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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, February 21

by Ryan138 Last Updated 2016-02-23 17:36:08

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 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.

Every game is also broken down by our NBA experts, providing an overview of the game and a selection of players to consider from each contest.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

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Cleveland at Oklahoma City – 03:30 PM

Cleveland Oklahoma City
clevelandnba Vegas Total 215 oklahomacitynba Vegas Total 215
Vegas Sprd 3.0 Vegas Sprd -3.0
Team Proj. 106.0 Team Proj. 109.0
Team Pace 95.24 Team Pace 99.38
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 Kyrie Irving J.R. Smith LeBron James Kevin Love Timofey Mozgov Proj Starter Russell Westbrook Andre Roberson Kevin Durant Serge Ibaka Steven Adams
Opp. Season 21 23 8 4 5 Opp. Season 16 6 6 2 2
Opp. Last 7 16 25 25 12 15 Opp. Season 20 5 1 3 23

Cleveland

Oklahoma City Thunder Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 101.9 (16 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 101.6 (10 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: 7.6 (1 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 193.9 (8 of 30)

This is the game of the day on this big Sunday worth of action as Lebron and the Cavs travel to Oklahoma City to take on Westbrook and Durant. The game features the highest total of the day at 215 and the Thunder are slight three point favorites. The Thunder are a slightly above average defensive team, but they still give up over 101 points per game. The Cavs have a projected team total of 106.0, which is 3.1 points higher than their season average. Iman Shumpert is currently doubtful for this game with a shoulder injury.

Elite Plays

Lebron James

Lebron is coming off a near triple double in his first game back from the All-Star break as he put up 25/9/9 against the Bulls on Thursday. Lebron is clearly in play today in a game that features a massive total and the Cavs having the second highest team total on the board. If I had to choose between the two, Lebron would get the nod over Durant today for a slight price savings.

FD — $10,100 — SF
DK — $9,700 — SF
Usage – 31.1
Min/Game — Season: 35.8

Secondary Plays

Kyrie Irving

Westbrook has never been known to be the greatest on ball defender as he over commits and tries to jump passing lanes a lot. This should open up a number of clear paths to the basket for Irving today who was starting to really feel it prior to the break. His price has now crept up to a place where we are not getting him for a bargain, but this game should have a ton of fantasy goodness to go around putting Irving into tournament consideration.

FD — $7,700 — PG
DK — $7,900 — PG
Usage – 28.9
Min/Game — Season: 29.9

Kevin Love

Getting a bunch of exposure to this game is not a bad idea as it should be played fast and a ton of point should be scored. While I also think J.R. Smith is a decent play due to his minutes (especially if Shumpert is out), Love needs to be mentioned here as well. Love’s price is a bit higher than the value he has been showing recently, but he makes for a great tournament play as well in this matchup.

FD — $7,200 — PF
DK — $7,400 — PF
Usage – 21.7
Min/Game — Season: 32.1

Tristan Thompson

The value play pick for the Cavs would be TT. He has had two straight solid games and is coming off a 38 fantasy point effort against the Bulls. His price is rising a bit, but is getting a bunch of minutes and should hit value.

FD — $5,100 — PF
DK — $5,500 — PF
Usage – 11.5
Min/Game — Season: 28.3

Oklahoma City

Cleveland Cavaliers Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 96.9 (4 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 101.1 (7 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: 3.6 (3 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 187.7 (3 of 30)

The Cavs are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this year as they are ranked in the top seven in the league in all the above defensive categories. With that said, the Thunder has the second highest projected team total on the slate at 108.5. This Thunder squad looks fully healthy coming into this matchup with Andre Roberson being the only injured player and continues to be out.

Elite Plays

Russell Westbrook

Picking between Westbrook and Durant, Westbrook would be my choice for this matchup. He has just as much if not more upside than any player on this whole slate and has the safest floor as well as he has put up at least 46 fantasy points in each of his last ten games. This should be a fun afternoon game to watch and Westbrook should be running wild.

