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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, April 12th

by Ryan138 Last Updated 2015-04-14 14:14:55

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 NBA Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review.

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Cleveland at Boston – 3:00 PM EST

Cleveland Boston
clevelandnba Vegas Total bostonnba Vegas Total
Vegas Sprd Vegas Sprd
Team Proj. Team Proj.
Team Pace 94.80 Team Pace 98.32
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 Kyrie Irving J.R. Smith LeBron James Kevin Love Timofey Mozgov Proj Starter Marcus Smart Avery Bradley Evan Turner Brandon Bass Tyler Zeller
Opp. Season 20 4 16 21 24 Opp. Season 12 21 18 10 14
Opp. Last 7 25 1 22 20 13 Opp. Last 7 17 6 20 5 23

Cleveland

The Cavs are now locked into the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and may be looking to rest a few guys down the stretch here. Even if the starters do play, we saw on Friday that LeBron and Love (Kyrie was scratched) sat the entire fourth quarter, while LeBron only played 26 total minutes. Check back for the news as if some guys do sit, players like Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson have the most upside as far as the fill in guys go and would become great plays.

Elite Plays

None

Secondary Plays

None

Boston

While the Cavs may let this game go, Boston will be playing with some effort as they are still in the hunt for the playoffs. Regardless who starts for the Cavs, they will rest some guys down the stretch of the game so it should stay close in the fourth. This game could be high scoring as Boston has been playing well on the offensive end recently. They have scored over 99 points in each of their last seven games.

Elite Plays

Evan Turner (FD: $6400, DK: $6000) – His price has gone down to a playable point at FanDuel now and I think he can hit value in this game today. He does a bit of everything on the court so even if he is not scoring the ball, could reach 25-30 fantasy points.

Avery Bradley (FD: $5500, DK: $5300) – I like Bradley just based on his price. He needs just about 27 fantasy points to reach value, which he has done in four of his last six games. I think this game should be fast paced today and he should exceed that mark.

Secondary Plays

Isaiah Thomas (FD: $6800, DK: $6000) – Thomas continues to be a tournament play only for me. We know his upside is 40+, but his minutes become a bit inconsistent as sometimes he sees 30 and sometimes less than 25. Again, due to the must-win situation and the fact that they could be playing the Cavs’ second unit, I think this Celtics team plays well today.

Brooklyn at Milwaukee – 3:00 PM EST

Brooklyn Milwaukee
brooklynnba Vegas Total 198 milwaukeenba Vegas Total 198
Vegas Sprd -1.0 Vegas Sprd 1.0
Team Proj. 99.5 Team Proj. 98.5
Team Pace 94.94 Team Pace 96.22
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 Deron Williams Markel Brown Joe Johnson Thaddeus Young Brook Lopez Proj Starter Michael Carter-Williams Khris Middleton Giannis Antetokounmpo Ersan Ilyasova Zaza Pachulia
Opp. Season 1 12 24 13 15 Opp. Season 16 25 9 27 18
Opp. Last 7 22 2 15 23 2 Opp. Last 7 23 9 9 12 20

Brooklyn

The Nets still have a lot to play for today as they are holding onto the eighth spot in the playoffs. This is the best possible situation in these final few games of the season as we know we are going, or should be getting, maximum effort. Although the Bucks have been solid defensively, Vegas sees this as a high scoring game as the total is set at 201 with the Nets as small one and a half point favorites.

Elite Plays

Brook Lopez (FD: $9000, DK: $8400) – His price has risen to a pretty high price point at FD, but it is hard to argue with his recent production. He has gone over 40 fantasy points in each of the last three games, is playing big minutes, and is attempting to lead his team into the playoffs. I feel he has another big game tonight and has a good upside.

Secondary Plays

Bojan Bogdanovic (FD: $3900, DK: $3900) – Bogdanovic is a pretty decent value play for this slate. He has been getting close to 30 minutes per game recently and has scored over 21 fantasy points in each of his last four. I do not expect him to win tournaments for you, but at near minimum price, he should exceed value today.

Deron Williams (FD: $6900, DK: $7100) – Deron is now a secondary play today as his price has risen and his production has dropped a bit in his last few games. I do think he can reach value today as he is coming off two tough matchups against the Wizards and the Hawks and I think his ownership may be a bit down due to his recent play. He makes a solid tournament play today.

