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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, February 8th - Page Two

by Ryan138 Last Updated 2015-02-08 22:12:37

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Indiana at Charlotte – 6:00 PM EST

Indiana Charlotte
indiananba Vegas Total 184 charlottenba Vegas Total 184
Vegas Sprd 2.0 Vegas Sprd -2.0
Team Proj. 91.00 Team Proj. 93.00
Team Pace 95.51 Team Pace 95.16
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 George Hill C.J. Miles Solomon Hill David West Roy Hibbert Proj Starter Brian Roberts Gary Neal Gerald Henderson Cody Zeller Al Jefferson
Opp. Season 6 19 4 12 6 Opp. Season 14 26 5 1 12
Opp. Last 7 10 11 19 12 4 Opp. Last 7 23 9 5 7 25

Indiana

It is a day of streaking teams and when you are one of the lesser skilled teams in the NBA, your best streak is when you have a chance to win three in a row. That is what the Pacers are facing today as they travel into Charlotte. Both of these teams are top 10 defenses in points allowed and they are also ranked 26th and 27th in points per game scored. This has the makings of a slow-paced affair which does not bode too well for fantasy purposes.

Elite Plays

C.J. Miles – Miles is a bit more in play at DraftKings where he is cheaper and benefits from the three-point bonus. He is coming off one of his best performances of the season. We have seen that he does have 35-point upside when he is hitting his threes and he is clearly not shy about taking them as he has launched 16 in his last two games. Getting the starting nod lately has made Miles a great value play at the SF position.

Secondary Plays

David West – Even though it’s a very low total, we have captain consistency suiting up for the Pacers. West has scored at least 27 fantasy points in each of his last 6 games and exploded for 44 in his last time out against the Cavs. I would not expect another 44-point performance, but somewhere around the 27-30 point range is a given against Charlotte.

Charlotte

Charlotte comes into this game as small 1-point favorites today. With these two defensive teams taking the court, Vegas has this game’s total at the smallest of the slate at 184. With that said, there are a few Hornets that are still cheap and getting big minutes recently.

Elite Plays

Gerald Henderson – The absence of Kemba Walker seems to have benefited Henderson the most out of any Charlotte player. He has been great in his last three games as he has played 33+ minutes and is coming off two straight games of 38+ fantasy performances. He will continue to log big minutes against today as Kidd-Gilchrist has been ruled out tonight, as well.

Secondary Plays

Brian Roberts – He is getting big minutes with the loss of Kemba, but is not really doing a whole lot with them. His ceiling is about 25 while his floor is around 15. This is by far the lowest output game of the slate so it is tough to recommend so many plays, but their price tags are just too appealing to ignore.

Al Jefferson – He has not had a monster performance in a while and his price is low for him because of it. It is a tough match up today against the Pacers, but (especially on DK) that $7,600 price tag is tough to ignore for a GPP shot.

Portland at Houston – 7:00 PM EST

Portland Houston
portlandnba Vegas Total houstonnba Vegas Total 203
Vegas Sprd Vegas Sprd -4.00
Team Proj. Team Proj. 103.75
Team Pace 96.67 Team Pace 98.54
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 Damian Lillard Wesley Matthews Nicolas Batum LaMarcus Aldridge Robin Lopez Proj Starter Patrick Beverley James Harden Trevor Ariza Donatas Motiejunas Joey Dorsey
Opp. Season 2 27 15 19 16 Opp. Season 23 16 18 2 10
Opp. Last 7 5 26 1 13 19 Opp. Last 7 9 30 7 8 18

Portland

There are two nice match ups on the board today, one during the day and another one here at night as the Blazers head to Houston. This pits the seventh and eighth ranked offenses against each other in a game with a 203 total, which should result in a faced paced game with lots of scoring from both sides.

Elite Plays

LaMarcus Aldridge – With Lillard getting a very tough matchup against Beverley, Aldridge in the go to play for me today on the Blazers. Houston has really struggled against the power forward position and it has got even worse with the loss of Howard. There are a number of PFs with great match ups tonight, and I will likely have exposure to all three (Monroe, LMA and Pau).

Secondary Plays

Wes Matthews/Nicolas Batum – Both these guys are getting huge minutes recently and are decent plays if you are left with a certain amount of salary and need a mid $5k play to round out your team. I like other guys at their positions for a small increase in salary tonight, but may be forced to play these two as I try to fit in some of the higher priced studs.

Houston

Houston is going to live and die with the beard right now and he does not seem to mind taking on this burden. The Rockets are 4-point favorites tonight in what should be a close, well fought game. Dwight continues to be out for the Rockets, which means they have one main guy putting the ball in the net.

