Andre Roberson | Lance Thomas | Serge Ibaka | Steven Adams | |
| Opp. Season | 24 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 23 | Opp. Season | 27 | 19 | 1 | 21 | 1 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 21 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 18 | Opp. Last 7 | 8 | 23 | 9 | 24 | 11 | |
Golden State
The Golden State Warriors are crusing along this year to a 9-2 record. The biggest problem for fantasy purposes is they seem to blow a lot of teams out this year. That may continue tonight as they are the biggest favorite of the slate at -8 with a total of 194.
The Warriors are second in the league in points scored at 107.9 while they give up only 97.4 points to the opposition. With an over 10 point differential, they have one of the biggest win margins in the league this year.
Elite Plays
Harrison Barnes – Due to the matchup I am going to see Barnes as the cheap option to get exposure to the Warriors. He has been pretty consistent on the year and is very cheap still across the industry.
Secondary Plays
Stephan Curry – Due to his price and the fact that there are a lot of good mid/low level PG plays, Curry gets a slight bump down to the secondary plays section. He has an opportunity to be the top scoring option on any given night, but the blowout is a possibility here which takes a bit of value away from Curry.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder have the lowest Pace on the board tonight and are one of the worst offensive teams in the league as well. They rank 29th in the league and score, on average, under 90 points per game. With that said, they do have some guys that will put up some very nice fantasy scores at decent salaries.
Elite Plays
Reggie Jackson – One of the reasons Curry is in the secondary plays section is because of guys like Jackson. You are going to save big time on salary and the production should be similar as Jackson is going to play 35+ minutes regardless of the blowout. As good as Curry is, he is not known for his on the ball defense and Jackson should exploit the matchup tonight.
Secondary Plays
None – This Thunder squad is spreading minutes around a bit more than they were prior making a lot of the value plays tough to slot in tonight.
Denver at L.A. Lakers
- Vegas Line – Denver -2, 218.5 Over/Under
- Denver Proj. Starters – Lawson-Afflalo-Chandler-Faried-Mozgov
- L.A. Lakers Proj. Starters – Lin-Bryant-Johnson-Boozer-Hill
| Denver | L.A. Lakers | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 218 |  | Vegas Total | 218 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -2.0 | Vegas Sprd | 2.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 110.3 | Team Proj. | 108.3 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 98.68 | Team Pace | 97.12 | |||||||||
| 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 | Ty Lawson | Arron Afflalo | Wilson Chandler | Kenneth Faried | Timofey Mozgov | Proj Starter | Jeremy Lin | Kobe Bryant | Wesley Johnson | Carlos Boozer | Jordan Hill | |
| Opp. Season | 30 | 21 | 20 | 28 | 9 | Opp. Season | 13 | 1 | 28 | 22 | 20 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 26 | 21 | 30 | 21 | 6 | Opp. Last 7 | 10 | 13 | 25 | 15 | 3 | |
Denver
The best game for fantasy purposes will be the last game of the night as the Nuggets take on the Lakers in what should be a very exciting game if you like to watch very little defensive effort and a ton of shots. Both are struggling teams and both are giving up over 105 points per game to oppositions (105.7 for 27th in the league for Denver). The total of this game is set at 220 and what is great for fantasy is it should be close as the spread is only -2 for the Nuggets.
Elite Plays
Ty Lawson – Again, it looks like a night where you want to take the mid level point guard plays and not the elite as guys like Lawson and Reggie should be able to put up just as many points as Curry and Paul. Lawson has really played well recently and now gets a matchup against Lin and the Lakers who are last in the league at defending points guards.
Wilson Chandler – He is still cheap and has put up at least 25 fantasy points in his last 4 games. I expect his performance to look more similar to that of his last 2 games where he scored 30+ FD points. Shots will be there for Chandler, he just needs to make them.
Secondary Plays
Aaron Afflalo – I have a tough time playing Afflalo this year, but if any matchup should allow for a big game it is this one. He continues to be cheap, but inconsistent. He makes for a better GPP play tonight.
Kenneth Faried – You think Boozer will be able to run around the court with Faried? I do not think so at all. It should be a funny matchup to watch as a very lazy defender takes on a guy with a huge motor. This should allow for a lot of extra rebounds and put backs for Faried tonight.
L.A. Lakers
The Lakers are basically the Kobe show at this point. If he is making his shot, they have a chance to keep it close (notice I didn’t say win). If he is off, they are going to get whooped. This game should be a close one tonight with a huge total. This puts other guys then just Kobe in play.
Elite Plays
Kobe Bryant – He has the highest usage rate in the league by far this year and is not afraid to launch up 30+ shots. This matchup shapes up for Kobe to be the highest scoring player of the slate tonight if he is on. He is by far the top SG on the slate and possibly the best overall player.
Jordan Hill – Hill will be taking on the poor defense of the Nuggets tonight as they rank 20th in the league against the Center position. Hill is a low to mid level priced player tonight and has scored over 30 FD points in each of his last 3 games.
Secondary Plays
Jeremy Lin – Lin is a GPP play only due to his low price and possibility for decent games. He has been far to inconsistent to really trust, but the matchup is too good to not have a bit of exposure.