Milwaukee

Cruising into the Eastern Conference playoff, Jason Kidd needs one more win in order to clinch a spot. They will look to do that today in what should be a hard fought game. Brooklyn is ranked 19th in the league in points allowed per game at 101.0, which gives Milwaukee a bit of a bump.

Elite Plays

Michael Carter-Williams (FD: $7100, DK: $6600) – MCW has been really playing well for the Bucks as he finally looks comfortable over the last two weeks. Since April 1st, Williams has scored over 32 fantasy points in each of his five games this month. His opponent, Deron Williams, has never been a top defender and MCW should take advantage today.

Secondary Plays

Khris Middleton (FD: $6800, DK: $6000) – Middleton is a tournament play as he has shown 40-point upside, but has also been less than 20 fantasy points multiple times in the last ten games.

Charlotte at Detroit – 3:30 PM EST

Charlotte Detroit
charlottenba Vegas Total 193 detroitnba Vegas Total 193
Vegas Sprd 7.5 Vegas Sprd -7.5
Team Proj. 92.8 Team Proj. 100.3
Team Pace 95.58 Team Pace 95.40
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 Jeff Taylor Marvin Williams Bismack Biyombo Proj Starter Reggie Jackson Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Caron Butler Greg Monroe Andre Drummond
Opp. Season 4 18 15 29 29 Opp. Season 17 7 4 18 6
Opp. Last 7 10 29 10 29 7 Opp. Last 7 20 26 17 9 24

Charlotte

Now we have two teams that are both out of the playoff race as the Hornets travel to Detroit. Minutes and players are a bit tough to get a read on for the Hornets today as coach Mike Clifford has said he wants to get some young guys some minutes. This makes it extremely difficult to trust playing players from the Hornets as the starters will likely see a decrease in minutes and the young guys won’t see enough increase to be playable.

Elite Plays

Bismack Biyombo (FD: $4500, DK: $5200) – Still priced fairly at FD today, Biyombo is the one guy that still saw 30+ minutes in the Hornets last game. While I think he sees just about that time today, he is priced low enough to reach value with that time. He has a solid matchup against the Pistons who are ranked 28th in the league against centers.

Secondary Plays

None

Detroit

While the Hornets are resting guys and playing young players, the Pistons have kept to the rotation that they have used when fully healthy towards the end of the season. While the Hornets do play at a slow pace, the Pistons are in a decent spot as Vegas has them as 7-point favorites with a total of 193.

Elite Plays

Greg Monroe (FD: $8400, DK: $7400) – An elite play over at DK today, it is hard to ignore that price tag. He has played well in his first two games back scoring 39 and 36 fantasy points while playing 35 minutes in his last game. I expect another similar performance, which is exactly what we would want. He also offers upside against a depleted front line.

Secondary Plays

Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond are both very expensive across the industry but both offer big time upside in this matchup. Charlotte is ranked 28th against the point guard position over the last three weeks while Drummond holds 50-point upside in any matchup. They are both solid tournament plays today, while I can see using Reggie in cash.

Sacramento at Denver – 5:00 PM EST

Sacramento Denver
sacramentonba Vegas Total 216 denvernba Vegas Total 216
Vegas Sprd 10.0 Vegas Sprd -10.0
Team Proj. 103.3 Team Proj. 113.3
Team Pace 97.91 Team Pace 98.41
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 Ray McCallum Ben McLemore Omri Casspi Derrick Williams Jason Thompson Proj Starter Ty Lawson Randy Foye Wilson Chandler Danilo Gallinari Kenneth Faried
Opp. Season 11 29 28 30 27 Opp. Season 25 30 14 22 26
Opp. Last 7 29 4 13 19 1 Opp. Last 7 3 28 19 24 14

Sacramento

Sacramento is taking its studs out of play for the last few games of this season, as Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins will be out for this matchup against the fantasy-friendly Nuggets. Denver is ranked 27th in the league in points allowed per game at 104.5 and this game should be the highest tempo game of the slate.

