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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, April 5th

by Ryan138 Last Updated 2015-04-06 23:04:08

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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Houston at Oklahoma City – 1:00 PM EST

Houston Oklahoma City
houstonnba Vegas Total 216 oklahomacitynba Vegas Total 216
Vegas Sprd 1.5 Vegas Sprd -1.5
Team Proj. 107.5 Team Proj. 109.0
Team Pace 99.17 Team Pace 98.24
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 Jason Terry James Harden Trevor Ariza Terrence Jones Dwight Howard Proj Starter Russell Westbrook Dion Waiters Kyle Singler Enes Kanter Steven Adams
Opp. Season 25 7 23 27 4 Opp. Season 2 19 21 26 22
Opp. Last 7 6 20 29 22 14 Opp. Last 7 12 17 18 26 27

Houston

The Rockets are cruising into the playoffs as well as finally looking almost fully healthy for their postseason run. The Rockets will be without Donatas Motiejunas this afternoon, but has said they will extend Dwight Howard’s minutes to 24. This should be one of the highest paced games of the entire day as the Rockets are ranked fifth in points per game, while the Thunder are ranked sixth.

Elite Plays

James Harden $11,600 FD/$11,200 DK – Harden is coming off a bit of a dud for him in what was a good matchup against the Mavs, and while I say dud, he still came close to a 40-point fantasy performance. The tempo of this game should fit perfectly for Harden’s style, as we should see a number of fast breaks and open threes for the Rockets star.

Trevor Ariza $6,800 FD/$6,700 DK – Ariza has been very consistent all year long, as he has logged 35+ minutes in a high-powered offense. He has really come on lately with 30+ fantasy points in each of his last three and I see that continuing here today.

Secondary Plays

I can see playing Josh Smith as a tournament play today, but it is hard to solely recommend him as Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones are going to see minute increases to get them comfortable for the post-season. Smith still should see 25-30 minutes today and could do some damage during that time.

Oklahoma City

The Thunder are limping into the final weeks of the season and have lost four of their last five games in the process. They will try their best to hold onto the last spot in the Western Conference playoffs as they face off against one of the best teams in the league. Surprisingly enough, Vegas has the Thunder as small favorites in this matchup with the highest total of the day at 216. The only new injury concern is Enes Kanter’s neck. If he is unable to suit up, bump up your projections of Steven Adams and Mitch McGary.

Elite Plays

Russell Westbrook 12,300 FD/12,100 DK – I would not pay up for him in cash games at this point, but we all know his potential. In order to reach value Westbrook needs about 60 fantasy points, which he has not done in any of his last seven games. If he were to do it though, this matchup would be the time, as the Rockets will continue to play without their best on-ball defender in Beverley.

Enes Kanter 7,700 FD/7,800 DK – Check the status before the game, as Kanter did have to have some X-rays on his neck after their last game. If he does suit up, however, he has been playing great basketball. Kanter has scored over 45 points in each of his last two games and will continue to be relied upon against the Rockets who are ranked 22nd in the league at defending the center position.

Secondary Plays

Dion Waiters 4,500 FD/4,800 DK – Stick with me here as I talk about Waiters, but he is still launching up double-digit shots and is playing on a team that is projected to score almost 110 points in this game. Those points have to come from somebody and Waiters should be able to reach value.

Chicago at Cleveland – 3:30 PM EST

Chicago Cleveland
chicagonba Vegas Total 197 clevelandnba Vegas Total 197
Vegas Sprd 8.5 Vegas Sprd -8.5
Team Proj. 94.5 Team Proj. 103.0
Team Pace 95.34 Team Pace 94.80
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 Aaron Brooks Jimmy Butler Mike Dunleavy Pau Gasol Joakim Noah Proj Starter Kyrie Irving J.R. Smith LeBron James Kevin Love Timofey Mozgov
Opp. Season 12 22 19 11 11 Opp. Season 26 4 18 14 7
Opp. Last 7 13 13 7 5 4 Opp. Last 7 24 4 5 4 15

Chicago

The second afternoon game pits the Bulls rolling into Cleveland for a matchup with LeBron and the Cavaliers. With playoff positioning still to play for in the case of both of these teams, we should continue to see hard fought basketball between two teams that could very well see each other at some point in the playoffs. The pace of this game should be a bit different then the first game of the afternoon as both squads allow around 98 points per game. The Bulls will be missing Kirk Hinrich for this game.

