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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, May 10th

by Ryan138 Last Updated 2015-05-12 19:06:47

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 averages listed use FanDuel scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NBA scoring system, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel review.

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Cleveland at Chicago – 3:30 PM ET

Cleveland Chicago
clevelandnba Vegas Total 194 chicagonba Vegas Total 194
Vegas Sprd -1.5 Vegas Sprd 1.5
Team Proj. 98.0 Team Proj. 96.5
Team Pace 94.07 Team Pace 94.48
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 Iman Shumpert LeBron James Tristan Thompson Timofey Mozgov Proj Starter Derrick Rose Jimmy Butler Mike Dunleavy Pau Gasol Joakim Noah
Opp. Season 24 3 25 8 8 Opp. Season 10 20 22 10 11
Opp. Last 7 3 3 8 1 4 Opp. Last 7 6 5 2 3 2

Cleveland

Getting beat by a banked, buzzer beater three as time expired in game three is not going to sit well with LeBron and the rest of this Cavaliers squad. This now becomes a huge game for the Cavs as they will do everything in their power not to go down 3-1. The big news coming out of game three is the return of J.R. Smith, but now also the fact that Kyrie Irving is playing with a strained foot. This makes it difficult to play him at his big salary, since he has not eclipsed the 30-fantasy point mark in the last two games. The Cavs are 1.5-point favorites this afternoon with a game total of 194.

Opponent Breakdown (Chicago)
Points Allowed Per Game: 98 (Rank: 10)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 11
Rebounding Differential Rank: 5

Elite Plays

LeBron James (FD: $11300, DK: $11300)

James had an off night overall in game three and he was still able to put up 27 points, 8 rebounds and 14 assists. If he can limit the seven turnovers and improve the 8-25 shooting, he would be on his way to a monster statistical night. This has the makings to me of one of those games where LeBron takes the team on his back in order to obtain a victory and the injury to Irving makes it much more likely to happen.

Tristan Thompson (FD: $5300, DK: $5000)

The insertion of Thompson into the starting lineup was a big boost for the rebounding numbers for the Cavs. He finished game three with 10 points and 13 rebounds, including four offensive rebounds. He is a workhorse and if he continues to get 40 minutes going forward, his price tag is far too cheap for the production he should give your lineups today.

J.R. Smith (FD: $5000, DK: $4900)

Smith only played 27 minutes coming back from the suspension, but I expect him to getting the starting nod as well as closer to 35 minutes this afternoon. The Cavs are going to need a scoring boost with Irving clearly struggling on the offensive end, which should mean more opportunities for Smith. His price is cheap across the industry and if he is hitting his shot early, he should be able to exceed his cheap price tag today.

Secondary Plays

Timofey Mozgov (FD: $4500, DK: $5500)

Chicago

Editor’s Note: Pau Gasol has been ruled out for today’s game.

What a great game three these two teams played on Friday night. The physical play allowed by the referees took a toll on Pau Gasol as he was unable to play in the fourth quarter and is now listed as questionable for this game. If he is unable to suit up, Nikola Mirotic becomes a great value play and an elite play on this slate.

Opponent Breakdown (Cleveland)
Points Allowed Per Game: 98.5 (Rank: 12)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 20
Rebounding Differential Rank: 8

Elite Plays

Derrick Rose (FD: $8300, DK: $8100)

Rose is finally looking comfortable taking on the role of superstar for this Bulls team. During the game, Rose played more isolation basketball then I have seen in any game Rose has played in so far this season. With that confidence comes a lot of bad shots for Rose, but we will live with that as daily fantasy owners. This game four will be a true test for Rose to see if he can have back-to-back stellar games and if he can keep the turnovers under three as he has done so far this series. I think he should produce around the 40-45 fantasy point range this afternoon.

Mike Dunleavy (FD: $4300, DK: $5100)

It is very hard to ignore Dunleavy’s price, especially at FD at $4300. He is playing big time minutes during this series and has produced 25+ fantasy points in two of the three games. With Rose and Butler driving often, it should open up a number of open looks for Dunleavy. If he can knock them down early, he will easily make value.

Nikola Mirotic (FD: $2000, DK: $3300)

With Pau Gasol hampered by injury, Mirotic may be in for a big game. Even if Pau does play, he will most likely be limited, which should give Mirotic around 20 minutes of game time. For a price of $2000 on FD, he should have no problem meeting value in that span. If Pau is out, Mirotic should most likely be 100% owned on this slate.

