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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, January 4th

by Ryan138 Last Updated 2015-01-05 21:48:34

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: 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

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Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace

Dallas at Cleveland

Dallas Cleveland
dallasnba Vegas Total 205 clevelandnba Vegas Total 205
Vegas Sprd -7.0 Vegas Sprd 7.0
Team Proj. 106.0 Team Proj. 99.0
Team Pace 97.15 Team Pace 94.57
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 Rajon Rondo Monta Ellis Chandler Parsons Dirk Nowitzki Tyson Chandler Proj Starter Kyrie Irving Matthew Dellavedova Mike Miller Kevin Love Tristan Thompson
Opp. Season 5 29 10 20 12 Opp. Season 29 8 18 7 10
Opp. Last 7 9 27 6 21 12 Opp. Last 7 27 1 17 3 30

Dallas

This will be a game of a team that is adding talent against a team that seems to be losing it at the moment. The Mavs recent addition Rajon Rondo is coming off his best performance with Dallas in his first few games as he went for 29 points against his old squad. Dallas is the highest scoring team in the NBA, as they put up 109.9 points per game, and this game has a high Vegas total as a result. Dallas are also eight-point favorites as of this morning as the line continues to move in their direction.

Elite Plays

Rajon Rondo – Like I said above, Rondo is coming off his best game yet. He is priced just under the two studs today, but should be able to put up a nice performance against Kyrie Irving, who has never been known for his defense, although seems to have improved a bit this year.

Monta Ellis – The addition of Rondo has not hurt the numbers of Ellis so far and I do not believe they will hurt his numbers moving forward. Rondo should continue to get him open looks at the basket and more fast-break plays as the year goes on. The Cleveland defense against the SG position is a plus matchup as they are ranked 29th in the league.

Secondary Plays

None

Cleveland

The Cavs have had a pretty rough go at it early on this season and now the loss of Lebron is going to make this an even bigger challenge to get into a good playoff spot. The only positive that can come out of the next few weeks without him is maybe the other players (especially Love) will step up their games and gain some confidence for when the King returns.

Elite Plays

Kyrie Irving – I like Irving a lot more on FD where he is priced the same as Rondo as opposed to DK where he is 1300 more. Irving is the man right now in Cleveland and a 35-point floor is almost a lock with Lebron out. I expect a much better game as the Dallas pace should speed up this game and allow for a lot of run-and-gun type play today.

Tristan Thompson – It is this simple, play him while his salary is low and he is getting all the volume he can handle. Until his price gets to a level where a 30-point floor is not enough to pay off his salary, get him in your lineups.

Secondary Plays

None

Sacramento at Detroit

Sacramento Detroit
sacramentonba Vegas Total 207 detroitnba Vegas Total 207
Vegas Sprd 2.5 Vegas Sprd -2.5
Team Proj. 102.3 Team Proj. 104.8
Team Pace 96.55 Team Pace 95.26
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 Darren Collison Ben McLemore Rudy Gay Derrick Williams DeMarcus Cousins Proj Starter Brandon Jennings Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Kyle Singler Greg Monroe Andre Drummond
Opp. Season 10 16 9 27 17 Opp. Season 16 27 13 28 9
Opp. Last 7 3 12 27 8 9 Opp. Last 7 7 29 26 17 23

Sacramento

This is a matchup of two poor teams in the league who have 23 combined wins and 41 combined losses. The Kings play very lackluster defense as they are 25th in the league in points against at 104.2. Keep an eye on Sacremento coach Corbin’s starting lineup tonight, as the addition of Derrick Williams paid off big time last game and he could continue to start him tonight.

Elite Plays

DeMarcus Cousins – He is the top center option of the night by far as he is facing Detroit. The Pistons have a few good big men, but have struggled the last few seasons against opposing forwards and centers. Cousins has had two lower scoring games in a row, but I think he bounces back big time tonight.

Derrick Williams – Williams played 31 minutes and scored 31.5 fantasy points in his most recent start. If he’s in the starting five again, he would make for a great value play.

Secondary Plays

Darren Collison – Cash game Collison makes a decent play tonight as he has a great matchup and should be able to put up a nice 30-point game tonight. He may not win you any tournaments, but will not hurt your cash game lineups.

Detroit

It looks like the Pistons are smiling all the way to the bank as they may have gotten rid of their biggest problem in Josh Smith. While he is already getting benched in Houston, the Pistons have won all four games without him. It has opened up playing time for other players, and shots for players that most likely deserve them more than JSmoove did. With that said, they are still a 9-23 squad, but are -3-point favorites in a game with a high total of 207.

Elite Plays

Andre Drummond – It seems like every time I put Drummond into a cash game lineup, he gets 3 fouls in the first quarter. We all know what he can do at this point and the consistency has actually been there in the last week or so. I still don’t trust him fully, but he has a very high ceiling and is priced a lot less than Boogie.

Secondary Plays

Greg Monroe – Like Thompson, Monroe is getting more minutes without Smith and his price (at FD) has not caught up yet. I would love to see him get more minutes as 21 and 22 in the last two games is not helpful, which is why he gets a secondary play recommendation.

Brooklyn at Miami

Brooklyn Miami
brooklynnba Vegas Total 193 miaminba Vegas Total 193
Vegas Sprd -1.5 Vegas Sprd 1.5
Team Proj. 97.3 Team Proj. 95.8
Team Pace 94.54 Team Pace 91.63
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 Jarrett Jack Sergey Karasev Joe Johnson Kevin Garnett Mason Plumlee Proj Starter Mario Chalmers Dwyane Wade Luol Deng Chris Bosh Chris Andersen
Opp. Season 8 30 6 1 29 Opp. Season 26 15 22 21 7
Opp. Last 7 4 22 19 11 18 Opp. Last 7 5 17 24 7 13

Brooklyn

The Nets recent play has been a big improvement, but that success has deviated from the preseason game plan by a significant margin. Guys like Jack and Plumlee have been huge insertions into the starting lineup and have really paid off. Today’s game is one of the lowest totaled games in Vegas (192, Nets are two-point favorites), as both of these teams play slow and both are in the bottom third of the league in points scored.

