NBA Grind Down: Thursday, December 11th
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.
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Cleveland at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -2.5, 203.5 Over/Under
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Marion-James-Love-Varejao
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Roberson-Durant-Ibaka-Adams
| Cleveland | Oklahoma City | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 203.5 |  | Vegas Total | 203.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 2.5 | Vegas Sprd | -2.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 100.5 | Team Proj. | 103.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 94.76 | Team Pace | 94.32 | |||||||||
| 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 | Shawn Marion | LeBron James | Kevin Love | Anderson Varejao | Proj Starter | Russell Westbrook | Andre Roberson | Kevin Durant | Serge Ibaka | Steven Adams | |
| Opp. Season | 8 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 17 | Opp. Season | 10 | 22 | 13 | 25 | 7 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 4 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 16 | Opp. Last 7 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 20 | 3 | |
Cleveland
We have a small two-game slate on tap for tonight, but there is still plenty of action across the industry. The first game of the night is between the Cavaliers and the Thunder. The Cavaliers have won eight straight games and are now only two games back of first place in the Eastern Conference. Vegas has the Cavaliers listed as 2.5-point underdogs in a game that features a total of 203.5 points. The Thunder have been solid defensive this season though, ranking 7th in defensive efficiency and 6th in rebounding differential.
Elite Plays
LeBron James (FD: $10600, DK: $11800 / MPG: 38 / Usage Rate: 30.2)
It’s always fun to watch when LeBron and Durant meet up. LeBron is having another terrific season, averaging 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. He has actually recorded double-digit assists in five of his last nine games. He is logging heavy minutes early in the season, but that’s actually a plus in DFS. James is very affordable on FD tonight ($10,600) and is still in play on DK ($11,800). He is right there with James Harden as the top overall fantasy option of the night.
Secondary Plays
Kyrie Irving (FD: $8300, DK: $9200 / MPG: 38 / Usage Rate: 22.9)
Irving has really played well recently. He has scored at least 31 fantasy points in eight of his last ten games. Tonight he draws a favorable matchup against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, who are ranked 17th in fantasy points allowed per 48 minutes to opposing point guards. Love finds himself in a tough matchup tonight, as he will have to lock horns with Serge Ibaka. Ibaka should be able to keep him in check, which means the Cavaliers will have to rely heavily on Irving and James.
Anderson Varejao (FD: $4900, DK: $5000 / MPG: 25 / Usage Rate: 18.2)
Varejao is very productive when he is on the floor. The biggest issue is that he is only averaging 25 minutes per game. He still offers a fairly high floor for a player at his price point, but his upside is severely limited thanks to his playing time. On a night with very few options at center, Varejao’s ownership level will likely be through the roof.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder also have a mini winning streak coming into tonight’s game. They have won three in a row, with an average margin of victory of nine points. Tonight they host the Cavaliers in what could very well be an NBA Finals preview. Maybe not for this season, but it’s still in the realm of possibility. This is a fantasy-friendly matchup for the Thunder, as the Cavaliers are ranked 15th in defensive efficiency, giving up an average of 98.3 points per game to their opponents. This should be a very competitive game that comes down to the wire.
Note: Kevin Durant is still on a 30-minute restriction. It’s hard to pay a premium for a player that is maxed out at 30 minutes, so I will continue to fade Durant tonight.
Elite Plays
Russell Westbrook (FD: $9900, DK: $10700 / MPG: 28 / Usage Rate: 37.7)
There are three superstars to choose from tonight: LeBron James, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. Given the fact that he plays PG, I have a feeling Westbrook will have the lowest ownership level of the three. That said, he could easily be the highest scoring fantasy player of the night. On the season, he is averaging 39.6 fantasy points per game in an average of 28 minutes per game. If you look at his fantasy points per game on a 35-minute basis (which is what I expect him to play tonight), Westbrook is scoring close to 50. He draws a favorable matchup against Kyrie Irving, who is not an elite perimeter defender.
Secondary Plays
Serge Ibaka (FD: $7700, DK: $7200 / MPG: 33 / Usage Rate: 22)
While Kevin Love is an excellent rebounder, his defense could certainly use some work. On the season, the Cavaliers are ranked 28th in fantasy points allowed per 48 minutes to opposing power forwards. Ibaka has scored at least 29 fantasy points in each of his last three games. The only reason he is not an elite play tonight is the fact that there are three great value plays at power forward tonight: Donatas Motiejunas, Jason Thompson, and Reggie Evans.
