NBA Grind Down: Tuesday, December 31st - Page 2
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Brooklyn at San Antonio
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -12, 207.5 Over/Under
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Williams-Johnson-Pierce-Teletovic-Garnett
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Belinelli-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter
Brooklyn
Another Spurs game and another potential blowout. I’m getting tired of trying to predict what’s going to happen in these Spurs games. The Nets have been a mess all season long though so trusting them to keep this game close probably isn’t the best decision that you could make. For me, everything points to this game being a blowout. That said, I do like the value for both Joe Johnson and Mirza Teletovic. They are cheap on most sites and should be able to cover their value even in a blowout.
San Antonio
The Spurs seem to be in this situation every other game. They are big favorites and a headache for us daily fantasy players. If the Nets can keep it close, I like the matchups for Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Kawhi Leonard. That said, the Nets keeping it close is a stretch. Just to be safe, I will be fading Parker and Duncan. Leonard is cheap enough to still make a solid play though.
Portland at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
Portland
Enough of these potential blowouts, let’s get to a good game. The Blazers and Thunder should be one of the best games of the night. Not only is it expected to be a close game, but the total is set at 213 points which is tied for the highest on the board. There are great fantasy options on both teams here.
The Thunder have been very good at defending two positions this season: SF and Center. Both Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez have bad matchups and should be avoided. Wesley Matthews has a decent matchup though, I like him on sites like FD where you don’t have position flexibility.
- Damian Lillard – Lillard is coming off of a big game last night and will look to keep it going tonight against the Thunder who are ranked 27th at defending the PG position. That ranking is a bit skewed though because Jackson is now the starter instead of Westbrook. Nonetheless, I love Lillard in this matchup.
- LaMarcus Aldridge – Aldridge’s price has really come down lately which puts him very much in play tonight against the Thunder. While Ibaka is thought of as a great defender, the DvP rankings suggest otherwise. The Thunder are giving up the 4th most fantasy points of any team to opposing PF’s.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder are also in a great spot. There are really 3 options for cash games and then 1 other option that you could use in a GPP. Let’s start with the cash game options. I like the matchups for Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and Reggie Jackson. The GPP would be Jeremy Lamb who is coming off of a career game.
- Kevin Durant – Even though the Blazers have been good at defending SF’s this season, Durant is matchup-proof and has been required to do even more offensively with Westbrook out. I think Durant could top 50 FP’s in this one.
- Reggie Jackson – Jackson is one of my favorite plays tonight. He is still cheap on basically every site and has great upside against the Blazers who continue to give up monster games to opposing PG’s. Did you see the line that Holiday put up against them last night?
Milwaukee at L.A.Lakers
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Antetokounmpo-Middleton-Ilyasova-Sanders
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Farmar-Meeks-Young-Hill-Gasol
Milwaukee
The Bucks travel to LA to take on the Lakers in what is expected to be a very high scoring game considering the fact that the Bucks are playing. John Henson will not make the trip with the team, so give a boost to Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh, and Ersan Ilyasova. The Lakers have been one of the worst teams defensively all season and there are plenty of viable options on the Bucks.
- Brandon Knight – Knight’s price varies across the industry so he is more of a site specific play, but I think he should have a great game tonight against the Lakers. We have all seen the upside that he gives you and the Lakers have been one of the worst teams at defending PG’s this season.
- Larry Sanders – Factoring in price, Sanders is probably my favorite play tonight. With Henson out, he will be asked to play plenty of minutes against this Lakers team. I think he should be able to dominate on both ends of the floor.
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers are in a good position tonight and will likely be getting Pau Gasol back for this one. They will be without Xavier Henry though and it’s worth noting that Jordan Farmar missed practice yesterday. Keep your eye on the injury news though because he would be a great play if he is able to suit up. Pau Gasol is probably the top play here against this short handed Bucks team, but Farmar, Johnson, Hill, and Young all make sense if their prices are reasonable.