Elite Plays

James Harden – He is by far the top play at the position if you can afford him. His floor seems to be around 40 points and his ceiling 60 as he takes on the Blazers and their middle of the road shooting guard defense. He is match up proof regardless and will be relied upon if the Rockets are to come out victorious in a big game tonight.

Secondary Plays

Trevor Ariza – What has got into Ariza in his last few games. Coming off a huge 40-point performance, He may be feeling confident on the offensive end, as he scored 24 on Friday and 20 on Wednesday. He makes for a decent mid-level priced SF today, but does have a tough matchup.

Josh Smith – Do you trust him yet? The Dwight injury has been good to Josh Smith as he is playing his best basketball of the season in the last 5 games as he has scored 34+ fantasy points in 4 out of the 5. He makes a great play for his salary across the industry.

San Antonio at Toronto – 7:00 PM EST

San Antonio Toronto
sanantonionba Vegas Total 202 torontonba Vegas Total 202
Vegas Sprd -1 Vegas Sprd 1
Team Proj. 101.5 Team Proj. 100.5
Team Pace 95.57 Team Pace 95.72
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 Tim Duncan Aron Baynes Proj Starter Kyle Lowry Greivis Vasquez DeMar DeRozan Amir Johnson Jonas Valanciunas
Opp. Season 20 7 20 7 11 Opp. Season 7 1 2 21 19
Opp. Last 7 20 19 9 25 1 Opp. Last 7 6 5 26 6 17

San Antonio

Not that Popovic will change his coaching style to get it, He is looking for his 1,000th career win tonight as the Spurs go into Toronto. They are slight favorites against the Raptors, who have struggled a bit recently and have really struggled on the defensive end all year long giving up the tenth most points in the league, yet they are still the Spurs and always a tough team to trust.

Elite Plays

Kawhi Leonard – Leonard is tough to completely ignore today, as he has had three good games in a row. I do like some of the other, cheaper SFs today as I think it will be a position I try to save a bit on, but Leonard has a decent matchup and is the most trustable Spur tonight.

Secondary Plays

None

Toronto

The Raptors are coming off a huge win against the Clippers on Friday and will look to beat another top Western Conference team in the Spurs. This game is projected to be close throughout with the Spurs being small 2-point favorites with a decent total of 201.

Elite Plays

DeMar DeRozan – He looks to finally be back after a monster 50 point fantasy performance. Dollar for dollar, DD is up there with my favorite shooting guard plays today.

Secondary Plays

Kyle Lowry – His price on DK is pretty tough to go without a mention as he is sitting at $7,200. Considering this guy was over $2,000 more just a few weeks ago, this is a huge bargain considering he has really only put up that one dud in a tough match up against the Bucks.

Phoenix at Sacramento – 9:00 PM EST

Phoenix Sacramento
phoenixnba Vegas Total 211 sacramentonba Vegas Total 211
Vegas Sprd -4.50 Vegas Sprd 4.50
Team Proj. 108 Team Proj. 103.5
Team Pace 99.23 Team Pace 97.4
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 Eric Bledsoe Gordan Dragic P.J. Tucker Markieff Morris Miles Plumlee Proj Starter Ramon Sessions Ben McLemore Rudy Gay Jason Thompson DeMarcus Cousins
Opp. Season 27 30 8 23 26 Opp. Season 10 20 27 8 23
Opp. Last 7 22 29 18 30 26 Opp. Last 7 11 21 21 29 23

Phoenix

This is one of those nights where you are probably going to need some PMR going into the last game of the night as it is the highest total of the slate set at 211. The game is also set to be close and should be fun to watch as these two teams can run up and down the court without playing defense at all.

Elite Plays

Even though they are slated to score a lot of points tonight, the Suns are tough to predict as it gets spread around so much at each position. Bledsoe is very expensive, but makes a decent play in a great matchup as does Dragic for much cheaper. Markieff also has a great match up, but all these guys seem to score 30 as their ceiling recently. They are all worth looks in tournaments tonight though.

Secondary Plays

None

Sacramento

Sacramento continues to limp into the All-Star break with major questions about their coaching staff and what direction they are headed in eventually. They are actually 5-point favorites today against the Suns and have one of the highest team totals of the day. Keep an eye on the news, because if Collison is out, Sessions becomes a top value play on the slate.

Elite Plays

DeMarcus Cousins – Boogie is the top center any time he takes the court and may have the highest ceiling of any player on this slate. You are going to have to pay up for him, but he is going to have a monster game in the last game of the slate, as he went 25/18 in a game earlier this year against the Suns.

Injuries are going to play a major role in who to play from the Kings. If Collison is out, Ramon Sessions becomes an elite play for value on the slate. If Gay sits out, look to see if Derrick Williams or Omri Casspi take his place, as both would make solid value plays as well.

Secondary Plays

None

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.