NBA Grind Down: Sunday, April 22nd

Welcome to the RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down. In this all-encompassing preview of today’s NBA action, every game will be broken down statistically, with several key elements highlighted in our charts.

Vegas lines are broken down to show projected Implied Team Totals, to give you an idea of who is favored to win, and often more importantly, how many points they’re expected to score. We also provide pace numbers, so you can spot a game that might have a few extra possessions and more opportunities for fantasy points.

We also provide position-by-position matchup rankings for every team, to give you an idea of the players who will be in better situations to succeed. Using Defense versus Position data, every projected starter is listed along with his opponent’s rank in points allowed to players of his position. These color-coded charts will help you spot the best matchups of the night at a glance.

If you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use promo code “GRINDERS” to receive the best perks in the industry.

Legend & FAQ


Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks – 1:00 PM ET

Boston Celtics Milwaukee Bucks
Article Image Vegas Total 204.0 Article Image Vegas Total 204.0
Vegas Spread 4.5 Vegas Spread -4.5
Implied Team Total 99.8 Implied Team Total 104.3
Pace Projection +/- -1.1 Pace Projection +/- -1.4
Projected Starters Terry Rozier Jaylen Brown Jayson Tatum Al Horford Aron Baynes Projected Starters Eric Bledsoe Tony Snell Khris Middleton Giannis Antetokounmpo Tyler Zeller
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 3 11 6 11 28 DvP 2 5 12 1 2
DRPM Rat. 8 28 23 5 22 DRPM Rat. 6 2 3 2 1

Boston Celtics

Notable Injuries

Marcus Smart (Out)

After taking a commanding 2-0 lead against the Bucks, the Celtics ran into some trouble in Game 3 and took a 116-92 loss. The 1st quarter set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Bucks took a 27-12 lead and never looked back. The Celtics were 2-of-18 with nine turnovers in the 1st quarter and just couldn’t recover. There were a lot of unlikely heroes in Game 3 for the Bucks, two of them being Matthew Dellavedova and Thon Maker. Both played with energy and a physicality that seemed to disrupt the Celtics. Neither played in Game 1 and both played a combined six minutes in Game 2, so it’s tough to say whether both will remain fixtures in Game 3. But it’s clear the Bucks are going to continue trying to play physical basketball to disrupt the Celtics as much as possible.

I don’t want to overreact and put too much emphasis in one game. I have to think the Celtics are good enough to at least come up with a better game plan in Game 3 and get back to their winning ways. This offense is focused on Al Horford and Terry Rozier, with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum playing significant roles as well. It was odd to see the Celtics roll with Aron Baynes for 30 minutes in Game 3 (his series high so far), and the Celtics even used an Aron BaynesGreg Monroe lineup at one point. It’s possible that because the Bucks were without John Henson and were using more Jabari Parker and Thon Maker, Coach Brad Stevens felt Baynes and Monroe were a better fit.

I’m hopeful the Celtics can regroup and play a better game in Game 3. I’m still viewing Horford and Rozier as elite plays, and I could easily see one of Brown or Tatum stepping up in a complementary role. Marcus Morris continues to play a fine 6th man role and I’m hoping they go back to him in Game 4 instead of Baynes or Monroe.

Boston Celtics Offense

Points Per Game: 104.0 (20 of 30)
Implied Implied Team Total: 99.8 (7 of 8)
Projected Point Differential: -4.3 (5 of 8)

Matchup vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Points Allowed Per Game: 106.8 (16 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 107.1 (17 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: -2.9 (27 of 30)
Pace of Play: 98.5 (20 of 30)

Player FD Salary DK Salary FDRFT Salary FP/Game Playoffs +/- Minutes Playoffs +/- FP/Min True Usage EFF DVP DRPM
Terry Rozier $7,000 $13,100 23.9 11.2 25.9 10.6 0.92 20.0% 10 3 8
Jaylen Brown $6,700 $12,800 25.2 3.8 30.7 5.3 0.82 18.5% 11 11 28
Jayson Tatum $6,200 $12,700 26.0 6.4 30.5 3.2 0.85 17.0% 16 6 23
Al Horford $6,900 $13,200 32.1 5.0 31.6 3.2 1.02 17.8% 2 11 5
Aron Baynes $3,600 $6,700 15.8 0.2 18.3 4.4 0.87 14.8% 30 28 22
Marcus Morris $5,500 $10,800 23.2 -1.4 26.7 3.4 0.87 20.3% N/A N/A N/A
Greg Monroe $4,600 $9,300 24.3 -6.9 20.4 -3.7 1.19 19.7% N/A N/A N/A

Elite Plays – Al Horford, Terry Rozier

Secondary Plays – Jaylen Brown, Greg Monroe (GPP), Marcus Morris, Jayson Tatum


Milwaukee Bucks

Notable Injuries

John Henson (Doubtful)

John Henson is coming into this game with a doubtful tag but it sounds like the Bucks don’t want to officially rule him out until prior to tipoff in case his condition changes. Assuming he is out again, we could see Tyler Zeller draw another start. Zeller started in Game 3 but only played 19 minutes. Instead, we finally saw the Thon Maker breakout game where he went for 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks and a steal in just 24 minutes. This performance likely earned him some more minutes in Game 4 and I can see some merit to using him as a GPP dart throw, but I think we also need to hold off crowning him an elite play after just one performance.

Jabari Parker would benefit too if Henson were out. After a disappointing start to the series, Parker finally busted out in Game 3 with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal over 30 minutes, which led the second unit. This is the Parker we came to know during the regular season and it’s possible this performance earns him more confidence among the coaching staff.

Eric Bledsoe had a bounceback game but it’s worth noting that Matthew Dellavedova played 16 minutes off the bench too to play the role of the enforcer. Meanwhile Malcolm Brogdon continues to start but is arguably the fourth or fifth offensive option on this team with Parker now on the upswing. Brogdon profiles more as a secondary play as long as he’s starting but he’s not getting the type of usage we’d want out of a starter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was limited to just 27 minutes in Game 3 but still put up a 19/6/5/2/2 line. The Bucks were up by 18 to start the 4th quarter so there was no need to push him in this spot. The same could be said about Khris Middleton (33 minutes), who still had a good game despite his usual workload. Both remain elite plays going into Game 4 and if this game stays closer than Game 3, they should see an uptick in minutes.

Milwaukee Bucks Offense

Points Per Game: 106.5 (15 of 30)
Implied Implied Team Total: 104.3 (4 of 8)
Projected Point Differential: -2.3 (3 of 8)

Matchup vs. Boston Celtics

Points Allowed Per Game: 100.4 (3 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 101.5 (1 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: + 0.7 (13 of 30)
Pace of Play: 98.2 (23 of 30)

Player FD Salary DK Salary FDRFT Salary FP/Game Playoffs +/- Minutes Playoffs +/- FP/Min True Usage EFF DVP DRPM
Eric Bledsoe $6,500 $13,600 34.7 -9.3 31.4 -0.2 1.10 23.6% 7 2 6
Tony Snell $3,300 $6,200 13.6 -3.0 27.4 -1.5 0.50 9.8% 3 5 2
Khris Middleton $7,900 $14,800 35.4 8.8 36.4 2.8 0.97 22.2% 1 12 3
Giannis Antetokounmpo $10,400 $19,900 51.8 3.5 36.8 1.6 1.41 28.0% 6 1 2
Tyler Zeller $3,500 $6,900 14.7 -8.7 16.8 -7.1 0.87 14.5% 4 2 1
Malcolm Brogdon $4,500 $8,600 24.0 -8.5 29.9 -3.4 0.80 18.1% N/A N/A N/A
Thon Maker $3,800 $7,400 12.3 7.3 16.7 -4.0 0.74 12.5% N/A N/A N/A
Jabari Parker $5,700 $11,000 23.1 -8.9 24.0 -5.7 0.96 21.6% N/A N/A N/A

Elite Plays – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton

Secondary Plays – Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, Thon Maker (GPP), Jabari Parker


Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs – 3:30 PM ET

Golden State Warriors San Antonio Spurs
Article Image Vegas Total 203.5 Article Image Vegas Total 203.5
Vegas Spread -7.0 Vegas Spread 7.0
Implied Team Total 105.3 Implied Team Total 98.3
Pace Projection +/- -2.4 Pace Projection +/- 2.2
Projected Starters Andre Iguodala Klay Thompson Kevin Durant Draymond Green JaVale McGee Projected Starters Dejounte Murray Patty Mills Danny Green Rudy Gay LaMarcus Aldridge
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 5 2 5 3 4 DvP 15 23 11 26 6
DRPM Rat. 1 26 1 9 8 DRPM Rat. 2 11 24 3 25

Golden State Warriors

Notable Injuries

Stephen Curry (Out), Kevin Durant (Probable), Shaun Livingston (Probable)

Both Kevin Durant and Shaun Livingston suffered ankle injuries in their Thursday night victory against the Spurs, but both are listed as probable and are expected to play. Both practiced on Saturday and don’t appear to be limited. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry will remain out for at least another week.

The Warriors have a commanding 3-0 lead on the Spurs and will look to close out the series after beating the Spurs by 21 points, 15 points and 13 points in their first three games. All signs point to the Warriors continuing to roll out their same starting lineup containing Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and JaVale McGee. McGee was working through a quad contusion in Game 3 and only played 15 minutes, while Kevon Looney played an effective 22 minutes off the bench. Looney was a defensive presence in Game 3, finishing with three steals, a block and a +17 in the +/- column during his time on the court. It’s hard to trust either of them given they are in a timeshare. David West is the only other big man I would consider on the Warriors but his limited minutes aren’t too appealing.

Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson continue to see heavy minutes and are carrying this team while Stephen Curry remains out. All three remain fine plays in this potential close out game. Durant and Thompson are averaging 27.3 and 25.7 points per game in this series, respectively, while Green leads the team in assists per game (8), steals per game (2) and is second on the team in rebounds per game (6.3). Meanwhile, Andre Iguodala continues to start and provide decent value, but he hasn’t played more than 28 minutes in any game. Shaun Livingston and Quinn Cook are both seeing solid minutes off the bench in his relief and are only options if you absolutely need to YOLO a punt play, but their upside is somewhat limited because neither generally sees heavy minutes.

Golden State Warriors Offense

Points Per Game: 113.5 (1 of 30)
Implied Implied Team Total: 105.3 (3 of 8)
Projected Point Differential: -8.3 (7 of 8)

Matchup vs. San Antonio Spurs

Points Allowed Per Game: 99.8 (1 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 102.4 (4 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: + 1.7 (6 of 30)
Pace of Play: 97.2 (29 of 30)

Player FD Salary DK Salary FDRFT Salary FP/Game Playoffs +/- Minutes Playoffs +/- FP/Min True Usage EFF DVP DRPM
Andre Iguodala $4,700 $4,800 $9,500 18.7 5.9 25.4 0.6 0.74 11.5% 14 5 1
Klay Thompson $6,500 $6,600 $12,400 30.4 1.7 34.3 3.2 0.89 20.7% 1 2 26
Kevin Durant $10,900 $10,100 $17,900 47.2 -1.1 34.2 0.6 1.38 26.9% 8 5 1
Draymond Green $7,600 $7,700 $14,900 36.0 2.7 32.7 2.8 1.10 16.7% 5 3 9
JaVale McGee $4,200 $3,800 $7,300 11.9 12.1 9.5 7.3 1.25 16.5% 5 4 8
Quinn Cook $4,200 $4,200 $8,200 16.8 -1.6 22.4 -1.0 0.75 16.4% N/A N/A N/A
Kevon Looney $3,700 $3,500 $7,100 12.3 3.9 13.8 7.6 0.89 11.0% N/A N/A N/A

Elite Plays – Kevin Durant, Draymond Green

Secondary Plays – Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson


San Antonio Spurs

Notable Injuries

Joffrey Lauvergne (Probable)

The Spurs are on the brink of being swept in the first round and will have to play Game 4 without Coach Popovich as he deals with the loss of his wife. Spurs’ Assistant Coach Ettore Messina will continue to lead the team in the interim. The Spurs will also get Joffrey Lauvergne back after he missed Games 2 and 3 due to a death in his family, but given his limited playing time it shouldn’t impact their rotations. This could also potentially be the last game that Manu Ginobili plays if he does hang them up at the end of the season and the Spurs lose this game.

