NBA Grind Down: Sunday, February 23rd: Page Two
All stat chart buttons below open in an in-screen popup window and include stat tables for all games on the given page of the Grind Down Article
Houston at Phoenix
- Vegas Line – Houston -2, 215 Over/Under
- Houston Proj. Starters – Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Green-Tucker-Frye-Plumlee
Houston
The Rockets and Suns game has the highest total of the night at 215 points. Both of these teams love to push the pace and both are giving up well over 100 points per game to their opponents. Looking at the DvP rankings of the Suns, the only position that you really want to avoid is the SG position. The Suns have given up the 3rd fewest FP’s to SG’s this season. Couple that with the fact that James Harden is dealing with an elbow injury and I think he is an easy player to avoid tonight.
The other Rockets all have decent matchups, but only one player really stands out as a great play. Jeremy Lin and Patrick Beverley both hurt each other’s fantasy value. Chandler Parsons should play well, but his price has come up on most sites.
- Dwight Howard – Dwight has finally started to show some consistency. He’s scored over 40 FP’s in 7 straight games and is averaging well over 45 FP’s per game in that stretch. I like his matchup tonight against Plumlee and think he should easily top that mark again tonight.
Phoenix
There are quite a few fantasy options on the Suns tonight. The Rockets have struggled to defend all positions this season with the exception of the Center position. I think Gerald Green makes a nice upside play, he can have huge fantasy games and should be able to get some open looks in a fast paced game. I also like the upside that Markieff Morris offers, he has really been playing well lately and should see big minutes off the bench.
- Goran Dragic – Dragic has a tough one on one matchup against Beverley, but that’s not enough for me to fade him. Dragic is the starting PG on the team that is projected to score the 2nd most points of any team tonight. Dragic has the ball in his hands often and should be in for a nice bounce back game after struggling against the Spurs the other night.
Brooklyn at L.A.Lakers
- Vegas Line – Brooklyn -2.5, 204 Over/Under
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Williams-Livingston-Johnson-Pierce-Garnett
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Marshall-Meeks-Johnson-Hill-Kaman
Brooklyn
The Nets are playing in a back to back situation tonight and could be without two of their starters. Shaun Livingston suffered an injury last night and it doesn’t sound like he is going to be able to give it a go tonight. Also, the Nets have opted to rest Kevin Garnett on most back to backs this season so don’t be surprised if he ends up sitting out as well.
Their matchup doesn’t get much better. The Lakers are giving up the 2nd most points per game this season and are ranked 26th or worse against all five positions. This game has the feeling of a Joe Johnson Pierce(player-profile)”:/players/Paul_Pierce-1340 type of game where they control the offense. I’m a little scared to take Deron Williams in a back to back, but it’s extremely tough to avoid a starting PG against the Lakers with that much talent.
- Deron Williams – Williams is cheap across the industry and has averaged well over 30 FP’s per game when he gets over 30 minutes per game. This game is expected to stay close and you have to love his upside. There are a lot of great PG options today, but Williams is a bit cheaper than some of the other names.
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers are an extremely tough team to predict right now. I thought for sure that Wesley Johnson and Jodie Meeks would be in for big minutes after the Lakers traded away Steve Blake, but they ended up giving their new acquisitions the majority of the minutes at the SG and SF positions. I’m tempted to avoid all things Lakers tonight. The Nets play at a slow pace and have a solid defense. The one exception would be Kendall Marshall, but his price has gone up on most sites.
Minnesota at Portland
- Vegas Line – Portland -4, 213.5 Over/Under
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Budinger-Brewer-Love-Cunningham
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Robinson-Lopez
Minnesota
The Wolves and Blazers should be a very high scoring game. Nikola Pekovic is close to making a come back, but he sat out last night’s game against the Jazz. Look for an update on his status closer to tip-off. If he has to sit out, Dante Cunningham would draw another start and make a great value play. In addition to Cunningham, Corey Brewer and Chase Budinger also serve as deep value plays.
- Kevin Love – Love posted a huge triple-double last night against the Jazz and sat out the majority of the 4th quarter. I love his upside tonight against the Blazers who will be without LaMarcus Aldridge. Love will likely be defended by a combination of Lopez, Wright, and Robinson. To say that he is in a great spot tonight would be an understatement.
Portland
The Blazers will once again be without LaMarcus Aldridge, Meyers Leonard, and Joel Freeland. The only big men left are Robin Lopez, Dorell Wright, and Thomas Robinson. Lopez has been by far the best of the three and he should be in all lineups tonight if Pekovic can’t play. Nicolas Batum should probably be avoided though, he has been dealing with a sickness and has not played well through in his last couple of games. Wesley Matthews is certainly in play though, he has played well in both games without Aldridge.
- Damian Lillard – Lillard is one of my favorite plays tonight. He has a terrific matchup against Rubio and he is their best offensive player without Aldridge on the floor. Look for him to have another big night in a very fast paced game.