NBA Grind Down: Sunday, January 26th Page Two
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Detroit at Dallas
- Vegas Line – Dallas -6.5, 209 Over/Under
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Caldwell-Pope-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert
Detroit
The Pistons and Mavericks game should be an extremely fast-paced game, the only issue here is the inconsistent play of the Pistons. You never know which games they are going to show up for and which games they are going to throw in the towel early. Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe, and Andre Drummond all have solid matchups and I will be using them sparingly across my lineups tonight.
Dallas
The Mavericks have a very favorable matchup tonight. The Pistons have not been good defensively this season and really struggle to defend PG’s (ranked 22nd), SF’s (28th), and Centers (25th). That’s not to say that you should avoid Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis though. Both are very much in play against this weak defense.
- Shawn Marion – Marion is in a great spot tonight, he is at his best when he runs the floor and either spots up in transition or attacks the rim. He has been shooting more 3’s this season and he’s been very efficient from deep. His price is cheap across the industry and he should be able to top 25 FP’s tonight.
Portland at Golden State
- Vegas Line – Golden State -5, 216 Over/Under
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Lee-Bogut
Portland
The Blazers and Warriors game has the highest total of the night at 216 points. There are great fantasy options on both teams. The Warriors have been very good defensively this season though so I will only be using Blazers sparingly tonight. Damian Lillard seems to have hit a wall recently, until he breaks out of his slump I am going to continue to avoid him.
- LaMarcus Aldridge – Aldridge is posting All-Star type numbers this season. I love his upside in a high scoring game against the Warriors tonight. He is the most expensive player on most sites, but he has a great chance to be the top overall fantasy scorer tonight.
Golden State
The Warriors also have a favorable matchup. Over the last 15 days, the Blazers are ranked 23rd or worse against SG’s, SF’s, and Centers. David Lee is really the only Warriors player that has a bad matchup in terms of DvP rankings, but he has a great track record against the Blazers. Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson both make interesting GPP plays.
- Stephen Curry – Taking Curry at home in a fast-paced game is never a bad idea. In the last week alone, he has topped 50 FP’s three times. I love his matchup against Lillard who has not been great defensively this season.
Denver at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Denver Proj. Starters – Lawson-Foye-Chandler-Faried-Hickson
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-Thornton-Williams-Thompson-Gray
Denver
The Nuggets are 3 point favorites tonight and the total of this game is set at 215 points. This should be a close, high scoring game. The Nuggets have been a tough team to predict though. I think J.J. Hickson, Kenneth Faried, and Timofey Mozgov are all in play and I’d recommend using the best value of the three. Wilson Chandler is also in play and would see a nice boost if Rudy Gay has to sit out again tonight.
- Ty Lawson – The Kings have struggled to defend PG’s all season long. They have given up the 5th most FP’s to PG’s this season and Lawson has been on a tear over the last couple of weeks. I love his matchup and his upside in a fast-paced game tonight.
Sacramento
The Kings will likely be without DeMarcus Cousins tonight which means Jason Thompson and Aaron Gray are both likely to see big minutes again. Rudy Gay is questionable for tonight’s game and we likely won’t find out about his status until a few minutes before tip-off. If he sits out, both Derrick Williams and Marcus Thornton would see a nice fantasy boost.
- Isaiah Thomas – Thomas is in play regardless of Gay’s status tonight. He will have to shoulder the load offensively with Cousins out and I like his upside in an uptempo game against the Nuggets.