Taj Gibson (FD: $4000, DK: $4100)

A bit more expensive that Mirotic, Taj is an elite play IF and only IF Pau Gasol is out today. If Pau is playing, I can see playing Taj for a cheap power forward option, but I would take Mirotic for a much cheaper price.

Secondary Plays

Joakim Noah (FD: $5500, DK: $5700)

Jimmy Butler (FD: $8700, DK: $8300)

Houston at L.A. Clippers – 8:30 PM ET

Houston L.A. Clippers
houstonnba Vegas Total 217 laclippersnba Vegas Total 217
Vegas Sprd 7.5 Vegas Sprd -7.5
Team Proj. 105.0 Team Proj. 112.5
Team Pace 105.68 Team Pace 98.25
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 Jason Terry James Harden Trevor Ariza Terrence Jones Dwight Howard Proj Starter Chris Paul J.J. Redick Matt Barnes Blake Griffin DeAndre Jordan
Opp. Season 2 18 28 18 12 Opp. Season 4 23 18 29 21
Opp. Last 7 Opp. Last 7 8 6 5 8 7

Houston

The Rockets will look to bounce back from a blowout loss at the hands of the Clippers in game three. The Rockets have not exactly taken advantage of the injury to Chris Paul and are now down 2-1 in the series and Paul looks to be getting over his ailment. The Rockets will need a big game from their stars today, as the rest of the cast has not played too well in this series. It will be tough though as the Rockets are 7.5-point underdogs with a team total of 105.

Opponent Breakdown (L.A. Clippers)
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.1 (Rank: 16)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 15
Rebounding Differential Rank: 16

Elite Plays

Dwight Howard (FD: $9000, DK: $8600)

Howard takes the billing as top center on this slate and it is not really close. Howard has scored at least 41 fantasy points in all three games this series and should hit/exceed that number again tonight in a game that the Rockets need to win for a chance in this series.

James Harden (FD: $10000, DK: $9900)

Harden’s price has dropped and is even under ten thousand over at DK tonight. He is averaging around 43 points in this series and has actually been around that 40-point mark for the whole first two rounds of the playoffs. If the Rockets are going to steal a win away from home tonight, Harden is going to have to have one of those huge games we were accustomed to during the regular season. With that said, I still like the other guys (LeBron, Howard, Griffin) more than Harden today.

Trevor Ariza (FD: $6200, DK: $5900)

Ariza has been solid in this series, playing at a high level and making up for the slightly lacking production from Harden. Taking away the last game, Ariza scored 34 and 33 fantasy points in the first two games of the series. He has a solid matchup against the Clippers who are ranked 28th in the league at defending the small forward position.

Secondary Plays

Jason Terry (FD: $3100, DK: $3600)

L.A. Clippers

The Clippers were able to sneak out a win with Chris Paul only playing in 23 minutes of the game. Paul has come out to say that he will start tonight and that his hamstring is feeling much better. This should allow him to play closer to his full compliment of minutes, but I will most likely be taking a wait and see approach as hamstrings are really tough injuries and can be reinjured at any time. The Clippers may not need a 100% Chris Paul as they are solid favorites and have a huge team total of 112.5.

Opponent Breakdown (Houston)
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.6 (Rank: 17)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 6
Rebounding Differential Rank: 15

Elite Plays

Blake Griffin (FD: $11300, DK: $10700)

Griffin was not needed to have his normal type of playoff game on Friday night as the game was over early and he only played 31 minutes. Prior to that game, Blake had hit the 50-fantasy point mark in his previous six playoff games and should continue that streak again tonight. It is really tough to pick between LeBron and Blake tonight for cash games as I think they should have similar outings, but I give the slight edge to Blake due to the pace of the game.

J.J. Redick (FD: $5000, DK: $5300)

Redick needs a guy to get him his shot and we saw that in action on Friday with Paul back on the floor. After having low outputs for the start of the playoffs, Redick went off for 31 real points in 37 minutes, and having his starting point guard back was a big part of that breakout. I do not think we can expect another 30-point outing, but I do expect him to hit value, as he should continue to play 35+ minutes tonight.

Secondary Plays

Chris Paul (FD: $9800, DK: $9200)

DeAndre Jordan (FD: $8500, DK: $7700)

Jamal Crawford (FD: $5300, DK: $5100)

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.