NBA Grind Down: Thursday, January 2nd - Page 2
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Memphis at Phoenix
- Vegas Line – Phoenix -6, 197 Over/Under
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Allen-Prince-Randolph-Koufos
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Bledsoe-Dragic-Tucker-Frye-Plumlee
Memphis
The Grizzlies have been in a downward slide over the last couple of weeks, but they have managed to win 4 out of their last 5 games and should be able to keep tonight’s game competitive. The total for this game is set at 197 points which is actually pretty high considering the fact that the Grizzlies are one of the teams playing.
When two teams with different styles of play face each other, it usually means more possessions than usual for the slower paced team and less possessions than usual for the faster paced team. So as a whole, give the Grizzlies a slight bump and give the Suns a slight decrease in fantasy value.
- Zach Randolph – While his price has gone up across the board, I still think he is in play tonight. The Suns have been below average this season at defending the PF position and Z-Bo has really picked up his game ever since Gasol went down with his injury. He should pound the glass hard and post a solid double-double here.
- Kosta Koufos – I’m not sure why he played such little playing time there for a while, but he is back to seeing 25+ minutes per game. He’s scored at least 18 FP’s in each of his last 6 games and has a favorable matchup against Plumlee.
Phoenix
Like I mentioned above, we can expect the Suns to see a few possessions less than their season average. That means less shots, rebounds, assists, etc. to go around for the Suns. That doesn’t mean that you should avoid them completely, but it’s something to keep in mind when creating your lineups. The Grizzlies are no longer an elite defensive team without Gasol and have struggled to defend both SG’s and PF’s this season. Channing Frye makes a nice GPP play, but Bledsoe is the best play here.
- Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe is a very inconsistent fantasy player. In his last 5 games he has posted everywhere from 4 to 39 fantasy points. That’s not exactly the type of consistency that you want to see. That said, I think he should be able to play well in this game. His price has come down across the board and it’s a good time to buy low on Bledsoe.
Milwaukee at Utah
- Vegas Line – Utah -5.5, 191.5 Over/Under
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Antetokounmpo-Middleton-Ilyasova-Sanders
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Williams-Favors
Milwaukee
The Bucks are coming off of a big win against the Lakers and will look to make it back to back road victories against the Jazz. The Bucks will be without John Henson once again and both Larry Sanders and Ersan Ilyasova played well in his absence the other night. They are two of my top value plays again tonight. Sova seems to play better when he doesn’t have anyone challenging him for minutes.
- Brandon Knight – In addition to Sova and Sanders, Knight also makes a solid play tonight. He has been playing at an incredible level over the past month or so. He has shown his ability to post big numbers and I think he keeps it going tonight against the Jazz who have been very average at defending PG’s this season.
Utah
The Jazz have a favorable matchup tonight. If you look at the Bucks DvP rankings, you will see that they rank in the bottom 10 against SF’s, PF’s, and Centers this season. They have also recently struggled against PG’s. Gordon Hayward is the only player on the Jazz that doesn’t have a favorable matchup. Marvin Williams makes a nice value play, but Favors and Burke are the two top plays here.
- Trey Burke – Burke has played well in his rookie season and can do quite a bit on the court. It’s always nice to take fantasy players that can fill up other areas of the stat sheet other than just scoring. I love his price across the industry and think he can top 25 FP’s against the Bucks.
- Derrick Favors – Favors has struggled in his last two starts, but all that really means to us is that his price has come down. He has a fantastic matchup against the short handed frontcourt of the Bucks and I think this will be one of his better games of the season.
Charlotte at Portland
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Tolliver-McRoberts-Jefferson
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
Charlotte
This is the third game of the night with at least a 10 point spread. The Bobcats are playing in a back to back situation against one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Bobcats lost big last night and will likely be in a similar spot tonight. For me, this game is an easy fade. You could go the route of Anthony Tolliver as a value play, but I think there are better values out there.
Portland
The Blazers are taking on a Bobcats team that has picked up their pace of play recently. While that’s favorable, there are too many red flags in this one. The Blazers play great at home, they are double-digit favorites, and the Bobcats are playing in a back to back. I could easily see this game being over by the end of the third.
Philadelphia at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
Philadelphia
Once again, I love seeing the Sixers on the schedule. They are the fastest paced team in the league and they are giving up the most points per game in the league. When the Sixers are on the scedule, everyone is in play. Even though they are 8 point underdogs, the total for this game is set at 218 points which is by far the highest of the night.
- Michael Carter-Williams – You can make the argument that MCW’s numbers are largely inflated due to the Sixers’ syle of play, but in DFS, all that matters are the results. MCW continues to post great fantasy games and I love his matchup against the much smaller Isaiah Thomas tonight.
- Spencer Hawes – Hawes has scored at least 30 FP’s in 4 of his last 5 games and has a great chance to top that mark again tonight. Cousins has never been known as a great defender and I don’t see him getting out to defend Hawes on the perimeter.
Sacramento
The Kings are my favorite team to target tonight. The Sixers rank in the bottom 5 at defending every single position. There aren’t any matchups that stand out more than any others because they are all equally good. Isaiah Thomas, Rudy Gay, and DeMarcus Cousins should all be in your lineups tonight. While I wouldn’t take all 3, I wouldn’t hesitate to use 2 of the 3 tonight.