Elite Plays

Omri Casspi (FD: $4600, DK: $5200) – Casspi has been playing very well without Cousins and Gay in the lineup. He has been at around 30 minutes per game while being over 20 fantasy points in his last six games with a 40 put game in the mix. Denver is the 28th ranked defense against the small forward position and Casspi should have a big game.

Derrick Williams (FD: $4100, DK: $3800) – This is simple, Williams will get the starting nod due to the matchup in Denver. His style works perfectly for this game and he should easily exceed value here today.

Secondary Plays

Ray McCallum (FD: $5200, DK: $4800) – After one poor game at Utah, which we can ignore due to the tough matchup, McCallum has had at least 31 fantasy points in the other last three games. At his price point and with this matchup, he should easily reach and exceed value.

Denver

If you had some of these Denver Nuggets the other night, you were gifted with one of the highest scoring games in recent memory and you probably had a profitable night. They get a golden matchup against the Kings tonight. who are ranked 29th in points allowed per game. This should be a fun game to watch and holds tons of fantasy potential as Vegas has the total at 216 with the Nuggets being 10-point favorites.

Elite Plays

Danilo Gallinari (FD: $7400, DK: $6400) – Gallinari had a really rough start of the season after returning from injury, but is making up for lost time recently. He has huge potential in a matchup and high tempo game like this one today and offers the highest upside of anyone on this Nuggets squad.

Ty Lawson (FD: $7200, DK: $6600) – Priced at around a 30-35 point fantasy value, Lawson makes a great play tonight in a game that should feature a ton of fast-break, open looks. Lawson has struggled at times over this season, but should feast tonight.

Secondary Plays

Randy Foye and Kenneth Faried are both in play tonight as well. These two are more tournament plays for me than the other two, but both have premium matchups and should both have solid games.

Oklahoma City at Indiana – 6:00 PM EST

Oklahoma City Indiana
oklahomacitynba Vegas Total 207 indiananba Vegas Total 207
Vegas Sprd 3.5 Vegas Sprd -3.5
Team Proj. 102.0 Team Proj. 105.5
Team Pace 98.24 Team Pace 95.67
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 Russell Westbrook Dion Waiters Andre Roberson Enes Kanter Steven Adams Proj Starter George Hill C.J. Miles Solomon Hill David West Roy Hibbert
Opp. Season 8 24 6 2 8 Opp. Season 24 8 23 26 4
Opp. Last 7 4 16 11 7 5 Opp. Last 7 11 27 24 15 27

Oklahoma City

I know the team has so many injuries, but part of me is pretty surprised that Westbrook played so poorly down the stretch this year. I guess it just shows how grueling a season is and the fact that he was bound to start fading due to how much energy he needed to use during this year. Even with the tough matchup against the Pacers, the total is still set at 207.

Elite Plays

None

Secondary Plays

Enes Kanter (FD: $7400, DK: $7800) – I know the matchup is tough for Kanter as the inside defense of the Pacers is elite, but he has just played too well over the last few games to not mention him. The way him and Westbrook play together really takes away matchup problems and I think he should be around 35 fantasy points today.

Russell Westbrook (FD: $12100, DK: $11800) – I think Westbrook is always worth a mention as any time he takes the court he has one of the highest potentials in the league. The problem is his price is just way too high for his recent production and should be a tournament play only.

Indiana

The Pacers are sitting right behind the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference that multiple teams are battling for. That means, they are another team we can look at that will play starters full minutes and should be trusted for fantasy reasons. They are playing a big pace up game against the Thunder and are three and a half point favorites.

Elite Plays

George Hill (FD: $7600, DK: $7000) – Although the Pacers have a good matchup, they continue to play a number of players 25-28 minutes down the stretch here, which really limits their fantasy value. The one guy who should be locked into 30+ is Hill. Hill also has a premium matchup against the Thunder who are ranked 24th against point guards this year.

Secondary Plays

None

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About the Author

Ryan138
Ryan138

Ryan (Ryan138) is from Chicago and has been playing fantasy sports for over 10 years. He has been playing daily fantasy sports for over 2 years since he was introduced to Daily Joust in late 2010. In the last year, Ryan has risen into the Top 100 of the RotoGrinders leaderboards by playing at DraftDay, DraftKings and FanDuel in all the major sports.