At this point, it’s hard to trust any of the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge will continue being the focal point of this offense and he’s definitely in play as an elite option, but the Warriors will continue throwing the kitchen sink at him and force others to beat them. Rudy Gay and Patty Mills are fine options too as they play second fiddle to Aldridge, but the Spurs are going to need others to step up if they even have a chance in this series. Danny Green is still a solid defensive presence but provided very little on the offensive end in Game 3. Dejounte Murray only saw 16 minutes and is nothing more than a GPP dart throw at this point as the Spurs rode the hot hand of Tony Parker, who finished with 16 points off the bench. Former starter Kyle Anderson is now relegated to a sixth man role and can’t even be trusted to see significant minutes in this series.

San Antonio Spurs Offense

Points Per Game: 102.7 (27 of 30)
Implied Implied Team Total: 98.3 (8 of 8)
Projected Point Differential: -4.5 (6 of 8)

Matchup vs. Golden State Warriors

Points Allowed Per Game: 107.5 (18 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 104.2 (8 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: + 1.0 (11 of 30)
Pace of Play: 101.8 (5 of 30)

Player FD Salary DK Salary FDRFT Salary FP/Game Playoffs +/- Minutes Playoffs +/- FP/Min True Usage EFF DVP DRPM
Dejounte Murray $5,500 $4,700 $9,100 22.4 -4.8 21.5 -4.4 1.04 19.4% 12 15 2
Patty Mills $4,900 $4,800 $9,200 17.6 2.5 25.7 5.1 0.68 17.1% 11 23 11
Danny Green $4,000 $3,800 $7,000 20.2 -7.9 25.6 -3.5 0.79 15.0% 10 11 24
Rudy Gay $6,400 $5,900 $11,500 22.7 6.2 21.6 8.2 1.05 21.7% 13 26 3
LaMarcus Aldridge $9,500 $9,000 $16,600 40.2 -4.7 33.4 -0.6 1.20 26.5% 15 6 25
Pau Gasol $4,400 $4,300 $8,200 26.9 -10.6 23.5 -5.6 1.14 19.1% N/A N/A N/A
Tony Parker $3,500 $3,200 $6,200 15.3 -5.7 19.5 -7.4 0.78 20.9% N/A N/A N/A

Elite Plays – LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay

Secondary Plays – Patty Mills, Dejounte Murray (GPP)


Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards – 6:00 PM ET

Toronto Raptors Washington Wizards
Article Image Vegas Total 218.5 Article Image Vegas Total 218.5
Vegas Spread -1.5 Vegas Spread 1.5
Implied Team Total 110.0 Implied Team Total 108.5
Pace Projection +/- -0.7 Pace Projection +/- 0.2
Projected Starters Kyle Lowry DeMar DeRozan OG Anunoby Serge Ibaka Jonas Valanciunas Projected Starters John Wall Bradley Beal Otto Porter Markieff Morris Marcin Gortat
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 10 16 19 5 9 DvP 8 3 3 8 22
DRPM Rat. 12 14 2 19 7 DRPM Rat. 2 22 4 9 21

Toronto Raptors

Notable Injuries

Fred VanVleet (Questionable)

After taking a 2-0 lead in the series, the Raptors came out flat in Game 3 and lost 122-103 in Washington. Fred VanVleet missed Game 3 with his injury and is listed as questionable for Game 4. Even if VanVleet is cleared to play, one has to wonder how effective he will be playing through it. For now, I’m still expecting Delon Wright to play big minutes off the bench and close games, similar to what VanVleet was doing, in order to help defend against John Wall. The absence of VanVleet would also give C.J. Miles a few more minutes, but he’s nothing more than a large-field GPP dart throw in the event he catches fire.

