NBA Grind Down: Sunday, November 10th
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: Any 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
San Antonio at New York
| San Antonio | New York | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts |  | Vegas | |||||||||
| Spread | Spread | |||||||||||
| Pace | 98.21 | Pace | 94.32 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 10 | 21 | 5 | 26 | 6 | Season | 30 | 27 | 21 | 30 | 12 | |
| Last10 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 26 | 6 | Last10 | 30 | 27 | 21 | 30 | 12 | |
| Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter | Felton-Shumpert-Anthony-Stoudemire-Bargnani | |||||||||||
San Antonio
Even though there are only 4 games on the schedule today, there should be some close games and there are a lot of different fantasy options. The NBA will take a backseat to the NFL, but that could just mean that people spend less time putting their NBA squads together. The Spurs are in the middle of the pack in both pace of play (98) and points scored per game (95). Their offense hasn’t been what is has in the past few years, but I think it’s mainly due to a small sample size.
The Knicks have been a very good defensive team over the last couple of years, but a large part of that was due to Tyson Chandler. Now that he is out of the lineup, the Knicks don’t have anyone to protect the rim. While they will have both Amare Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin for this game, neither are going to be able to take the place of Chandler in the middle.
Players to Target
- Tony Parker – Parker has scored at least 28 FP’s in every game this season. He has played well and has a great matchup against Raymond Felton. Felton bad on ball defense is often hidden by the rest of the team’s defense, but with no Chandler in the middle, Parker should attack the lane and force defenders to either help or let him go all the way to the basket. He should play well today.
- Tim Duncan – The Knicks started Melo at PF last game and if they do so again today, that means he will be guarding Duncan. That is a huge mismatch on both ends of the floor. Duncan would easily post up Melo and Melo would easily drive by Duncan. If this is the case, play them both.
New York
The Knicks are one of the slowest paced teams in the league with only 94 possessions per game. They are only averaging 93 points per game and there haven’t been any consistent fantasy options on their team thus far. However, the injury to Chandler opens up some big minutes to Andrea Bargnani and he really took advantage of that in the last game. J.R. Smith will also be making his season debut off the bench which should cloudy the minutes of the wings.
The Spurs defense has not played well this season. Looking at their DvP rankings, they struggle against every position, especially PG and PF. I think Raymond Felton is in play as well, but he takes a backseat to these two:
Players to Target
- Carmelo Anthony – I mentioned the other day that with Chandler out of the lineup, I expected Melo to become the leading rebounder on the team. It looks like that could very well be the case as he grabbed 8 boards last game. He should be a factor on the glass again today and is their main weapon offensively. Treat him as a top 4 fantasy option only behind Love, Davis, and Durant.
- Andrea Bargnani – With Chandler out, Bargnani played 35 minutes last game and posted 25 points and what is possibly a career high 8 rebounds. You can’t expect this production every night as his fantasy value is so dependent on his scoring, but his price is cheap across the board and the minutes are going to be there.
Washington at Oklahoma City
| Washington | Oklahoma City | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts |  | Vegas | |||||||||
| Spread | Spread | |||||||||||
| Pace | 99.03 | Pace | 100.15 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 2 | 28 | 19 | 15 | 10 | Season | 12 | 14 | 30 | 1 | 30 | |
| Last10 | 2 | 28 | 19 | 15 | 10 | Last10 | 12 | 14 | 30 | 1 | 30 | |
| Wall-Beal-Ariza-Hilario-Gortat | Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins | |||||||||||
Washington
The Wizards are in the top 10 in both pace of play (99) and points scored per game (105). They are a very young team that is really pushing the tempo. They have a tough game ahead of them tonight though as they will be on a back to back against one of the best teams in the NBA. The Thunder also play at a quick pace, but it’s important to note that this game does have blowout potential.
The Thunder have really struggled to contain wing players this season as they rank 28th against SG’s and 19th against SF’s. Because of the matchup and blowout potential, I will be fading John Wall, but I do think that both Bradley Beal and Trevor Ariza are in play.
Players to Target
- Bradley Beal – Beal started off the season cold, but has really turned it up in the last two games averaging 37 FP’s per contest. He’s going to see plenty of shots in this uptempo offense and has very good upside for his price. A few of the sites still have his salary listed outside of the top 5 for SG’s.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder got Russell Westbrook back into their lineup much quicker than they ever thought that they would and he looks just as explosive as ever. He’s still struggling to find his shot, but he looks great attacking the basket and this matchup lines up really well for him.