FD — $10,900 — PG
DK — $11,000 — PG
Usage – 33.5
Min/Game — Season: 34.4

Kevin Durant

Durant clearly needs a mention as well today and could be a great tournament play as players will not be able to fit in all the studs and I can see a lot more Lebron/Westbrook teams going out there today. If this game stays close and if Vegas is right, all three of the stars should and could hit and exceed value today.

FD — $10,300 — SF
DK — $10,000 — SF
Usage – 29.0
Min/Game — Season: 36.1

Secondary Plays

Enes Kanter

Kanter is a punt play at the center position and really a tournament play only as well. He has put up 22+ fantasy points in four of his last five games and should have an opportunity to reach value in this game as well.

FD — $5,200 — C
DK — $5,000 — C
Usage – 21.5
Min/Game — Season: 20.7

New Orleans at Detroit – 03:30 PM

New Orleans Detroit
neworleansnba Vegas Total 206 detroitnba Vegas Total 206
Vegas Sprd 5.0 Vegas Sprd -5.0
Team Proj. 100.5 Team Proj. 105.5
Team Pace 98.27 Team Pace 97.75
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 Norris Cole Eric Gordon Alonzo Gee Anthony Davis Omer Asik Proj Starter Reggie Jackson Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Marcus Morris Ersan Ilyasova Andre Drummond
Opp. Season 13 10 3 14 11 Opp. Season 12 25 12 16 29
Opp. Last 7 28 16 14 4 17 Opp. Season 14 9 4 18 18

New Orleans

Detroit Pistons Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 101.0 (12 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 102.2 (13 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: 3.6 (3 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 194.1 (9 of 30)

The Pistons have been a slightly above average defensive team in the first half of the season. This game does feature a solid 206 total with the Pelicans being five point underdogs. The Pelicans have a projected team total of 100.5 in this game, which is two points lower than their season average. Eric Gordon continues to be out of the lineup along with Tyreke Evans, while Bryce Dejean-Jones is expected to play today.

Elite Plays

Anthony Davis

Davis came out of the All-Star break firing on all cylinders as he put up 34 points and seven rebounds on his way to a 49.9 fantasy effort. He has an average matchup today against the inside defense of the Pistons, but he should be able to take advantage of the likes of Tolliver and/or Tobias Harris today. His price is at a great point currently and will likely only be under 10k for a short while longer.

FD — $9,900 — PF
DK — $9,700 — PF
Usage – 26.6
Min/Game — Season: 35.5

Jrue Holiday

Holiday continues to run with the second unit, but is getting starters minutes and is trusted with leading that second unit each night. He has been on fire recently as he has put up at least 42 fantasy points in each of his last four games. While it is tough to pay over 7k for a bench player, he has tremendous upside and should be low owned today.

FD — $7,800 — PG
DK — $7,300 — PF
Usage – 28.3
Min/Game — Season: 26.3

Secondary Plays

Norris Cole

If you need some salary relief to get the studs in, you can give Norris Cole a look. His minutes are slightly down from where they were earlier in the season, but he looks to be a lock for 25-30 minutes and is salary is at a point where he needs around 25 fantasy points to reach value. The problem is, he has not hit that mark in his last four games. He is an option, but his upside is a bit more limited than it was in late January and early February.

FD — $5,100 — PG
DK — $5,300 — PG
Usage – 21.2
Min/Game — Season: 26.0

Detroit

New Orleans Pelicans Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 105.1 (24 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 106.6 (27 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: -2.4 (23 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 202.2 (21 of 30)

The Pelicans have been a very poor defensive team this year and a team we can always look to target in terms of fantasy options against them. They are ranked 20th or worse in points allowed, fantasy points allowed per game, defensive efficiency and rebounding differential. This new look Pistons squad has a projected team total of 105.5, which is four points higher than their season average.