Elite Plays

Pau Gasol 8,800 FD/8,400 DK – Pau has come out saying that the Bulls need to turn their game up and treat the end of the regular season as if they were playoff games. If you watched the Bulls game on Friday night, you would have seen a very motivated Pau who looks ready to lead this team into a decent run. He will have a decent matchup, especially if Kevin Love suits up for this game.

Secondary Plays

Jimmy Butler 8,400 FD/8,000 DK – Jimmy is priced a bit high, but is clearly back into the rotation and getting his normal 40 minutes per game that Thibs loves to play him. He should be a big part in keeping the Bulls in this game and should come close to reaching value. The Cavs are 22nd in the league at defending the shooting guard position.

Cleveland

The Cavs are rolling right now and look ready for a playoff push. They have won ten of their last twelve games and have beaten some very solid teams in the process. They will now look to go up against the Bulls in a game they are favored by eight points with a total of 197. Early reports have said that Kevin Love will suit up for this game and play. This takes Tristan Thompson out of playability and takes a few points away from LeBron and Irving.

Elite Plays

Kyrie Irving 8,100 FD/7,700 DK – His price is hard to ignore over at DK as he really only needs just over 35 fantasy points to reach value. That should not be a problem, as he will have the likes of Aaron Brooks guarding him for a good portion of the game. The Bulls are ranked 29th in the league in defending the point guard position over the last three weeks and Irving should dominate.

Secondary Plays

I do like LeBron James, but at his price point I will only be using him as a tournament play today. I would much rather pay a bit more for both Harden and Westbrook in a much higher paced/scoring game this afternoon.

Miami at Indiana – 6:00 PM EST

Miami Indiana
miaminba Vegas Total indiananba Vegas Total
Vegas Sprd Vegas Sprd
Team Proj. Team Proj.
Team Pace 93.11 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 Goran Dragic Dwyane Wade Luol Deng Henry Walker Hassan Whiteside Proj Starter George Hill C.J. Miles Solomon Hill David West Roy Hibbert
Opp. Season 10 23 5 2 8 Opp. Season 11 3 8 4 10
Opp. Last 7 3 15 24 8 21 Opp. Last 7 26 5 19 10 22

Miami

The Heat are playing a back to back today as they roll into Indiana for a battle between two teams that are just out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. In one of the most shocking turn of events, Dwyane Wade actually played yesterday after that knee-bending situation and played very well. I would check the news just in case, but it looks like he should continue to play. This should be a slow paced affair as the Heat are ranked fifth in points allowed and the Pacers are ranked sixth. Hassan Whiteside opened up some of those stitches on his hand and is questionable for this game; if he suits up I do like him as a tournament play. If he sits, Udonis Haslem could step into big minutes with Chris Andersen also questionable and would make a great value play.

Elite Plays

Dwyane Wade 7,300 FD/7,100 DK – As I said in the team write up, I was very surprised to see Wade lace them up last night, but he did and scored 30 fantasy points. His price has dropped tremendously across the industry and even in a tough matchup, makes a great play at the shooting guard position that the Pacers rank 23rd in the league at defending.

Secondary Plays

None

Indiana

The big news out of Pacers camp is that Paul George will play today. If you were watching that scrimmage game, you saw one of the grosser injuries in basketball as George broke his leg, but it is great to see him back for the end of this season. He is only going to play 15 minutes max, which should only affect maybe C.J. Miles and Solomon Hill’s playing time a little. Vegas do have the Pacers as six-point favorites with a total of 191.

Elite Plays

George Hill 7,500 FD/7,400 DK – Hill has been the guy that has tried to carry this Pacers squad to a playoff berth over the last few weeks. He is playing great basketball and his price has risen to reflect his consistent play. It is not a great matchup, but he should be able to take advantage of Dragic tonight and reach value.

Secondary Plays

If Hassan Whiteside does not suit up, it does give a pretty big bump to the likes of Roy Hibbert and David West. Neither has done anything special lately and would still be risky plays, but would have no big men to contend with inside.

Golden State at San Antonio – 7:00 PM EST

Golden State San Antonio
goldenstatenba Vegas Total sanantonionba Vegas Total
Vegas Sprd Vegas Sprd
Team Proj. Team Proj.
Team Pace 100.56 Team Pace 95.83
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 Tony Parker Danny Green Kawhi Leonard Tim Duncan Boris Diaw
Opp. Season 8 1 1 21 12 Opp. Season 6 5 9 19 16
Opp. Last 7 8 3 9 2 9 Opp. Last 7 16 1 13 28 11

Golden State

The Warriors are just plain good this year and there is not much else to say. Last night, they were able to only play the starters minutes in the high twenties, yet they were still able to come out and score 123 points against the Mavericks. They have now officially clinched homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs and the starters will most likely continue to receive less than thirty minutes for the rest of the season. This makes them very difficult to play and trust for any cash game plays.

Elite Plays

None

Secondary Plays

Klay Thompson 7,200 FD/7,300 DK – Like yesterday, Klay is much cheaper than Stephen Curry and could reach value playing less than a full compliment of minutes. He is a secondary play for me today in a matchup with the Spurs and will likely only play him in tournament lineups.

San Antonio

On the other side of the ball are the Spurs, who are still battling for a higher position in the playoff race. Sitting in the sixth spot in the Western Conference, the Spurs are just behind a few teams and could potentially move up into a larger homecourt advantage if they play well done the stretch. The Spurs are five and half point favorites with a total of 207. They will have to play this game without Tiago Splitter who will miss this game with a strained calf.

Elite Plays

Aron Baynes 3,900 FD/3,300 DK – Baynes will be facing a difficult matchup inside against Bogut, but it is stuff to ignore his price point and the fact that he will be pushed into a decent amount of minutes due to the Splitter injury. He played well in 19 minutes filling in for the injured Splitter on Friday as he scored 18 points and had 4 rebounds. If he can come close to that mark tonight he will soar passed his value.

Secondary Plays

Looking at the Spurs game logs shows Popovich at his finest. The starters are playing less than 25 minutes per game in the last two due to the games being blowouts and it is too difficult to get a read on what they will do today. I am going to most likely ignore the Spurs players tonight with the exception of Baynes.

Philadelphia at New York – 7:30 PM EST

Philadelphia New York
philadelphianba Vegas Total 189 newyorknba Vegas Total 189.0
Vegas Sprd 0.0 Vegas Sprd 0.0
Team Proj. 94.5 Team Proj. 94.5
Team Pace 98.29 Team Pace 93.48
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 Ish Smith Jakarr Sampson Jerami Grant Nerlens Noel Furkan Aldemir Proj Starter Shane Larkin Langston Galloway Lance Thomas Andrea Bargnani
Opp. Season 21 24 2 7 23 Opp. Season 24 28 17 25 30
Opp. Last 7 29 18 25 14 17 Opp. Last 7 20 7 16 17 16

Philadelphia

These two terrible teams get to face off for the last time this year. In their first matchup, the 76ers dominated the Knicks at home, but now have to travel into Madison Square Garden. The 76ers will continue to be without Isaiah Canaan for this contest and the big news to check on is the status of Nerlens Noel who left last night’s game with a cut over his eye.

Elite Plays

Ishmael Smith 6,400 FD/6,100 DK – Ish Smith has been one of the most consistent options for the 76ers over the last five games. During this time, he has scored over 25 fantasy points in each contest and has 30+ in three out of those five. His minutes are now guaranteed more than ever with the injury to Canaan and he makes a great play against a Knicks squad that is ranked 21st at defending the point guard position.

Nerlens Noel 8,400 FD/7,900 DK – The only other viable option for the 76ers in Noel. If he suits up, he makes a great play tonight at the power forward position as he has played very well recently. In his last game on March 20th against these Knicks, Noel went for 23 points and 14 rebounds. I would expect something similar against the poor inside defense of the Knicks tonight.

Secondary Plays

None

New York

You know you are not a good team when you are small home underdogs to the Philadelphia 76ers. That is the position the New York Knicks are in tonight and it does not get much sadder than that. This game, like their previous matchups, should be low scoring as it matches up the 29th and 30th ranked teams in points scored per game.

Elite Plays

None

Secondary Plays

At this point, there are three guys that I can see you taking a tournament long shot on for the Knicks. Langston Galloway, Shane Larkin and Ricky Ledo are the only names that I could possibly put money on and I am not sure I could. Ricky Ledo may be the diamond in the rough of those three as he is coming off a 21 point performance and if Cleanthony Early sits again, Ledo should be looking at 30+ minutes. The other two, Larkin and Galloway, continue to play huge minutes, but really have not done a whole lot with those minutes. Good luck if you travel down this road.

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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.