NBA Grind Down: Sunday, April 19th

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.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter and lineup alerts for the most up-to-date DFS NBA news.

grind down article faq

Boston at Cleveland – 3:00 PM

Boston Cleveland
Article Image Vegas Total 203 Article Image Vegas Total 203
Vegas Sprd 11.5 Vegas Sprd -11.5
Team Proj. 95.8 Team Proj. 107.3
Team Pace 98.35 Team Pace 94.79
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 Marcus Smart Avery Bradley Evan Turner Brandon Bass Tyler Zeller Proj Starter Kyrie Irving J.R. Smith LeBron James Kevin Love Timofey Mozgov
Opp. Season 11 21 22 9 14 Opp. Season 21 3 15 20 22
Opp. Last 7 9 14 27 6 15 Opp. Last 7 15 6 6 13 6

Boston

The Celtics were able to make the playoffs this year as they played very well done the stretch. Boston was able to win their last six games of the season and eight of their last nine. For their efforts, they get a first round matchup against LeBron and the Cavs. This is not a great matchup for the Celtics, who have a solid chance of not being close in the fourth quarter this afternoon.

Elite Plays

Evan Turner (FD $6900, DK $6500) – Turner has been the most consistent option for these Celtics late in the season. Brad Stevens plays a very deep bench, but the one guy who was receiving 30-35 minutes a game was Turner. He is a moderately safe option in this matchup, as he does so much on the court that even if he is not scoring the ball, he should be able to put up a solid fantasy effort.

Secondary Plays

Isaiah Thomas (FD $6800, DK $6400) – If the Celtics want to keep this game close at all, Isaiah Thomas will need to come up big off the bench. His presence has improved this Celtics squad tremendously since he was acquired in February and it is all due to his scoring ability. He comes with a big risk this afternoon though and should be seen as a tournament play only.

Cleveland

LeBron is bringing this Cavs team back to the playoffs in his first year back. He is taking a number of their young players on their first playoff run of their careers today and I expect it to be a raucous crowd this afternoon. Vegas expects the Cavs to win big today as they are the biggest favorites on the board at -11 with a total of 203.

Elite Plays

Lebron James (FD $10800, DK $10600) – Now that the playoffs are here, I fully expect LeBron to take this team on his shoulders and make a big-time run at the championship. He is going to most likely play close to 40 minutes unless the game is so far out of hand going into the fourth that he is unneeded. I don’t expect that to happen, and LeBron should be viewed as a top option on this four-game slate.

Secondary Plays

Kyrie Irving (FD $8000, DK $7700) – The only other guy I really trust going for this Cavs team is Irving. I can see taking J.R. Smith in tournaments as he can go off at any time, but Irving is looking at a solid matchup against the Celtics, who were ranked 21st in the league at defending the point guard position. Irving played well in two regular season games against this Celtics squad averaging 22.5 points and five assists. Irving is priced at a point far under Chris Paul and in a much better matchup.

Brooklyn at Atlanta – 4:30 PM

Brooklyn Atlanta
Article Image Vegas Total 201 Article Image Vegas Total 201
Vegas Sprd 10.0 Vegas Sprd -10.0
Team Proj. 95.8 Team Proj. 105.8
Team Pace 94.98 Team Pace 96.18
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 Jeff Teague Kyle Korver DeMarre Carroll Paul Millsap Al Horford
Opp. Season 15 18 11 14 11 Opp. Season 14 25 7 29 18
Opp. Last 7 27 17 12 15 13 Opp. Last 7 18 15 1 27 20

Brooklyn

The first two games of this slate appear to be the ones that should be least competitive, as it shows the bad side of the Eastern Conference. The Nets were able to sneak into the playoffs grabbing that eighth spot, but now have a matchup against a solid Hawks squad that dominated the regular season. This should be a difficult game for the Nets as the Hawks are a solid defensive team. They allowed 97.1 points per game this year, which ranked them fifth in the league. Brooklyn also had an easy time beating the Nets in all three matchups during the regular season and none of them were very close.

