NBA Grind Down: Tuesday, December 3rd - Page 2
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Charlotte at Dallas
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Kidd-Gilchrist-McRoberts-Jefferson
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert
Charlotte
The Bobcats have not been a very good road team this season and this game could get ugly early. While Vegas has them as 8 point underdogs, this one could easily be over by the end of the third. Not only that, but the Bobcats haven’t had any great fantasy options over the last couple of weeks anyway. Kemba Walker makes nice GPP play if Calderon is out, but he usually plays much better at home than he does on the road. With so many other options, I will likely be fading the Bobcats.
Dallas
The Mavericks are a fast paced team that averages 104 points per game. The Bobcats are going to have a hard time keeping up with them in this one. The only play here that makes sense to me is Gal Mekel and that’s only if Jose Calderon can’t go tonight. Mekel played 27 minutes the other night when Calderon was out and he really played well by putting up almost 20 FP’s. He would make a nice sleeper if he gets the start tonight.
Oklahoma City at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -6.5, 203.5 Over/Under
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Vasquez-McLemore-Williams-Thompson-Cousins
Oklahoma City
The Thunder and Kings are both fast-paced teams and I think the Kings will play well enough to keep this one close. Vegas has the Thunder favored by 6.5 points which is probably lower than you would expect. If this one stays close, there are good options from both teams.
The Kings have defended SF’s well this season and have struggled against all other positions. I don’t know how much stock you should put into that SF ranking though because Derrick Williams is now their starting SF and he has never been known for his lock down defense. Kevin Durant is in play, but I like the matchup for Westbrook even better.
- Russell Westbrook – Westbrook is pretty cheap on most sites tonight and has great upside against a Kings team that has struggled against PG’s all season long. Westbrook will have a big speed advantage over Vasquez and a big size advantage over Thomas. Westbrook is my favorite PG option tonight for the price.
- Serge Ibaka – Ibaka has an extremely high ceiling thanks to his ability to block shots. He is one of the few players than can easily reach double digit fantasy points on blocks and steals alone. He has a favorable matchup against the Kings and makes a solid under the radar play.
Sacramento
The Kings are a sneaky team tonight. They typically play well at home and Vegas expects them to keep this game close. Derrick Williams makes a very deep sleeper as he is the starter now and is seeing around 30 minutes at the SF position. Sure he will be guarding Durant, but a cheap price tag and a big chunk of minutes usually outweighs everything else.
Other than Williams, there are really only two other names that should be on your radar here. Isaiah Thomas is still a decent value play, but his price has come up and there are other value plays that make more sense. DeMarcus Cousins seems to play well in tough matchups and makes a nice GPP play thanks to his high ceiling. The Thunder’s #1 rankings against Centers makes me scared to trust him in cash games though.
Toronto at Golden State
- Vegas Line – Golden State -7.5, 201 Over/Under
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Gay-Johnson-Valanciunas
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Barnes-Lee-Bogut
Toronto
The Raptors have a nice matchup tonight against the uptempo Warriors. The Warriors are giving up 99 points per game. The positions to target here are PG, PF, and Center, but don’t rule out Rudy Gay as the Warriors are without their best wing defender Andre Iguodala. One thing to note here is that Amir Johnson has been benched in back to back games. He may come out more motivated than ever in this one and he makes a good GPP play.
- Kyle Lowry – Lowry has scored over 30 fantasy points in five of his last six games and has really been the most consistent fantasy option on this team over the last couple of weeks. He has a great matchup against the Warriors who are ranked 29 against opposing PG’s. Look for him to fill up the stat sheet and have another big game.
Golden State
The Warriors are a very tough team to beat at home. Even though the Raptors are a very capable team, I don’t expect them to come out of this one with a win. The Warriors just have too many weapons offensively and good offense usually beats good defense. That said, the matchup for the Warriors is a below average one. The Raptors are a slow paced team so the Warriors will likely see a few less possessions than they are used to. Harrison Barnes probably makes the most sense here, he should continue to see big minutes and has the most favorable matchup if you look at the DvP rankings.