Elite Plays

Andre Drummond

Drummond is in a great spot today as he takes on the Pelicans and their lack of rebounding as well as defense. In the first game against this Pelicans squad earlier in the year, he put up a ridiculous 19 point, 22 rebound game. Another 20/20 game is not out of the question today for the big man.

FD — $8,400 — C
DK — $8,000 — C
Usage – 23.1
Min/Game — Season: 33.7

Secondary Plays

Tobias Harris

Harris came in and made his presence felt immediately for the Pistons. In 30 minutes off the bench, Harris put up 21 points in route to a 23.8 point fantasy game. It is clear he is going to get a lot of run for this Pistons squad and his price is very cheap for a guy expected to see those type of minutes today.

FD — $5,500 — SF
DK — $5,700 — SF
Usage – 19.9
Min/Game — Season: 32.8

Reggie Jackson

With no more Brandon Jennings backing him up, Jax’s minutes are guaranteed and SVG showed us that as he played 31 minutes and took 18 shots. He has one of the higest point guard usage rates in the league (5th highest) and If he sees his shot fall today, he could put up a big time game for his price and makes a great tourney play in the early slate.

FD — $6,500 — PG
DK — $6,600 — SG
Usage – 29.3
Min/Game — Season: 31.0

San Antonio at Phoenix – 05:00 PM

San Antonio Phoenix
sanantonionba Vegas Total phoenixnba Vegas Total
Vegas Sprd Vegas Sprd
Team Proj. Team Proj.
Team Pace 96.30 Team Pace 100.26
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 Tony Parker Danny Green Kawhi Leonard LaMarcus Aldridge Tim Duncan Proj Starter Brandon Knight Devin Booker P.J. Tucker Jon Leuer Tyson Chandler
Opp. Season 29 29 30 12 6 Opp. Season 5 1 1 5 4
Opp. Last 7 9 30 22 9 6 Opp. Season 21 22 5 11 11

San Antonio

Phoenix Suns Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 106.8 (28 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 107.0 (29 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: -0.6 (16 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 206.6 (25 of 30)

The Suns have been a horrible defensive squad this year and are ranked 25th or worse in points allowed, defensive efficiency and fantasy points allowed per game. The biggest problem here is the blowout potential as the Spurs should be able to have this game finished somewhere during the third quarter today. Kawhi Leonard is questionable for this game and keep an eye on the news as this could be a spot for Pop to rest a player or two considering this is already their third game in four days.

Elite Plays

None

Secondary Plays

If Leonard sits, Kyle Anderson could be used as a deep punt play. Keep an eye out for any other Spurs players sitting today as it could open up some value, but as always with the Spurs, risk is attached.

Phoenix

San Antonio Spurs Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 92.0 (1 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 95.4 (1 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: 4.4 (2 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 179.2 (1 of 30)

The Spurs are never a team we want to focus much of our salary on taking teams against them. They are ranked first in points allowed, defensive efficiency and fantasy points allowed per game. Yet, the Suns have so many injuries that some players may be forced to play a ton of minutes regardless of the outcome. Tyson Chandler and Alex Len are currently questionable. If both are unable to go, Mirza Teletovic and Jon Leuer can be used due to their cheap prices with Teletovic clearly having the higher upside. Devin Booker is the other Sun that can be considered in play since he will get 30+ minutes regardless of the outcome and is being looked upon to lead this team in scoring going forward. Again, check the news as it comes out.

Elite Plays

Check the news, Mirza Teletovic is a great play regardless today, but would be an elite value play if Len and Chandler cannot suit up.

Secondary Plays

Check the news, Jon Leuer is a decent play, but would make a secondary play if Chandler and Len both cannot suit up.
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Boston at Denver – 05:00 PM

Boston Denver
bostonnba Vegas Total 215 denvernba Vegas Total 215
Vegas Sprd -3.0 Vegas Sprd 3.0
Team Proj. 109.0 Team Proj. 106.0
Team Pace 101.21 Team Pace 97.87
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 Isaiah Thomas Evan Turner Jae Crowder Amir Johnson Kelly Olynyk Proj Starter Jameer Nelson Gary Harris Danilo Gallinari Kenneth Faried Jusuf Nurkic
Opp. Season 25 27 13 23 22 Opp. Season 1 7 19 26 23
Opp. Last 7 27 1 15 6 30 Opp. Season 3 19 16 29 13

Boston

Denver Nuggets Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 103.4 (21 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 105.5 (22 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: 2.0 (9 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 204.6 (23 of 30)

The Nuggets are a team to target in terms of daily fantasy as they are a very poor defensive squad. They are ranked 21st or lower in points allowed per game, fantasy points allowed per game as well as defensive efficiency. This game will be played at just as high of a pace as the OKC/CLE game as the total is set at 214’ with the Celtics being slight three point favorites. The Celtics feature the highest team total on the board at 109.0, which is 3.5 points higher than their season average. Avery Bradley is currently questionable to play today and if he cannot go, Evan Turner and Marcus Smart would get a bump in minutes and could both be seen as decent value plays. Kelly Olynyk continues to be out.

Elite Plays

Isaiah Thomas

IT thrives in matchups such as this one that should be an up and down effort with plenty of quick shots here in Denver. Thomas has big time upside in this game as he played very well in the game back from break in what was the opposite type of matchup (Utah). He has 50 point upside in this game for a slightly reduced price from the rest of the point guard studs.

FD — $8,100 — PG
DK — $7,800 — PG
Usage – 28.9
Min/Game — Season: 32.5

Secondary Plays

Jared Sullinger

The absence of Kelly Olynyk does not open up a huge amount of minutes bump to the bigs of the Celtics as they still have a number of them. I do think it solidifies Sullinger for about 30 minutes guaranteed going forward. This 6-8 minute bump is pretty big for Sully who has put up some monster stat lines in limited minutes this year. Add that to the solid matchup against the Nuggets who are ranked 23rd against the PF position and I think Sullinger makes for a solid tourney play.

FD — $6,000 — PF
DK — $5,700 — C
Usage – 20.8
Min/Game — Season: 23.5

If Bradley is able to suit up, he makes a solid play in this matchup since he gets a ton of minutes for the Celtics. If he is unable to go Evan Turner would get a bump and a guy like Crowder would see a bit of a usage bump with the starters. Jae Crowder is in play regardless, but any of these guys are solid plays today with their high projected team total, but check the news for injuries as it could open up a bit more usage.

Denver

Boston Celtics Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 101.5 (14 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 99.6 (3 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: -0.9 (20 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 197.2 (12 of 30)

The Celtics are an above average defensive team this year as they are ranked third in the league in defensive efficiency. Yet, Vegas has this game being played at a very high pace and the Nuggets have one of the highest projected team totals on the board at 106.0, which is 5.3 points higher than their season average. We can consider Jameer Nelson questionable for this game since he didn’t play on Friday. If he is out, Emmanuel Mudiay should be pushed into the secondary plays category, as he should get 30 minutes of action in a high scoring game.

Elite Plays

Danilo Gallinari

Gallo has been great for the Nuggets since coming back from injury at the beginning of the 2016 year. This looks like the perfect type of game for Gallo as he should be able to launch his normal 10+ shots a game. Gallinari has a solid matchup against the Celtics who are ranked 19th in the league at defending the small forward position and is very solid at DraftKings where you get him for under 7k.

FD — $7,300 — SF
DK — $6,900 — PF
Usage – 22.1
Min/Game — Season: 34.8

Secondary Plays

Gary Harris

Everyone’s favorite cash game play right now is back and definitely continues to deserve consideration today. He is not going to win you any tournaments as his ceiling is limited, but getting a guy at his price point that will give you upwards of 38 minutes of court time is always a great choice.