Houston at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – Houston -1, 196 Over/Under
- Houston Proj. Starters – Terry-Harden-Ariza-Motiejunas-Black
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Collison-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Evans
| Houston | Sacramento | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 196.0 |  | Vegas Total | 196.0 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -1.0 | Vegas Sprd | 1.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 98.5 | Team Proj. | 97.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 96.60 | Team Pace | 95.52 | |||||||||
| 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 | Donatas Motiejunas | Tarik Black | Proj Starter | Darren Collison | Ben McLemore | Rudy Gay | Jason Thompson | Reggie Evans | |
| Opp. Season | 12 | 20 | 6 | 28 | 4 | Opp. Season | 1 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 6 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 2 | 30 | 3 | 25 | 12 | Opp. Last 7 | 30 | 17 | 26 | 13 | 10 | |
Houston
The Rockets will be short-handed again tonight. Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones have already been ruled out, while Isaiah Canaan, Kostas Papanikolaou, and Francisco Garcia are all considered questionable. Despite all of the injuries, the Rockets are still listed as 1-point favorites tonight against the Kings. The total for this game is set at only 196 points, but all of the injuries lead to quite a few fantasy options in this game. On the season, the Kings are ranked 17th in defensive efficiency, giving up 101.1 points per game to their opponents.
Elite Plays
James Harden (FD: $10300, DK: $11400 / MPG: 37 / Usage Rate: 31.2)
Harden is a bit banged up, but it hasn’t affected his play at all. He had another monster stat line last night with 34 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals in a tough matchup against the Warriors. With Dwight Howard still out, the Rockets will continue to force feed the ball to Harden. Harden is also in a favorable matchup, as the Kings are ranked 25th in fantasy points allowed per 48 minutes to opposing shooting guards. With such limited options at shooting guard, Harden should be one of the most popular picks tonight.
Patrick Beverley (FD: $5300, DK: $5600 / MPG: 31 / Usage Rate: 18.2)
Beverley has played well in his first two games back from injury. After scoring 33 fantasy points against the Suns, he backed it up by scoring 40 fantasy points against the Warriors. With all of the injuries to the Rockets, Beverley could see in the range of 35-40 minutes again tonight. He’s a terrific fantasy option tonight against the Kings, who are ranked 19th in fantasy points allowed per 48 minutes to opposing point guards.
Donatas Motiejunas (FD: $5900, DK: $5400 / MPG: 27 / Usage Rate: 18)
Dollar for dollar, Motiejunas may be my favorite play on the board tonight. Over his last three games, he is averaging 37 minutes, 16 points, and 8 assists per game. He should continue to see all of the minutes that he can handle with Howard and Jones out. Hopefully his price will scare off the masses tonight and his ownership level won’t be too high.
Secondary Plays
Trevor Ariza (FD: $6100, DK: $6500 / MPG: 38 / Usage Rate: 18.2)
Ariza is seeing Jimmy Butler-type of minutes lately. He is averaging 38 minutes per game on the season and he has played at least 43 minutes in each of his last three games. He should continue to see all of the minutes that he can handle, as the Rockets are as short-handed as ever. The matchup against Rudy Gay and the Kings isn’t ideal, but Ariza’s extended playing time more than makes up for the bad matchup.
Sacramento
The Kings will be without DeMarcus Cousins again tonight, which leaves all of the front-court minutes to Jason Thompson, Reggie Evans, Carl Landry, and Ryan Hollins. The good news for the Kings is that they are facing a Rockets team that also has a depleted front-court. Cousins absence not only gives a boost to the other big men of the Kings, but it also gives a boost to Rudy Gay and Darren Collison, as both have had to shoulder the load offensively. On paper, this isn’t a great matchup, but Cousins’ absence opens up the door for a few viable options tonight against the Rockets.
Elite Plays
Rudy Gay (FD: $8500, DK: $8900 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 27.2)
Gay has become the go-to guy in the Kings offense with DeMarcus Cousins out. Over his last five games, he is averaging 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. His usage rate continues to climb, currently sitting at 27.2 for the season. If you don’t want to pay up for LeBron James tonight, Gay offers some salary cap relief at small forward.
Jason Thompson (FD: $5000, DK: $4600 / MPG: 27 / Usage Rate: 12)
Thompson is one of the more inconsistent fantasy options in the NBA. While that’s not exactly promising, he has played well over his last four games and his minutes should be solidified with Cousins out. Thompson is averaging 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists per game over his last four and draws a decent matchup against the Rockets, who are ranked 15th in fantasy points allowed per 48 minutes to opposing power forwards.
Reggie Evans (FD: $4800, DK: $5000 / MPG: 20 / Usage Rate: 11.8)
The rebounding machine should be at it again tonight. Evans is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game this season in only 20 minutes of playing time. Basically, he is averaging a rebound every two and a half minutes. As long as he is in the starting lineup again tonight, he should easily crack the double-digit rebound mark. At his price, he should be targeted in all leagues formats tonight against the Rockets.
Secondary Plays
Darren Collison (FD: $7700, DK: $6800 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 22)
It’s a short slate, so Collison is in play on both FD and DK tonight. Obviously, his price on DK is much more appealing though. Collison continues to be a very consistent fantasy option, but he does draw an extremely tough matchup against Patrick Beverley, who is one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA.