NBA Grind Down: Sunday, April 6th Page Two
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Memphis at San Antonio
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -7, 192 Over/Under
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Lee-Prince-Randolph-Gasol
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter
Memphis
The Grizzlies have always played the Spurs tough. This game means a lot more to the Grizzlies than it does to the Spurs as they are still fighting to get into the playoffs and the Spurs have a 3.5 game lead on the Thunder for the best record in the NBA. This will be a pace up game for the Grizzlies which really boosts their fantasy value as a whole. The Spurs have been good against PG’s over the last month or so, but I don’t mind taking Mike Conley here. His price is depressed across the industry.
- Marc Gasol – Gasol is a very safe play against the Spurs tonight. The Spurs have surrendered the 2nd most fantasy points to Centers over the last 15 days and Gasol has a great track record against them. He makes a great cash game play as his floor is right around 30 FP’s, yet he has the ability to post a much higher fantasy output.
San Antonio
The Grizzlies are one of the best defenses in the league and play at one of the slowest paces in the league. That’s not a great combination to begin with and the fact that the Spurs basically have home-court advantage locked up throughout the playoffs doesn’t help. The Spurs are 7 point favorites here, but I have a feeling that the Spurs are going to take it easy heading into the playoffs. As customary around this time of year, you should avoid all Spurs in cash games.
Utah at Golden State
- Vegas Line – Golden State -12, 194 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Green-O’Neal
Utah
The Jazz are 12 point underdogs tonight against the Warriors. The Jazz will likely be at full strength for this game (which can’t be said for the Warriors), but the low total and the fact that the Jazz are one of the worst road teams in the league makes me want to fade them tonight. Derrick Favors has been playing well of late and could find some success against the very thin front-court of the Warriors. Other than Favors, the Jazz are all in less than favorable matchups.
Golden State
The Warriors will likely be without David Lee and Andrew Bogut again tonight which means Jermaine O’Neal, Draymond Green, and Marreese Speights will continue to have to pick up the slack. The Jazz are one of the slower paced teams in the league though so this will likely be a pace down game for the Warriors. The Warriors still have plenty to play for, but if they get up big early, I don’t expect Stephen Curry and the other starters to play huge minutes. Draymond Green is probably the safest play here.
Oklahoma City at Phoenix
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -2.5, 213.5 Over/Under
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Lamb-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Bledsoe-Tucker-Frye-Plumlee
Oklahoma City
The Thunder will have Russell Westbrook back in the lineup tonight which means Reggie Jackson will head back to the bench. Jackson is still seeing 30+ minutes of playing time off the bench though so he remains a viable fantasy option, especially against this fast-paced Suns team. This game has one of the highest totals on the board and I don’t mind taking a couple of Thunder players. Serge Ibaka has a great matchup against the Suns who have surrendered the 4th most FP’s to PF’s over the last 15 days.
- Kevin Durant – Durant tied Michael Jordan’s streak of 40 straight 25+ point games and will look to move ahead of him tonight. I think he puts on a show here. Durant is the top fantasy option on the board and this game will be one of the fastest paced games as well.
Phoenix
The Suns are still fighting for that 8th seed in the West and every game is a must win for them now. They have a nice matchup against the uptempo Thunder, but I’m not sure how much I love any fantasy options here. Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe both have favorable matchup against Westbrook and the revolving SG position of the Thunder, but both seem to hurt each other’s fantasy production. The best play here for the price is Markieff Morris.
New Orleans at Portland
- Vegas Line – Portland -10, 205 Over/Under
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Roberts-Evans-Morrow-Aminu-Ajinca
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
New Orleans
The final game of the night is between the Pelicans and the Blazers. Anthony Davis hurt his back the other night and while he did return, his status for tonight’s game is still up in the air. At this point in the season, it’s probably safest to just avoid Davis altogether with all of the nagging injuries that he has right now. Eric Gordon has been ruled out for tonight’s game so Anthony Morrow will get another start and make for a decent punt play. Tyreke Evans has the most upside of any Pelicans’ players, but he is better served as a GPP play thanks to his very inconsistent play of late.
Portland
The Blazers have a nice matchup against the Pelicans, but this game could easily turn into a blowout, especially if Anthony Davis ends up sitting out. The Pelicans are ranked 21st against PG’s and 26th against PF’s making both Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge solid plays if you think that the Pelicans can keep this one within striking distance.