With the Wizards up by 19 entering the 4th quarter, most of the starters saw their minutes scaled back in Game 3. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry did each see 35 minutes, but Serge Ibaka (28), OG Anunoby (26) and Jonas Valanciunas (23) saw limited playing time while seven Raptors got playing time off the bench because of the blowout. Assuming this game stays a bit more competitive, I’d expect the starters to see normal minutes and a more condensed bench rotation. I’m still willing to go back to the well in Game 4 to the duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. I expect them to restore order and try to slow down the Wizards’ dynamic backcourt duo.

I still have some interest in Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas as a tournament option. I do worry about JoVal’s minutes but as we saw from the regular season, he can put up points in a hurry.

Toronto Raptors Offense

Points Per Game: 111.7 (3 of 30)
Implied Implied Team Total: 110.0 (1 of 8)
Projected Point Differential: -1.7 (2 of 8)

Matchup vs. Washington Wizards

Points Allowed Per Game: 106.0 (15 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 106.2 (15 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: + 0.6 (14 of 30)
Pace of Play: 98.9 (18 of 30)

Player FD Salary DK Salary FDRFT Salary FP/Game Playoffs +/- Minutes Playoffs +/- FP/Min True Usage EFF DVP DRPM
Kyle Lowry $8,200 $7,600 $14,400 34.9 1.3 32.2 4.0 1.08 21.8% 7 10 12
DeMar DeRozan $8,500 $7,800 $14,300 37.5 -1.3 33.9 1.9 1.11 28.5% 15 16 14
OG Anunoby $3,500 $3,400 $7,100 12.1 7.1 20.0 2.3 0.60 10.9% 14 19 2
Serge Ibaka $6,300 $6,000 $12,300 25.3 3.9 27.5 3.4 0.92 16.9% 18 5 19
Jonas Valanciunas $6,000 $5,700 $11,000 27.1 3.1 22.4 0.7 1.21 19.2% 11 9 7
Delon Wright $4,600 $4,600 $9,000 19.2 6.3 20.8 3.0 0.92 17.3% N/A N/A N/A
C.J. Miles $3,500 $3,700 $8,200 15.6 0.4 19.1 2.4 0.82 20.1% N/A N/A N/A
Jakob Poeltl $3,600 $3,200 $6,500 17.8 -8.8 18.6 -5.5 0.96 12.2% N/A N/A N/A

Elite Plays – DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Delon Wright (if Fred VanVleet is out)

Secondary Plays – Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas


Washington Wizards

Notable Injuries

None

The Wizards finally gained some ground in this series by taking Game 3 on their home court. Now the Wizards have a chance to even the series but they are going to need more from players not named John Wall or Bradley Beal. The duo combined for 56 of the Wizards’ 122 points and both were fantastic in Game 3. Both remain elite plays as the offense is going to continue flowing through them.

There were some rumblings of moving Marcin Gortat to the bench and starting Mike Scott, but Coach Brooks ultimately decided to keep the starting unit intact. That decision paid off, as Gortat exploded (well, exploded based on his standards) for 16 points and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes. This should earn another start for Gortat, but just keep an eye out on the news in case Coach Brooks has a change or heart. The fact he’s also on the hot seat makes me hesitant to roster him in the event he gets off to a slow start in Game 4 and the Wizards decide to move forward with Scott.

Otto Porter (8 points and 8 rebounds in 31 minutes) and Markieff Morris (7 points in 18 minutes) were almost invisible in Game 3. It seems that the emergence of Mike Scott may be a factor, as well as the renewed confidence in playing Kelly Oubre. It’s also been odd, but Tomas Satoransky seems to have been moved behind Ty Lawson in the pecking order. Lawson played 16 minutes compared to Satoransky’s 6 in Game 3. Lawson also saw 31 minutes in Game 2, so we probably do need to consider him as a deep GPP punt in case he suddenly gets extended run.