The Wizards are ranked dead last against SF’s and Centers this season. While Kendrick Perkins is never really on my fantasy radar, you have to love the matchup for Kevin Durant. Also, keep your eyes on young Steven Adams, he is averaging over 30 FP’s in his last two games and is making a big push for minutes.
Players to Target
- Russell Westbrook – Westbrook is only shooting 36% from the field which is a big drop from his career average. Most of that has to do with him coming back early and not quite having his legs under him yet. But we are still seeing the explosive playmaker that can attack the rim with the rest of them. He is going to have a big size advantage over Wall tonight and will want to prove himself. I think he tops 35 FP’s in this one.
New Orleans at Phoenix
| New Orleans | Phoenix | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts |  | Vegas | |||||||||
| Spread | Spread | |||||||||||
| Pace | 96.15 | Pace | 94.98 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 25 | 5 | 26 | 19 | 4 | Season | 18 | 13 | 3 | 29 | 3 | |
| Last10 | 25 | 5 | 26 | 19 | 4 | Last10 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 29 | 3 | |
| Holiday-Gordon-Evans-Davis-Smith | Dragic-Bledsoe-Tucker-Plumlee-Frye | |||||||||||
New Orleans
The Pelicans and Suns are both in the middle of the pack in both pace of play and scoring. I still don’t love the backcourt situation in New Orleans as Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, and Tyreke Evans all need the ball in their hands in order to make plays. This leads to a lot of inconsistency from these positions with one or two of them taking turns having good nights. You can make a case for Jrue Holiday as the Suns have struggled against PG’s, but he’s only had two games in which he has scored more than 25 FP’s.
Players to Target
- Anthony Davis – We all expected Davis to take a big leap this season, but he is playing at an incredible level. He is averaging 23 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals. While 23 and 12 are excellent numbers, the fact that he is getting over 6 blocks & steals per game makes him a fantasy gold mine. Keep playing him as a top fantasy option, second only to Love.
Phoenix
The Suns could be without Goran Dragic again tonight, but we aren’t going to know by the time the first game of the day starts. For that reason, if you are playing on a site that doesn’t allow late swaps, I would stay away from taking Gerald Green. He makes a nice play if he starts, but could really hurt your team if Dragic ends up playing.
The Pelicans have struggled against PG’s and PF’s this season. With Davis being such a great defender, that number surprises me a little bit. Even though the numbers like the matchup for Markieff Morris, it doesn’t pass the eye test.
Players to Target
- Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe is actually averaging more FP’s per game when Dragic is in the lineup so his value doesn’t change much whether or not Dragic ends up playing. He is a dynamic young guard that can make plays on both ends of the floor. When these two teams played last week, Bledsoe put up 38 FP’s. He should play well in this one too.
Minnesota at L.A.Lakers
| Minnesota | L.A.Lakers | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts |  | Vegas | |||||||||
| Spread | Spread | |||||||||||
| Pace | 100.93 | Pace | 102.09 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 22 | 29 | 13 | 18 | 27 | Season | 5 | 18 | 20 | 2 | 29 | |
| Last10 | 22 | 29 | 13 | 18 | 27 | Last10 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 2 | 29 | |
| Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic | Nash-Henry-Young-Kaman-Gasol | |||||||||||
Minnesota
K-Love and the high scoring Wolves travel to L.A. to take on one of the worst defenses in basketball. You have to love the matchup for everyone involved. Nikola Pekovic is off to a slow start, but could have a nice bounce back game against the Lakers who are currently ranked 27th against Centers. Ricky Rubio is also a candidate for a nice bounce back game after 3 straight under 20 FP’s. He should have no problem getting around Nash and should cause some problems on defense. Pek and Rubio are both solid plays, but I think you know who my favorites are in this one:
Players to Target
- Kevin Love – Love is putting up 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Those are video game type numbers. While you are going to have to pay for Love tonight, he is worth the price tag in my eyes. The Lakers don’t have anyone that can defend him and he should eat up that weak interior defense of Gasol and Kaman. Look for Love to attack the glass on both ends and push for 20 rebounds.
- Kevin Martin – Martin has always been a great scorer, but I think this is his best season to date. He’s finally learned to be more of a team player and to take his shots in the offense. Martin has been on fire to start the season and the Lakers are not going to be able to put a stop to it.
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers are who we thought they were. They push the ball, take quick shots, and play terrible defense. The biggest surprise to me is the way that Pau Gasol is playing. I’d love to recommend him tonight with those great DvP rankings, but he just looks lost out there. The Lakers have too many players that are averaging between 15-25 FP’s per game. It makes choosing one or two of them each night more like a shot in the dark. I don’t love the minutes for Kaman and the wing players have been very inconsistent. For those reasons, I’m fading the Lakers tonight.