NBA Grind Down: Thursday, December 26th
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
Atlanta at Cleveland
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -2.5, 204.5 Over/Under
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Miles-Gee-Thompson-Bynum
Atlanta
Hey Grinders, hope everyone had a great Christmas! The Hawks are in a favorable spot tonight against the Cavs. Vegas expects this to be a very close, high scoring game and there are good fantasy options on both teams here. The Cavs have really struggled to defend PG’s and PF’s this season and those are the two positions to target here. Al Horford is also in play, but he is really expensive and has a tough matchup.
- Jeff Teague – Teague has really picked up his play of late. He has scored over 35 FP’s in 3 of his last 4 games and has a great chance to top that mark again tonight. Kyrie has been awful defensively and Teague should be able to attack the rim and create easy shots for himself and his teammates.
- Paul Millsap – Millsap’s price is finally starting to come down a big across the different sites and tonight is a great time to buy low on Millsap. He has a nice matchup against the Cavs and is my favorite of the two bigs for the Hawks tonight. The Cavs have given up big games to talented PF’s this season.
Cleveland
The Cavs are also in a nice spot tonight. There aren’t many times during the season that they are projected to score over 100 points. The Hawks have been fairly average defensively this season and there really aren’t any positions that we need to avoid on the Cavs tonight. It sounds like Dion Waiters is questionable for tonight’s game, if he can’t go, give a boost to both C.J. Miles and Jarrett Jack.
- Kyrie Irving – Irving has really played well over the last few weeks and should be able to keep it going tonight against the uptempo Hawks. Look for him to push the pace early in the shot clock and attack the rim. Irving is averaging over 37 FP’s per game at home this season.
- Andrew Bynum – Bynum is a bit of a wildcard, but he has played over 22 minutes in 4 straight games and he has shown his ability to put up big fantasy numbers. I like his matchup tonight against the much smaller Horford and think he should easily top 20 FP’s here.
Memphis at Houston
- Vegas Line – Houston -7.5, 198 Over/Under
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Allen-Johnson-Randolph-Davis
- Houston Proj. Starters – Lin-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard
Memphis
The Grizzlies are 7 point underdogs to a Rockets team that is coming off of a big win last night. I don’t think we have to factor in a blowout because the Grizzlies rarely get blown out and they will be playing on fresher legs.
The Rockets have been one of the worst defenses in the league this season thanks to their fast pace of play and the Grizzlies have a few viable fantasy options tonight. James Johnson continues to make a great value play as long as Prince is out. Tony Allen has stepped up his game with all of the injuries. Both make solid plays tonight against the Rockets.
- Mike Conley – Tonight is a great time to buy low on Conley. His price has come down a bit after two subpar performances in a row and he has an excellent matchup tonight against the Rockets who are missing their best on-ball defender. Conley should push the pace and push for 30 FP’s.
- Zach Randolph – Z-Bo has been the Grizzlies’ best offensive player since Gasol went down with his injury and even though his price has gone up lately, he has been worth it. He’s topped 40 FP’s in 4 of his last 5 games and has a great matchup against the Rockets who are ranked 26th against PF’s.
Houston
The Rockets are playing in the second half of a back to back set, but Vegas doesn’t seem to have any worries about them having a possible letdown game. They are favored by 7 points today. The issue with the Rockets is that they are playing one of the slowest paced teams in the league which means they will likely see a dip in their possessions. I think James Harden and Dwight Howard are both in play, but I think they may be a bit too expensive considering the slower pace of play.
- Jeremy Lin – One player that I’m not worried about is Lin. With Beverley out, there really isn’t anyone challenging him for minutes and he has really played well in his last two starts. The Grizzlies have not been great at defending PG’s over the last two weeks and Lin should easily cover his value considering his cheap price across the board.
San Antonio at Dallas
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -3, 208.5 Over/Under
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Belinelli-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert
San Antonio
The Spurs lost a tough game against the Rockets last night, but get right back at it tonight against the Mavs. I do want to give a little word of caution though. Pop has a tendency to sit his starters in back to back situations. While I don’t expect that to happen, just keep it in the back of your mind because it is always a possibility.
The Mavs are an uptempo team and it really shows up in their DvP rankings. The Mavs rank in the bottom 8 in the league at defending SG’s, SF’s, and Centers. That doesn’t mean that Tony Parker and Tim Duncan should be avoided, just that there are better matchups for the other starters. I think Tiago Splitter makes a nice value play, but my favorite play here is Kawhi Leonard.
- Kawhi Leonard – Leonard is playing around 30 minutes per game and has nice upside in this matchup against the uptempo Mavericks. Both of these teams are expected to score in the hundreds and I think Leonard could push for 30 FP’s tonight.
Dallas
The Mavs are also in a solid spot tonight. Even though the Spurs have solid DvP rankings, Vegas expects this game to be close and high scoring. While the Spurs have not defended PG’s well this season, I think Monta Ellis is a better play than Jose Calderon. Monta often handles the ball more than Calderon and should be able to attack the rim against this older defense. Shawn Marion also makes a nice play here, he is at this best in fast-paced, uptempo games where he can run the floor.
- Dirk Nowitzki – My favorite play here is Dirk. Duncan will have a hard time defending him on the perimeter and he has a nice track record against the Spurs. Dirk’s price has come down quite a bit and now is the perfect time to buy low on Dirk.
L.A.Clippers at Portland
- Vegas Line – Portland -4, 212.5 Over/Under
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Crawford-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
L.A.Clippers
The Clippers are coming off of a tough loss last night and now have to travel to Portland to take on one of the hottest teams in the NBA. I expect the Clippers to play well here and so does Vegas. They are only 4 point underdogs and this game has the highest total of the night at 212 points.
The Blazers have struggled against two positions this season, PG and Center, and I think those are your two best plays here. Blake Griffin will be locked up with LaMarcus Aldridge which is a tough matchup. I think Jamal Crawford makes sense as a GPP play.
- Chris Paul – Paul continues his hot play and now faces Lillard and the Blazers who are ranked 23rd against PG’s on the season. Paul should have no problem posting another monster double-double and he is actually my top overall fantasy option tonight.
- DeAndre Jordan – Jordan is a bit of a wild card, but I think he plays well in this one. The Blazers have not defended Centers well this season and DeAndre is locked in on the defensive end right now. I expect him to post another big double-double in this one.
Portland
The Blazers are expected to be the highest scoring team tonight and you can make the case for all five starters as viable fantasy options. The Clippers have defended guards well this season, but I think all of the Blazers are in play. Damian Lillard has been on fire lately, LaMarcus Aldridge seems to post a 40+ FP game every other night, and Robin Lopez has been a great punt play at the Center position. While they are all in play, Batum is my favorite play here.
- Nicolas Batum – Batum has a great matchup against Dudley and should be able to top 30 FP’s here. He’s topped that mark in 7 of his last 8 games and should hit that mark again tonight.