Washington Wizards Offense

Points Per Game: 106.6 (13 of 30)
Implied Implied Team Total: 108.5 (2 of 8)
Projected Point Differential: 1.9 (1 of 8)

Matchup vs. Toronto Raptors

Points Allowed Per Game: 103.9 (6 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 103.4 (5 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: + 1.6 (8 of 30)
Pace of Play: 99.8 (13 of 30)

Player FD Salary DK Salary FDRFT Salary FP/Game Playoffs +/- Minutes Playoffs +/- FP/Min True Usage EFF DVP DRPM
John Wall $10,500 $9,900 $18,000 41.8 17.1 34.4 1.3 1.22 28.9% 5 8 2
Bradley Beal $7,900 $7,300 $13,500 36.8 -4.0 36.3 -1.5 1.01 25.6% 7 3 22
Otto Porter $6,000 $5,600 $11,800 30.4 -5.5 31.6 -2.3 0.96 17.3% 2 3 4
Markieff Morris $6,100 $5,100 $10,000 23.3 1.5 27.0 0.9 0.86 16.8% 8 8 9
Marcin Gortat $4,200 $4,500 $8,700 22.6 -7.9 25.3 -3.2 0.89 13.9% 13 22 21
Kelly Oubre $4,400 $4,300 $8,400 22.1 -1.0 27.5 -3.5 0.80 17.3% N/A N/A N/A
Mike Scott $3,800 $4,100 $7,900 14.6 5.8 18.5 9.0 0.79 17.5% N/A N/A N/A

Elite Plays – Bradley Beal, John Wall

Secondary Plays – Marcin Gortat, Ty Lawson (GPP) Markieff Morris, Kelly Oubre (GPP), Otto Porter, Mike Scott


Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers – 8:30 PM ET

Cleveland Cavaliers Indiana Pacers
Article Image Vegas Total 205.0 Article Image Vegas Total 205.0
Vegas Spread 0.0 Vegas Spread 0.0
Implied Team Total 102.5 Implied Team Total 102.5
Pace Projection +/- -1.4 Pace Projection +/- 0.5
Projected Starters George Hill J.R. Smith Kyle Korver LeBron James Kevin Love Projected Starters Darren Collison Victor Oladipo Bojan Bogdanovic Thaddeus Young Myles Turner
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 6 6 9 13 24 DvP 25 22 29 17 19
DRPM Rat. 19 1 21 5 18 DRPM Rat. 22 27 5 21 15

Cleveland Cavaliers

Notable Injuries

George Hill (Questionable)

George Hill is currently questionable and it’ll be interesting to see how the Cavs adjust their lineup if he ends up missing the game. If he does sit, we could see Jose Calderon or Cedi Osman move into the starting lineup with Jordan Clarkson seeing some more run off the bench. Regardless, LeBron James and Kevin Love are the main pieces on this team that I have interest in. LeBron’s price is sky high but this is also a monster taking it upon himself to carry a franchise on his shoulders while the likes of Rodney Hood and J.R. Smith look on (okay, that was a bit dramatic, but you get my point). The Cavs did move Smith and Kyle Korver into the starting lineup, but Korver was held scoreless and Smith finished with just 8 points in 34 minutes. Sure, one of these secondary players could step up in Game 4 and make the Pacers pay, but I’d rather look for my punts elsewhere.

Cleveland Cavaliers Offense

Points Per Game: 110.9 (5 of 30)
Implied Implied Team Total: 102.5 (5 of 8)
Projected Point Differential: -8.4 (8 of 8)

Matchup vs. Indiana Pacers

Points Allowed Per Game: 104.2 (9 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 105.6 (12 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: -0.7 (19 of 30)
Pace of Play: 98.2 (23 of 30)

Player FD Salary DK Salary FDRFT Salary FP/Game Playoffs +/- Minutes Playoffs +/- FP/Min True Usage EFF DVP DRPM
George Hill $3,700 $4,100 $8,000 20.0 -8.3 27.0 -6.3 0.74 15.6% 3 6 19
J.R. Smith $3,600 $4,100 $8,100 16.5 2.2 28.1 4.7 0.59 12.5% 23 6 1
Kyle Korver $4,000 $3,900 $7,400 15.4 -5.6 21.6 -3.4 0.71 14.2% 2 9 21
LeBron James $12,200 $11,900 $23,200 54.2 6.5 36.9 4.9 1.47 30.1% 18 13 5
Kevin Love $7,700 $7,200 $13,400 33.1 -5.0 28.0 7.3 1.18 21.9% 25 24 18
Jordan Clarkson $3,600 $3,800 $7,100 22.0 -14.1 23.3 -5.0 0.94 24.9% N/A N/A N/A
Larry Nance $4,900 $4,500 $8,800 23.6 -5.8 21.5 2.4 1.10 15.0% N/A N/A N/A

