NBA Grind Down: Sunday, December 29th
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: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Golden State at Cleveland
- Vegas Line – Golden State -6.5, 205.5 Over/Under
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Lee-Bogut
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Miles-Gee-Thompson-Bynum
Golden State
Happy Sunday everyone! The Warriors and Cavs may not seems like a great game from a fantasy perspective, but it is actually one of my favorite games to target tonight. Vegas is expected this to be a high scoring game and I tend to agree. Now that the Cavs have suspended Bynum, look for them to push the pace a bit more offensively.
The Cavs have really only defended one position well this season and that’s the Center position. Varejao is a very good defender and there won’t be many offensive rebounds to go around with him and Thompson down low. I will be fading Andrew Bogut, but I do think the other starters are all in play.
- Stephen Curry – Curry has a fantastic matchup tonight and is coming off of a career game in which he set career highs in both rebounds and assists. PG’s have shredded this Cavs defense all season long and today shouldn’t be any different. Curry should be considered the 2nd overall fantasy option next to Durant.
- Andre Iguodala – I don’t mind either Lee or Thompson, but I think Iggy provides the best value on the Warriors. His price is dirt cheap across the board and he is a much better player than his recent production suggests. Take him in a favorable matchup against the Cavs who are ranked dead last against the SF position.
Cleveland
The Cavs are in a favorable position today and with Andrew Bynum suspended, that opens up big minutes for Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, and Anthony Bennett. While the Warriors have been pretty solid against PF’s and Centers this season, I think both Varejao and Thompson are in play. They should both see a small boost in minutes and should play well in an uptempo game tonight.
- Kyrie Irving – The one position that the Warriors have struggled to defend all season is the PG position. Curry has never been known as a great defender and Kyrie has been on an absolute tear over the past couple of weeks. I love the matchup and I think this game comes down to the wire thanks to the solid play of Irving.
Atlanta at Orlando
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Afflalo-Harris-Davis-Vucevic
Atlanta
This game also looks like a good game to target. Vegas has the Magic favored by 2 points and the total set at 202 points. With Al Horford done for the season, we saw Paul Millsap step up in a big way last night. While Elton Brand does get the start at Center, he is just too old to be relied on to play big minutes. He played less than 20 last night and I doubt he tops that number here.
The Magic have been below average this season at defending PG’s (18th), SG’s (29th), and PF’s (23rd). While Kyle Korver does carry some value depending on his price, my favorite two plays here are Teague and Millsap who will be shouldering the load offensively.
- Paul Millsap – Millsap is already having a career year and now that Horford is out for the year, I think Millsap becomes a top 15 fantasy option. He topped 50 fantasy points last night without Horford and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him top 40 FP’s in this one. Take him now before his price jumps up.
- Jeff Teague – Teague has really been playing well over the last couple of weeks and now will be relied upon to ccreate more offensively. I expect Teague to push the pace against this Magic team and post a nice double-double.
Orlando
The Magic have a nice matchup against the Hawks and now that Horford is out, I will be targeting the bigs against the Hawks for the next few games. The combo of Millsap, Brand, and Scott just isn’t very imposing on the defensive end.
The Hawks have basically been average or below average against every single position this season so there aren’t any matchups that you want to avoid here. Like I mentioned above, I think both bigs are in play here (Glen Davis and Nikola Vucevic), but I also really like Tobias Harris who has been playing some great basketball lately.
- Nikola Vucevic – Of the three players that I like on the Magic, Vucevic has to be my favorite. He has a fantastic matchup against Brand who just doesn’t have it defensively anymore. Vucevic should dominate both ends of the floor and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him post a 20 point, 15 rebound game tonight.
Houston at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Houston Proj. Starters – Lin-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
Houston
The Rockets travel to OKC for a matchup of two of the highest scoring teams in the league. You would think that this game would have the highest over/under of the night, but that honor belongs to the Sixers and Lakers. There are solid options on both teams in this one. I think both James Harden and Dwight Howard are in play, but you are going to have to pay up for them.
- Jeremy Lin – Even though this game could get ugly early, I still like the value for Lin. He has been hovering around that 20 FP mark which isn’t bad considering his cheap price tag across the board. The Thunder have not defended the PG position well this season and I expect Lin to top that 20 FP mark again tonight.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder are in great spot tonight. They are facing a Rockets team that is not only one of the fastest paced teams in the league, but they are also one of the worst defenses in the league. They are ranked below average against every position this season. Kevin Durant looks like the top overall fantasy option tonight, but you will have to pay for him. He should have a big game, but I think Jackson and Ibaka offer a little bit more value here.
- Reggie Jackson – Jackson had a rough night in his first start with Westbrook out, but I expect him to play much better here. He is a very talented player and was quite possibly the best backup PG in the league. He has a fantastic matchup against Lin.
- Serge Ibaka – I love the matchup against the Rockets who are ranked 26th against PF’s on the season. Look for him to post a double-double easily here and hopefully pick up a few blocks in the process.
Sacramento at San Antonio
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -11.5, 210.5 Over/Under
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Belinelli-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter
Sacramento
The Kings are huge underdogs in this game and the Spurs have a solid defense. The Spurs rank in the top 10 against every position except for PG. Unless a Spurs player or two gets ruled out here, I will be fading all things Kings.
San Antonio
It’s never a good sign to see the Spurs as double digit favorites. Not only do the Spurs consistently win by 10 or more points, but Coach Pop loves to pull his starters as soon as the game gets out of hand. While there may be some favorable matchups here, the other 4 games provide better fantasy options tonight.
Philadelphia at L.A.Lakers
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Farmar-Meeks-Young-Hill-Sacre
Philadelphia
All you need to know about this game is that the total for the game is set at 215 points which means both teams are expected to score well into the hundreds. There are great fantasy options on both teams so let’s get to it:
- Spencer Hawes – Hawes should be able to dominate on offense and on the glass tonight against a very short handed Lakers frontcourt.
- Michael Carter-Williams – MCW continues his impressive season and makes a great play tonight against the Lakers who have been one of the worst teams against PG’s this season.
- Thaddeus Young – Thaddeus has been on fire lately and should keep it going tonight against the Lakers who have given up the most FP’s of any team to PF’s this season.
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers are projected to score over 110 points in this game. Pau Gasol has been ruled out here and Chris Kaman is a game-time decision. This could open up huge minutes for Jordan Hill and Shawne Williams.
- Jordan Hill – Hill is in play tonight even if Kaman ends up getting the start. He will see 25+ minutes if Kaman plays and possibly a lot more if Kaman ends up sitting out.
- Jordan Farmar – Farmar is probably my favorite value play today. He has great upside against this Sixers team who is ranked dead last against PG’s this season.