Elite Plays

Brook Lopez (FD $8500, DK $8000) – The one guy that I feel we can trust today is Lopez who was one of the main reasons that this Brooklyn squad is in the playoffs. He is going to get all the minutes he can handle in this difficult matchup, but he proved it a few weeks ago that he can bang inside against Horford and put up 48 fantasy points in only 26 minutes when they two teams last played. For his price and the fact that the Nets need him to play well to stay in this game, he should pay off his price tag today.

Secondary Plays

None

Atlanta

Atlanta rolled into the number one seed in the Eastern Conference this year and now they have to turn up the intensity after the coast job they were able to do the last few games. Vegas believes they should have no problem this afternoon as they are 10-point favorites with a total of 201.

Elite Plays

DeMarre Carroll (FD $6000, DK $5600) – Finding safe, mid-priced options is a very difficult thing to do during the playoffs. Carroll is a guy that provides a solid play for us in this slate and one that could payoff big time. Carroll played extremely well prior to the Hawks resting their players and the rest games allowed for a slight price drop for Carroll. I like him to reach value today and most likely exceed it.

Secondary Plays

Al Horford (FD $7100, DK $7100) – Horford is another guy whose price is lower than it should be due to some of the rest days. He is going to get a big time minutes bump going into the playoffs and although Lopez is a solid offensive player, he is a middle of the road defensive player and Horford should be able to put up 35+ fantasy points against him.

Portland at Memphis – 7:00 PM

Portland Memphis
Article Image Vegas Total 188.0 Article Image Vegas Total 188
Vegas Sprd 5.5 Vegas Sprd -5.5
Team Proj. 91.5 Team Proj. 97.0
Team Pace 96.35 Team Pace 94.33
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 C.J. McCollum Nicolas Batum LaMarcus Aldridge Robin Lopez Proj Starter Mike Conley Courtney Lee Jeff Green Zach Randolph Marc Gasol
Opp. Season 6 17 9 3 2 Opp. Season 28 23 12 1 5
Opp. Last 7 17 29 3 1 18 Opp. Last 7 13 16 17 28 26

Portland

The difference between the East and the West is ridiculous, as the Blazers have to travel to Memphis for a first round matchup. These Western conference games should be much more competitive and fun to watch on this slate. The Blazers are limping a bit into this playoff series, but appear to be getting Batum back, as well as McCollum, who filled in nicely for Afflalo who is currently doubtful. The matchup is tough against the always defensively sound Grizzlies tonight, who were second in the league in points allowed per game and 25th in possessions per game.

Elite Plays

LaMarcus Aldridge (FD $9100, DK $ 8600) – Even with the tough matchup, on a four-game slate we are going to have to make some exceptions to prior rules we may have had. LaMarcus is going to take this team on his shoulders in order to have a chance to win this game away at Memphis and he has had prior success against them this season. In three games, he averaged 31 minutes and put up 22.3 points with eight rebounds. Those minutes should push closer to 40 in this series, which means we should see even higher totals for Aldridge.

Secondary Plays

C.J. McCollum (FD $4600, DK $4400) – We are going to have to find some value on the slate in order to get some of these high priced studs in. If McCollum suits up (he is currently probable and said he should be ready to go) he will play enough minutes to pay off his low salary. I have heard reports that he may come off the bench, which limits his value a bit, so keep you eye on the news.

Memphis

The Grizzlies are looking to start a nice playoff run today against the Blazers. They have a decent matchup today, but this game features by far the lowest total at 188 with the Grizzlies five-point favorites. It is only a four-game slate and I do not think we can just ignore one of the games, especially with the tough matchups on the Eastern Conference side.

Elite Plays

Marc Gasol (FD $7500, DK $7500) – There is a good chance I will try to fit in multiple centers today over at DK. A few have solid prices and should see a bump to their minutes and production. Gasol is in the same boat, as he should see all the minutes he can handle tonight in what should be a close game, and he does everything on the both sides of the floor for this Grizzlies squad. I do like Zach Randolph in this game, but just feel it will be Gasol that gets the bigger playoff bump in this matchup.

