NBA Grind Down: Sunday, November 24th
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
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Detroit at Brooklyn
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Livingston-Johnson-Pierce-Blatche-Garnett
Detroit
The Pistons continue to be a tough team to predict on an individual level. Brandon Jennings, Josh Smith, Greg Monroe, and Andre Drummond are all taking turns having big game. The matchup appears favorable for Jennings and Monroe though as the Nets struggle against those two positions.
- Brandon Jennings – While I like him better as a GPP play than a cash game play, Jennings has some value today. The Nets have really struggled against PG’s and Jennnings will likely be aggressive in this one. He says that he has no confidence in his shot, but that could change quickly if he knocks a couple down early.
Brooklyn
The Nets have been a terrible team to target in DFS when they are healthy, but a great team to target when there are injuries. It sounds like both Deron Williams and Brook Lopez will be out for tonight’s game, so continue to play Shaun Livingston and Andray Blatche as great value plays. Both should push for 30 minutes and have good upside against this below average defense.
- Joe Johnson – Johnson has limited upside, but he has scored over 20 FP’s in four straight games and has been a big part of the offense with Deron and Brook out. Johnson is extremely cheap across the board and should be able to cover his value.
Chicago at L.A.Clippers
- Vegas Line – L.A.Clippers -6.5, 194.5 Over/Under
- Chicago Proj. Starters – Rose-Dunleavy-Deng-Boozer-Noah
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan
Chicago
Terrible news for the Bulls yesterday. Derrick Rose has a torn meniscus in his other knee. You could just see the fire in Rose’s eyes when he was on the bench after hurting his knee the other night. You hate to see injuries like this to a guy that fought so hard to come back, but that’s just the nature of the game sometimes. The Bulls are going to be without Jimmy Butler as well so look for Kirk Hinrich, Mike Dunleavy, and Luol Deng to all top 35 minutes today.
- Kirk Hinrich – It’s never a great matchup when you are matched up against Chris Paul, but Hinrich is in play thanks to the amount of minutes he is going to play. Without Rose and Butler, the Bulls don’t have any other options. Hinrich has played well of late and should easily cover his value tonight.
- Luol Deng – I also like Dunleavy here, but Deng is the better fantasy player and may play the entire game. Thibs loves to keep his rotation short and he always plays Deng extended minutes. I think Deng makes a great play against the Clippers.
L.A.Clippers
The Clippers are one of the highest scoring teams in the league but they have also allowed opponents to score a lot of points. This game may seem like a blowout on paper, but the Clippers are on a back to back and the Bulls have an extra day of rest. This Bulls team is no stranger to playing short handed and I think this one will come down to the very end.
- Blake Griffin – The Bulls worst defender is Carlos Boozer. You could make a case for Dunleavy as well, but he hasn’t been in the lineup long enough for that to show on the DvP rankings. Griffin is playing at an extremely high level and I love the matchup for him today.
Phoenix at Orlando
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Bledsoe-Tucker-Frye-Plumlee
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Harkless-Vucevic
Phoenix
It sounds like Eric Bledsoe will be out again for today’s game. He is still very sore and unlikely to come back early again this time around. That means that Gerald Green will get another start at SG. While I do like his potential minutes, he will be locked up against either Victor Oladipo or Aaron Afflalo, both are extremely good defenders. I think Green gets frustrated by their defense in this one.
- Goran Dragic – Dragic has played well in his last few games, but he has been very inconsistent. He’s scored between 20-40 FP’s in his last 4 games. I expect him to settle in around that 30 FP mark and it should start tonight against the Magic.
- Channing Frye – I mentioned Frye as a nice pick the other night and he really played well. Frye is still the starter and really determines his own minutes. When he is playing well, he is going to see close to 30 minutes. He can stretch the floor and is close to minimum salary on most sites.
Orlando
The Magic had a tough loss against the Heat last night. They were ahead the entire game and then blew it at the end. Vegas has this game as a pick ‘em which is good for fantasy purposes. The Suns have defended wing players well this season, but have really struggled to defend PG’s and Centers. Even though Oladipo is a wing player, a lot of his fantasy value comes on the defensive side of the ball. Continue taking him as a nice value play.
- Nikola Vucevic – Vucey has been quiet in back to back games, but it’s no coincidence that both of those games were against the Heat who have an incredible interior defense. Look for him to have a big bounce back game against the Suns tonight who rank 30th against Centers over the last two weeks.
Utah at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -14, 197.5 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burks-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
Utah
The Jazz continue to get blown out of games and they are such a liability on the schedule because they not only make themselves unplayable, but they make their opponents unplayable as well. Vegas has the Jazz as 14 point underdogs, but don’t be surprised if they get down by 20. Avoid.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder have a nice matchup, but when you have a spread that is this big, you don’t want to risk a large portion of your salary on anyone from that game. If you absolutely have to play someone here, I think Reggie Jackson makes an interesting pick. He will get between 25-30 minutes regardless of the outcome of the game and he could see some garbage time.
Sacramento at L.A.Lakers
- Vegas Line – L.A.Lakers -4, 201.5 Over/Under
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Vasquez-McLemore-Mbah a Moute-Thompson-Cousins
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Blake-Meeks-Johnson-Hill-Gasol
Sacramento
A battle of two bad teams typically works out well fantasy wise. Vegas has the Lakers only favored by 4 in this game with an over/under of 202 points. There are good fantasy options on both sides of the ball as both of these defenses are below average.
- DeMarcus Cousins – I often label Cousins as a GPP play, but I like him in cash games tonight. He has seen consistent minutes over his past couple of games and should play well against this bad defense. The Lakers are ranked 27th against Centers this season.
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers have a great matchup tonight, but hopefully this game will stay close. It seems like the Lakers are involved in too many blowouts. When they win, they win big and when they lose, they lose big. They have a great matchup against the Kings who are ranked below average against PG’s, PF’s, and Centers.
- Steve Blake – Blake has been playing some great basketball with Nash out. He’s had 4 or 5 games with double digit assists and I could see him topping that number again tonight. The Kings struggle against PG’s and Blake has become a very good passer.
- Jordan Hill – I also like Pau Gasol here, but he will be banging with Cousins all night and I prefer Hill’s matchup over his. Hill gets to face the non-lethal combo of Thompson and Patterson. Hill has been playing great and should keep it up tonight.