NBA Grind Down: Saturday, 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: 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
Sacramento at L.A.Clippers
- Vegas Line – L.A.Clippers -10.5, 207.5 Over/Under
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Vasquez-McLemore-Mbah a Moute-Thompson-Cousins
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan
Sacramento
The Kings have been a mess this season, but they have gotten some good production out of DeMarcus Cousins over the last couple of games. The Kings are 10 point underdogs in this one and have really struggled to with scoring, they are only averaging 96 points per game. This one has blowout potential written all over and with the inconsistent minutes that Malone already gives his players, there is more risk than reward with the fantasy options in this one.
L.A.Clippers
The Clippers are at the top of the league in both pace of play and scoring. They are 107 points per game which is the 2nd highest in the league. Chris Paul leads the league in touches per game and just set an NBA record for most consecutive double-doubles (points+assists) to start the season. While I love the matchup for him tonight against Greivis Vasquez, it may be hard for him to cover value if he only plays 3 quarters. If there were only a few games, I would be all over the Paul pick, but I there are plenty of other options.
- DeAndre Jordan – I like DeAndre for a few reasons. The Kings haven’t defended well against Centers this season, he can put up fantasy points in a hurry, and he has been playing big minutes this season. Jordan is one of those players that can have 10+ boards and 5+ blocks by the end of the third and may still cover his value even in a blowout.
Philadelphia at Indiana
- Vegas Line – Indiana -14, 192.5 Over/Under
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Anderson-Turner-Young-Hawes
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
Philadelphia
We have a battle of differing styles in this one. The Sixers try to push the ball and are the worst defense in the league and the Pacers like to slow the pace and win with their defense. Typically the Vegas line tells you everything that you need to know in these matchups and Vegas has the total of this game set at 194 which is extremely low for a Sixers game. This tells me that Vegas expects the Pacers to establish their tempo, not the Sixers.
The Sixers have a bad matchup against this tough defense and are 14 point underdogs. Even with the good play of Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner lately, they are overpriced for this matchup.
Indiana
The Pacers have been winning with defense and team basketball. Two things that don’t really translate to great fantasy production. While the matchup against the Sixers is great, they are big favorites so don’t spend too much of your salary cap here. The Sixers have allowed 109 points per game which is the most in the NBA. I think there are some great plays, but I’m staying away from the high dollar players.
- George Hill – The Sixers are ranked dead last against PG’s this season. Their defense is basically non-existent. Hill is very cheap across the board and has a great chance of topping 25 FP’s tonight. I think his floor is 20 FP’s with the potential for much more.
- Lance Stephenson – Stephenson came out of the gates firing and then has cooled down over the last couple of weeks. He plays well at home though and he is coming off of a triple-double. Love the matchup for him tonight.
New York at Washington
- Vegas Line – Washington -2.5, 191.5 Over/Under
- New York Proj. Starters – Prigioni-Shumpert-Anthony-Martin-Bargnani
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Webster-Hilario-Gortat
New York
The Knicks continue to struggle this season. They are only scoring 93 points per game, yet are giving up 99 points per game. That’s not a winning formula in the NBA. They have a favorable matchup tonight against the Wizards. This game should be close and relatively high scoring. It sounds like Raymond Felton will sit out tonight’s game so expect Beno Udrih and Pablo Prigioni to get those minutes.
- Andrea Bargnani – Bargnani is still pretty cheap across the board and he has proven that he is a good fit for this offense. He is stretching the floor and is averaging over 25 FP’s per game as a starter. I don’t think Gortat is going to be able to defend him on the perimeter.
- J.R. Smith – Smith has been ice cold this season, he is shooting a pathetic 31% from the floor and his numbers are down across the board. He’s one of those players that relies on his offense to fire up the rest of his game. I think he gets it going in this one, the Wizards like to push the ball and so does Smith.
Washington
John Wall is playing at an incredible level right now, he is averaging over 42 FP’s per game in his last 3 and will look to keep it going tonight against the Knicks. He should have a favorable matchup against Udrih and Prigioni. The Wizards will likely be without Trevor Ariza again so look for Bradley Beal and Martell Webster to continue to fill that void. One situation to monitor: Nene did get injured last night and with his history of injuries, make sure that he is active before putting him in your lineups.
- Martell Webster – Webster has scored over 25 FP’s in all 5 of his starts since Ariza went down with his injury. His price is affordable across the board and he’s really a no-brainer at this point. I wouldn’t worry about the matchup with Melo, Melo has never been known as a lock down defender and he often gets caught leaving his man to try to help. Webster should get some open looks from deep.
- Bradley Beal – Beal is a great scorer, but he doesn’t shoot a high percentage which hurts his value on sites that negate for missed shots. I think he is in play tonight against the Knicks, but I like him more on sites that don’t negate for those missed shots.
Boston at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -8.5, 194 Over/Under
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Olynyk
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
Boston
The Celtics are coming off of another big loss. While they were competitive for 3 quarters against the Pacers, they have now lost 5 straight games by double-digits. The Celtics are 9 point underdogs in this one and don’t be surprised if they end up losing by more than that. There are some value plays on the C’s, but they are just so risky at this point. Jordan Crawford and Jared Sullinger make a case for value, but I’d recommend them as GPP players only.
Atlanta
The Hawks have been pushing the tempo this season, but the Celtics are one of the slowest paced teams in the league. This game certainly has the blowout potential, but the matchup for Al Horford may outweigh that. The Celtics are ranked 29 against Centers this season and Horford should have a field day. I don’t like the matchup for Jeff Teague however, Bradley is one of the best defenders in the game. Other than Horford, I’m not a huge fan of any Hawks players.
Orlando at Miami
- Vegas Line – Miami -13.5, 203.5 Over/Under
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Harkless-Vucevic
- Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Battier-Bosh
Orlando
The schedule is just awful today. Here is another game that could easily turn into a blowout. The Magic are 13 point underdogs against the Heat. The Heat have really turned up their defense lately and rank in the top 15 in the league against every position. The Magic had a tough time scoring against the Heat the other night and I expect much of the same tonight.
- Victor Oladipo – Even though it’s not a great matchup, I love the Oladipo play tonight. He is finally in the starting lineup and is such a great defender that he can rack up fantasy points in a hurry with steals, blocks, and rebounds. He put up over 30 FP’s against the Heat the other night.
Miami
The Heat are in the same position that they are often in, they are big favorites at home. I like to stay away from the star players in potential blowouts and that’s exactly what I will be doing tonight with the Heat. While there are a couple of favorable individual matchups, this one is too risky to spend that much of your salary on either Lebron James or Chris Bosh. The one exception here is if Dwyane Wade doesn’t play, if he’s out, bump up Mario Chalmers.