Secondary Plays

Beno Udrih (FD $3700, DK $3000) – This is if, and only if, Mike Conley does not dress. He is currently questionable and the news may not come out before lock to trust this play at non-late swap sites. If Conley does sit, Udrih will be a perfect value play at minimum/near minimum price. He is not going to get you 30+ fantasy points, but 20 will more than pay off his salary in a plus matchup against Lillard.

San Antonio at L.A. Clippers – 9:30 PM

San Antonio L.A. Clippers
Article Image Vegas Total 207 Article Image Vegas Total 207
Vegas Sprd 1.5 Vegas Sprd -1.5
Team Proj. 102.8 Team Proj. 104.3
Team Pace 95.93 Team Pace 96.98
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 Tony Parker Danny Green Kawhi Leonard Tim Duncan Aron Baynes Proj Starter Chris Paul J.J. Redick Matt Barnes Blake Griffin DeAndre Jordan
Opp. Season 2 14 27 15 12 Opp. Season 10 1 1 19 13
Opp. Last 7 1 7 20 29 12 Opp. Last 7 24 13 10 11 3

San Antonio

The last game of the slate is the one that I am most interested in seeing. This first round series should be a blast to watch, as the Spurs have to make their way into LA against the Clippers. The Clippers were a great offensive squad, but they also allowed over 100 points per game over the course of the season. The Spurs may attempt to slow the game down, but Vegas does not agree tonight. If you are going to target a few players this would be the game as I have no problem putting a guy like Tony Parker in your lineups today as he should see a bump in minutes tonight, but faces a tough matchup against Paul.

Elite Plays

Kawhi Leonard (FD $8400, DK $8400) – I love Leonard tonight in this matchup against the Clippers. We all remember how Leonard led this spurs team in the playoffs before and he should be in line to do it again. He has a great matchup against the Clippers who are ranked 27th in the league at defending small forwards and I see no reason why Kawhi doesn’t go for close to 40 fantasy points tonight.

Secondary Plays

Tim Duncan (FD $7500, DK $7400) – If you have not read Adam Levitan’s article the last two days, you need to get over there and do it. He has put together amazing projections/gains the players will get heading into the playoffs. He has Duncan at a 19.3% gain in minutes, and I completely agree. Pop was able to keep Duncan’s minutes down all year, as he averaged less than 30 minutes for the season. He has a decent matchup against the Clippers who were a middle of the road defensive team against the power forward position.

L.A. Clippers

The Clippers are being rewarded by getting the third seed in the Western Conference by getting a rough first round matchup against the Spurs. The Clippers are going to look to continue their quick paced offense against this Spurs squad tonight. Vegas thinks this will be the highest scoring game of the slate with a total of 207 and they have the Clippers as small one-point favorites. Like with the Spurs, there are a number of decent targets for this four game slate in this game and I can see taking a chance with Matt Barnes for some cheap production.

Elite Plays

Chris Paul (FD $10800, DK $9900) – If certain players sit out today (Conley), we should be able to get a number of these top players in our lineups. One guy I would suggest attempting to get in your lineups regardless would be Paul. He will look to carry this team in this series and he has a decent matchup against a slower Parker tonight. He has one of the highest upsides on this slate as he is playing in a game with a very high total in comparison to the other games.

Blake Griffin (FD $9600, DK $9200) – Blake is going to look to put on a big effort tonight as he is another much quicker, more athletic player than the defender that will be facing him. He averaged huge numbers against this Spurs squad in the regular season as he averaged 25.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three games.

Secondary Plays

J.J. Redick (FD $6500, DK $6000) – Shooting guard is the weakest position on this slate, which forces are hand a bit to play someone that we may not love today. Redick’s production is not at the highest it has been this season as the Clippers are healthier than earlier, but he still should be relied upon to make some big shots for this team and a 25-30 point fantasy effort should not be out of the question.

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.