NBA Grind Down: Sunday, December 8th (Late Games)
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
Miami at Detroit
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Battier-Bosh
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
Miami
Detroit beat the Heat the last time these two teams met and you have to think that the Heat are going to be a little motivated for some revenge in this one. The Pistons really struggle to defend SF’s and Centers and those are the two positions that you should be targeting.
- LeBron James – LeBron is really starting to play well over the last couple of weeks and will likely soon reclaim his spot as the top overall fantasy option. He has a great matchup against the Heat and he got some extra rest last night as the Heat blew out the Wolves.
- Chris Bosh – Bosh is an extremely frustrating fantasy player because he doesn’t get many rebounds and often disappears on the offensive end. That said, Bosh is at his best when he is shooting jumpers on the perimeter and Drummond will have a hard time defending him out there.
Detroit
The Pistons bigs really took advantage of the Heat in their last meeting and you can expect more of the same tonight. The Heat just don’t have the size to match up with either Andre Drummond or Greg Monroe. Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings will both be stuck in tough matchups so if you are going to target anyone here, make it one of the bigs.
- Andre Drummond – Drummond was in foul trouble when these teams played last time, but he still managed to put up 10 points and 18 boards in only 23 minutes. Imagine what he can do against this small interior if he plays his usual 35 minutes.
- Greg Monroe – Monroe put up over 35 FP’s the other night against the Heat and probably has the biggest mismatch in this game. He will be matched up with either Shane Battier or Udonis Haslem and he has a big advantage over either of those players on both ends of the floor.
Orlando at Houston
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Davis-Vucevic
- Houston Proj. Starters – Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard
Orlando
This game has the potential to be great for fantasy, but it also has the potential to be a blowout so you definitely have to weigh the risk/reward here. The Magic have all of their starters back and have a great matchup against the Rockets, the problem is that the Rockets are double-digit favorites.
- Victor Oladipo – Oladipo is seeing close to 40 minutes per game these days and is always in play thanks to his ability to get blocks and steals. He can score double digit fantasy points in those two stats alone. He has been playing great and should play well in an uptempo game against the Rockets.
- Nikola Vucevic – Even though Dwight is a big name, the Rockets have had a terrible defense down low. They are ranked 24th against Centers this season and Vucey should be able to pad his stats. As long as it stays close, he should put up a big double-double.
Houston
The Rockets have a nice matchup against the Magic, but like I mentioned above, this game could easily turn into a blowout. The Rockets are favored by 12 and have been playing some great basketball of late. The Magic struggle to defend all positions so there really aren’t any players to avoid here.
- James Harden – If you are willing to risk the blowout, Harden makes a great play tonight. He is right behind LeBron for top overall options tonight. He has a great matchup against the Magic and should fill up the stat sheet again here.
Indiana at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -5, 193.5 Over/Under
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
Indiana
The Pacers have a favorable matchup against the Thunder. The Thunder have not been good defensively this season and rank in the bottom 4 against PG’s, SG’s, and PF’s. I would stay away from Roy Hibbert though as the Thunder have been the very best team in the league at defending Centers.
- George Hill – While I like Paul George here as well, he may expend most of his energy on the defensive end guarding Durant. He prides himself on his defense and I think he will try to shut Durant down tonight. Instead of paying up for George, save some money and take Hill who faces a Thunder defense that is ranked 27th against PG’s.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder have an extremely tough matchup tonight, but the good news is that they are facing a Pacers team that played in San Antonio last night. They could be on tired legs for this one. That said, it is still a very tough matchup against a Pacers team that ranks in the 6 against every position except for PG.
- Russell Westbrook – If there is one matchup that you want to target against the Pacers, it’s usually the PG spot. Westbrook has had a great track record against the Pacers and I expect him to play well again tonight. His price is very cheap for his upside.
Toronto at L.A.Lakers
- Vegas Line – L.A.Lakers -5.5, 205 Over/Under
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Gay-Hansbrough-Valanciunas
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Blake-Meeks-Johnson-Hill-Gasol
Toronto
The Raptors have a fantastic matchup against the Lakers. The Lakers are ranked in the bottom 5 against every position except for SF and Rudy Gay is still in play even though the DvP rankings say he has a pretty average matchup. Don’t be afraid to use 2-3 Raptors here.
- Kyle Lowry – PG’s have torn up this Lakers’ defense this season and I can’t wait to see what Lowry can do to them. Lowry has been playing great and has really shown his all-around game with his ability to do a little of everything on the floor.
- Rudy Gay – Gay should play well tonight. He has scored over 35 FP’s in three of the last four games and has a great chance to get there again tonight. The Lakers defense is bad all around and he should be able to create plenty of shots for himself.
L.A.Lakers
Kobe Bryant is back folks! While he won’t see enough minutes to be worthy of fantasy consideration, it will be good to see him on the court again. Vegas expects this game to be close and high scoring and that’s great news for both of these teams fantasy value. With Bryant back, Meeks will move to the bench and he can be ignored at this point.
- Pau Gasol – I also like Steve Blake here, but Kobe has to have the ball in his hands for him to be effective, so I’m not quite sure how that will affect Blake’s value. It should help ease the load for Pau though. Teams won’t be able to double him in the post and he should post a solid all around game against the Raptors.