Elite Plays – LeBron James

Secondary Plays – Kevin Love


Indiana Pacers

Notable Injuries

None

It was quite the game for Bojan Bogdanovic, who made himself a household name in Game 3 by dropping 30 points on the Cavaliers. Bojan shot 11-for-15 from the field but more importantly, played 36 minutes (second on the team behind Oladipo’s 39). We knew going into this series that Bogdanovic would be a key factor, but I don’t think anyone expected him to be this important to the Pacers’ success. Bogdanovic will probably see an uptick in ownership as the secret is out of the bag on how good he is, but this is still a great spot as the Pacers need his defense (and offense) to help contain LeBron James.

Victor Oladipo played second fiddle to Bogdanovic in this game and only scored 18 points, but it was enough to edge out the Cavaliers. The Cavs are scheming to take the ball out of Oladipo’s hand, and it nearly worked to perfection once again, so I’m expecting the Cavs to continue forcing others to beat them. I still think Oladipo is an elite play on this slate, but it’s clear the Cavs want anyone but Oladipo to score.

Outside of those two, Thaddeus Young remains a solid play with the amount of minutes he’s getting, while Myles Turner was a bucket short of getting a double-double. More importantly for me is that Turner played 30 minutes and is being relied upon in this series. The same can be said of Darren Collison, who played 30 minutes but only scored 3 points. I’d expect him to have a bounceback game.

At this point Lance Stephenson continues to be a GPP option for his defense against LeBron but he hasn’t had that breakout game we’ve all been waiting for. I still don’t mind him for tournaments as a last-piece type of play.

Indiana Pacers Offense

Points Per Game: 105.6 (16 of 30)
Implied Implied Team Total: 102.5 (5 of 8)
Projected Point Differential: -3.1 (4 of 8)

Matchup vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Points Allowed Per Game: 109.9 (26 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 109.5 (29 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: -1.5 (22 of 30)
Pace of Play: 100.1 (12 of 30)

Player FD Salary DK Salary FDRFT Salary FP/Game Playoffs +/- Minutes Playoffs +/- FP/Min True Usage EFF DVP DRPM
Darren Collison $6,100 $5,400 $11,800 26.8 -4.0 29.3 2.0 0.91 18.6% 22 25 22
Victor Oladipo $9,800 $8,700 $16,700 42.5 1.0 34.0 0.7 1.25 27.4% 17 22 27
Bojan Bogdanovic $5,600 $5,200 $10,800 21.7 5.9 30.8 4.6 0.71 16.8% 29 29 5
Thaddeus Young $6,200 $5,000 $9,900 27.2 -1.2 32.2 1.0 0.85 15.5% 27 17 21
Myles Turner $6,000 $5,300 $10,300 28.0 -4.2 28.2 5.0 0.99 17.3% 9 19 15
Domantas Sabonis $4,000 $4,100 $7,800 24.6 -12.1 24.5 -4.8 1.01 19.1% N/A N/A N/A
Cory Joseph $3,600 $3,500 $7,100 19.0 -3.0 27.0 -5.2 0.71 15.0% N/A N/A N/A
Lance Stephenson $3,700 $4,300 $8,300 20.6 -5.3 22.6 -1.1 0.91 19.8% N/A N/A N/A

Elite Plays – Bojan Bogdanovic, Victor Oladipo

Secondary Plays – Darren Collison, Lance Stephenson (GPP), Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young


About the Author

fathalpert
Allan Lem (fathalpert)

Allan Lem (aka fathalpert) began playing fantasy sports in high school and transitioned to DFS in 2015. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Economics and lives in California with his wife and two kids. Allan got his break in the industry covering Preseason NBA content. He is currently the Social Media Manager for RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and FantasyLabs. Follow Allan on Twitter – @AllanLemDFS