FD — $4,700 — SG
DK — $4,500 — SG
Usage – 15.7
Min/Game — Season: 31.3

Will Barton

Barton is worth a mention in this game as well due to the high-scoring nature of the total and the fact that he has been playing some very good basketball again. He received 30 minutes off the bench in the first game after the break and if he can get that again, he should hit value and could make for a solid tournament play.

FD — $6,200 — SG
DK — $5,700 — SG
Usage – 23.7
Min/Game — Season: 28.6

Memphis at Toronto – 06:00 PM

Memphis Toronto
memphisnba Vegas Total 201 torontonba Vegas Total 201
Vegas Sprd 8.5 Vegas Sprd -8.5
Team Proj. 96.5 Team Proj. 105.0
Team Pace 95.29 Team Pace 95.80
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 Mike Conley Courtney Lee Matt Barnes Zach Randolph Marc Gasol Proj Starter Kyle Lowry DeMar DeRozan James Johnson Luis Scola Jonas Valanciunas
Opp. Season 3 13 4 6 17 Opp. Season 8 4 16 11 1
Opp. Last 7 15 20 20 21 29 Opp. Season 2 28 21 10 12

Memphis

Toronto Raptors Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.4 (5 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 101.5 (9 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: 2.4 (7 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 189.4 (5 of 30)

The Raptors have been a solid defensive team this year and are ranked in the top ten in all the above defensive categories. Memphis features a low 97.0 team total today, The Grizzlies are again going to be a bit short handed as Marc Gasol continues to be out and now Tony Allen is questionable for this game. If Allen cannot go, it solidifies Matt Barnes as a very solid value play and Mario Chalmers would likely get some more run.

Elite Plays

Zach Randolph

Randolph is in play today again as he sees the biggest bump with Gasol out of the lineup. He is seeing a big time minutes bump as a starter now and has put up 34+ fantasy points in three of his last four games. His price is going to be above 7k soon, so playing him here (especially FD) is a nice discount.

FD — $6,500 — PF
DK — $7,000 — PF
Usage – 22.0
Min/Game — Season: 29.0

Matt Barnes

The other big bump goes to Matt Barnes who is going to be getting the minutes he needs in order to reach value at his cheap price. The nigh slate really lacks many solid small forward options so going the value route is going to be a popular as well as a solid choice.

FD — $4,800 — SF
DK — $5,000 — SF
Usage – 16.0
Min/Game — Season: 26.4

Secondary Plays

If Tony Allen is out, the guards will all see a nice bump, which would boost Mike Conley a bit who has already been playing good basketball recently. Also Chalmers could see his minutes hit the 30+ mark, which would make him a nice punt at the point guard position.

Toronto

Memphis Grizzlies Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 99.1 (6 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 102.9 (15 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: -2.0 (22 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 191.0 (6 of 30)

The Grizzlies have really improved their defense over the last few months as they started the season as a mediocre defensive squad, but now are in the top ten in both points and fantasy points allowed per game. This game does feature a 202 total and the Raptors have a projected team total of 105, which is 3.1 points higher than their season average. The Raptors are looking healthy with DeMarre Carroll continuing to be the only Raptor player to sit today.

Elite Plays

Kyle Lowry

Lowry was in a great spot in his last game and came through with a solid 45.6 fantasy point performance. He is looking like one of the better point guard options of the night slate with Lillard having a tough mamtchup against the Jazz for a higher price and after Walker there is a big drop off in production from the spot.

FD — $8,800 — PG
DK — $8,300 — PG
Usage – 25.7
Min/Game — Season: 36.8

Secondary Plays

DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan continues to launch up a ton of shots (21 in his last game) and while he does not do a whole lot else, he can put up 25-30 real points if he sees the shot fall early. The matchup is not ideal for either guard, but if you want some exposure, DeRozan is very cheap at DraftKings today, especially if he is going to continue to throw up 20+ shots.

FD — $8,200 — SG
DK — $7,600 — SG
Usage – 28.4
Min/Game — Season: 36.2

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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.