Elite Plays

Mason Plumlee – He continues to impress and I think the Nets know that they will start to build their team around him as he is not available for any type of trade this year. He is my favorite mid-priced center option today against the Heat who rank 29th against opposing centers.

Secondary Plays

Jarrett Jack – This may be the last time we can use Jack, as it seems like Deron Williams is finally starting to get his minutes back. Because unless Sloan gets another start, there are really no value PG plays today. If you must save cap space at the position, Jack may be the only option, but temper your expectations.

Miami

The Heat are clearly struggling right now, and it is completely expected as you look at their beat up roster. Wade and Bosh will do everything they can tonight to avoid a five-game losing streak, but they are way too highly priced for what they have been putting up recently. I do not see any plays from the struggling Heat worthy of a spot on your roster today.

Elite Plays

None

Secondary Plays

None

Milwaukee at New York

Milwaukee New York
milwaukeenba Vegas Total 204 newyorknba Vegas Total
Vegas Sprd -5.0 Vegas Sprd
Team Proj. 104.5 Team Proj.
Team Pace 96.53 Team Pace 92.42
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 Brandon Knight Khris Middleton Giannis Antetokounmpo Johnny O’Bryant Zaza Pachulia Proj Starter Jose Calderon Tim Hardaway J.R. Smith Jason Smith Cole Aldrich
Opp. Season 11 23 2 17 23 Opp. Season 14 18 23 6 24
Opp. Last 7 13 23 3 9 28 Opp. Last 7 12 21 7 14 7

Milwaukee

Milwaukee is actually .500 on the season thanks to the play of some of their younger stars like Knight and Giannis. This game pits two offenses in the bottom third of the league against each other and results in the lowest total of the night.

Elite Plays

Giannis Antetokounmpo – He is still a bit inconsistent for where his price has risen to at both FD and DK, but if you are looking for a good mid-priced option with a good amount of upside, Giannis makes a decent play. I do like Knight and Zaza, but I like other options similarly priced at their specific positions that I have discussed previously.

Secondary Plays

None

New York

From one struggling team to another, the Knicks are actually on a terrible ten-game losing streak at the moment and the injuries continue to pile up for them as well. As I am writing this, it looks like Anthony, Stoudemire, Dalembert and Shumpert are out, while Hardaway is probable. Check the news, as the injuries here could open up some good value.

Elite Plays

Cole Aldrich – Plumlee was my favorite mid-priced center, but Aldrich is easily my top option of the day. He has played 30+ minutes in his last 3 games and has had 36, 25 and 46 points in those games. He has a great matchup against the Bucks’ inside defense and should be a great cash and GPP play tonight.

J.R. Smith – He is going to have to run the Knicks offense, and he did pretty well last game in that role as he scored 22 real points and 36 fantasy points overall. Minutes = production and even though it is J.R. Smith, I (sadly) trust him in my cash games today.

Secondary Plays

Tim Hardaway Jr. – Check to make sure he is in the lineup, and if he is, he will be relied upon to boost the offense tonight.

Toronto at Phoenix

Toronto Phoenix
torontonba Vegas Total 216 phoenixnba Vegas Total 216
Vegas Sprd 1.0 Vegas Sprd -1.0
Team Proj. 107.8 Team Proj. 108.8
Team Pace 95.37 Team Pace 98.65
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 Kyle Lowry Terrence Ross Landry Fields Amir Johnson Jonas Valanciunas Proj Starter Eric Bledsoe Goran Dragic P.J. Tucker Markieff Morris Alex Len
Opp. Season 13 12 12 9 28 Opp. Season 20 3 28 12 8
Opp. Last 7 19 4 29 26 6 Opp. Last 7 26 7 30 18 14

Toronto

After a few low scoring games on the board, we have the 3rd and the 4th highest scoring teams in the league against each other. This results in a pick ‘em game that has the highest over/under by far, sitting at 217. This should be a great game for fantasy purposes, as well as a great game to check out on TV tonight.

Elite Plays

Kyle Lowry – This will be our last opportunity to play Lowry without DeMar DeRozan, who is expected back next game. He has had a great run without him as he has averaged a team-high 22.7 points during that span. Lowry is the priciest PG option tonight, but it is worth it as his floor continues to be 40 fantasy points and should have a field day in his matchup against the Suns.

Secondary Plays

Terrence Ross – Usually Ross would not get a mention here, but there is an extreme lack of SF going tonight unless you are paying up for Rudy Gay. Ross gets a ton of minutes each and every night and if his shot is falling, he should be able to hit value.

Amir Johnson – Johnson is another guy who gets enough minutes, and his price is so cheap, that this type of game should allow him to meet or exceed value.

Phoenix

The 19-16 Suns are coming off a nice and easy win against the Sixers. It gets much more difficult as the Raptors come into town, just losing their first-place spot in their division.

Elite Plays

Eric Bledsoe – Dragic has a very difficult matchup with Lowry guarding him, which leaves Bledsoe in position to put up a big game. He has been playing great basketball over the last two weeks and has gone over 30 points in each of his last eight games while hitting 40+ in five of them.

Secondary Plays

Markieff Morris – These are the types of games that Morris likes to play in as he should find himself standing at the 3-point line for a few extra looks.

NBA Grind Down Page 1 – Page 2

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.