NBA Grind Down: Saturday/Sunday
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 averages listed use FanDuel scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NBA scoring system, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel review.
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Golden State at Houston – Saturday, 9:00 PM ET
- Vegas Line – Golden State -1.5, 214.5 Over/Under
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Barnes-Green-Bogut
- Houston Proj. Starters – Terry-Harden-Ariza-Smith-Howard
| Golden State | Houston | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 214 |  | Vegas Total | 214 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -1.5 | Vegas Sprd | 1.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 108.0 | Team Proj. | 106.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 94.26 | Team Pace | 104.82 | |||||||||
| 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 | Jason Terry | James Harden | Trevor Ariza | Josh Smith | Dwight Howard | |
| Opp. Season | 6 | 21 | 18 | 29 | 26 | Opp. Season | 5 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 19 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | Opp. Last 7 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | |
Golden State
The Warriors have now won five straight games in this postseason, but making it six straight may be difficult in Houston tonight. This has the makings of a fantastic game with a ton of points being scored between two of the top offenses in the league. Both teams appear to be healthy and there should be plenty of fantasy goodness to go around as the total is set at 214.5 with a close spread.
Opponent Breakdown (Houston)
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.6 (Rank: 17)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 6
Rebounding Differential Rank: 15
Elite Plays
Stephen Curry (FD: $10300, DK: $10500)
Curry has been nothing short of spectacular so far in this series. He has had two straight 30-point scoring games and has hit on at least five three-pointers in four straight games. On paper, this looks like the Rockets game to take after they played well down the stretch in game two, but Curry should continue to put up big numbers tonight and I have him slightly behind LeBron and Harden for the top plays on the slate.
Draymond Green (FD: $8100, DK: $7900)
With Millsap struggling through the first two games of his series, Green is easily a top play at the power forward position. Green has shown all year that he can score in so many different ways and this type of series bodes well for his skill set of getting up and down the court quickly. He makes a great cash game and tournament play tonight.
Secondary Plays
Klay Thompson (FD: $6800, DK: $7000)
Harrison Barnes (FD: $4400, DK: $4900)
Andrew Bogut (FD: $5300, DK: $4600)
Houston
This is now a must-win game for the Rockets after coming back in game two only to lose at the end. The big question mark in game two was the status/health of Dwight Howard. He came out and put up a very solid game and played 40 minutes. They will need another big game out of him if they do not want to go down 3-0 tonight. The Rockets have a team total of 106.5 tonight in what should be another very exciting game to watch.
Opponent Breakdown (Golden State)
Points Allowed Per Game: 99.5 (Rank: 14)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 1
Rebounding Differential Rank: 12
Elite Plays
James Harden (FD: $10600, DK: $9800)
Harden is my top overall play on this Saturday/Sunday slate. His price had come down a bit after the Clippers series and he has come out and put up 57.7 and 69.5 fantasy points in the first two games of this series. In order for the Rockets to have a chance, Harden needs to continue to dominate like he has in the first two games, which I think he will do with no problem.
Dwight Howard (FD: $9000, DK: $8500)
I was very worried about Dwight’s knee as he has battled injuries all year long. He proved a lot of doubters wrong in game two as he came out to play 40 minutes, and put up 19 points and 17 rebounds. The matchup is not ideal against Bogut, but Howard was not bothered by it and is the top center option on this slate if you can fit him in.
Secondary Plays
Trevor Ariza (FD: $6100, DK: $6600)
Josh Smith (FD: $5800, DK: $5700)
Jason Terry (FD: $3300, DK: $4200)
Atlanta at Cleveland – Sunday, 8:30 PM ET
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Shumpert-James-Thompson-Mozgov
| Atlanta | Cleveland | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total |  | Vegas Total | |||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | Vegas Sprd | |||||||||||
| Team Proj. | Team Proj. | |||||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.79 | Team Pace | 92.90 | |||||||||
| 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 | Jeff Teague | Kyle Korver | DeMarre Carroll | Paul Millsap | Al Horford | Proj Starter | Kyrie Irving | Iman Shumpert | LeBron James | Tristan Thompson | Timofey Mozgov | |
| Opp. Season | 10 | 20 | 17 | 7 | 7 | Opp. Season | 15 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 5 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Opp. Last 7 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
Atlanta
I have been a bit surprised at home poorly the Hawks have played so far in this series. They were such a solid team over the course of the regular season and played with such an intensity that we have not seen so far in the first two games. They will have a very tough road ahead of them now as they are plagued with injury concerns. Carroll will likely play, but is clearly not himself. Korver left the last game after spraining his ankle, but should be playing in game three according to reports. Lastly, their big men of Horford and Millsap have been atrocious and Horford limped off the court in game two as well. If they do not come out fast in game three, they may be giving up, but I hope that is not the case.
Opponent Breakdown (Cleveland)
Points Allowed Per Game: 98.5 (Rank: 12)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 20
Rebounding Differential Rank: 8
Elite Plays
Jeff Teague (FD: $7300, DK: $7500)
Teague has been the only player on the Hawks player that has come through in both game one and two and is really the only guy I feel I can trust in the elite play section for this Hawks team. He, like the rest of the team, struggled in game two with only 12 real points, but was still able to put up 29.6 fantasy points due to him doing a bit of everything else. I expect him to be somewhere around 35 fantasy points, which is exactly what he needs to reach value.
Secondary Plays
Kyle Korver (FD: $5600, DK: $5000)
Al Horford (FD: $7800, DK: $7700)
Paul Millsap (FD: $8700, DK: $7800)
The rest of these Hawks are tournament plays only for me. They have struggled, some are injured and now find themselves in a very tough spot. They are risky options on this slate.
Cleveland
The final score does not exactly show how bad of a beat down the Cavs put on the Hawks in game two. The injury to Irving did not make a difference as guys like Thompson, Shumpert and Dellavedova stepped up in his absence. The Cavs now get to play at home where they are currently eight-point favorites with an overall total of 190. Keep an eye of the status of Irving as no news has come out yet about whether or not he will play in game three.
Opponent Breakdown (Atlanta)
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.2 (Rank: 5)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 7
Rebounding Differential Rank: 27
Elite Plays
LeBron James (FD: $11700, DK: $11400)
With DeMarre Carroll now hobbled by an injury, LeBron just has an easier time pushing the ball up the court, driving and getting open looks. He has had games of 55.3 and 47.6 so far this series and if Kyrie is out again, it just gives him more time with the ball in his hands. With Kyrie out, LeBron is ranked just behind Harden for top player on this slate due to his price being so much higher. Regardless, LeBron is going to come out on his home court ready to take this 3-0, which would give the Cavs a solid grasp of the series and an amazing chance to go to the Finals.
Tristan Thompson (FD: $5600, DK: $6300)
Thompson’s price has jumped a bit across the industry (DK), but for good reason. He has been a beast inside for the Cavs and should continue to post double-digit rebounds against the interior of the Hawks if he can stay healthy and on the court. With the lack of power forward options on Fanduel and after seeing Millsap struggle mightily in game two, Thompson looks like a solid cheap option on this slate.
Secondary Plays
Matthew Dellavedova (FD: $3400, DK: $3500)/Iman Shumpert (FD: $4700, DK: $5000) – These two guys are clearly the biggest beneficiaries of Kyrie Irving’s injury. If he is out, both step into an elite category due to their price and playing time increase. If he is playing, Shumpert would be a tournament play only with Dellavedova being a very risky play at best.
J.R. Smith (FD: $5400, DK: $5200)