NBA Grind Down: Tuesday, March 15th - Page Two
Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers – 10:30 PM
- Vegas Line – Sacramento -3, 217 Over/Under
- Sacramento Kings Proj. Starters – Rondo-Collison-Gay-Acy-Cousins
- Los Angeles Lakers Proj. Starters – Russell-Clarkson-Bryant-Randle-Hibbert
| Sacramento Kings | Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 217.0 |  | Vegas Total | 217.0 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -3.0 | Vegas Sprd | 3.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 110.0 | Team Proj. | 107.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 102.40 | Team Pace | 97.90 | |||||||||
| 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 | Rajon Rondo | Darren Collison | Rudy Gay | Quincy Acy | DeMarcus Cousins | Proj. Starter | D’Angelo Russell | Jordan Clarkson | Kobe Bryant | Julius Randle | Roy Hibbert | |
| Opp. Season | 30 | 28 | 29 | 23 | 28 | Opp. Season | 24 | 29 | 25 | 30 | 15 | |
| Last 3 Weeks | 25 | 12 | 18 | 21 | 9 | Last 3 Weeks | 21 | 20 | 27 | 29 | 1 | |
Sacramento Kings
Record: 25-40 — Road: 11-21 — Last 10: 1-9
- Sacramento Kings Offense
Points Scored Per Game: 106.7 (3 of 30)
Implied Team Total: 110.0 (1 of 12)
Projected Point Differential: 3.3 (5 of 12)
The Kings have to be the worst run organization in the NBA right now. The Sixers are certainly giving them some competition, but there isn’t a team that is as disconnected from the owner on down to the players as the Kings. The good news is that they draw a fantastic matchup tonight against the Lakers. Sacramento is projected to score 110 points, which is the highest team total on the board.
- Los Angeles Lakers Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 106.8 (27 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 109.5 (30 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: -3.5 (26 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 213.2 (30 of 30)
It’s always a treat when the two worst defensive teams in the NBA square off. The Lakers are ranked 26th or worse in all four of the defensive categories listed above and they play at an above-average pace. The Kings’ offense should see a sizable boost as a whole and even though their is tension in their locker room, we can target them with confidence tonight against the Lakers.
- Injury Watch:
Ben McLemore (Questionable)
Elite Plays
| DeMarcus Cousins | |||||
 | FanDuel: | DraftKings: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$11,100 | Salary:$10,500 | ||||
| Position:C | Position:PF | ||||
| FP/Min:1.38 | FP/Min:1.50 | ||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 34.7 | 36.4 | 1.7 | 37.1 | 2.4 |
| FPPG (FD) | 48.0 | 51.3 | 3.4 | 54.6 | 6.6 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 29.4 | 30.7 | 1.3 | 31.5 | 2.1 |
Even though Cousins and George Karl are acting like first graders and fighting like a married couple, it’s hard to fade Boogie tonight. In his last four games against the Lakers, he has scored 57, 43, 53, and 62 fantasy points. There could be some merit to fading Cousins on FanDuel (Bismack Biyombo), but that’s still scary. He is the top play overall tonight and I’m going to do everything that I can to get him into my lineup. The Lakers have allowed the third most fantasy points to centers this season.
| Rajon Rondo | |||||
 | FanDuel: | DraftKings: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$8,000 | Salary:$7,800 | ||||
| Position:PG | Position:PG | ||||
| FP/Min:1.05 | FP/Min:1.16 | ||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 35.4 | 37.7 | 2.3 | 37.4 | 2.0 |
| FPPG (FD) | 37.3 | 34.6 | -2.7 | 27.9 | -9.4 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 17.2 | 16.5 | -0.7 | 15.5 | -1.7 |
Rondo is one of those players that you don’t want to target when he is not fully invested. After scoring less than 25 fantasy points three times in his last five games, I am a little concerned. However, we get an opportunity to target Rondo at a discount against the Lakers, who are ranked dead last against point guards this season. I’m willing to overlook the few bad games, as his upside is tremendous at this price point.
Secondary Plays
| Darren Collison | |||||
 | FanDuel: | DraftKings: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$5,300 | Salary:$5,200 | ||||
| Position:PG | Position:PG | ||||
| FP/Min:0.77 | FP/Min:0.82 | ||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 29.3 | 33.6 | 4.3 | 35.3 | 6.0 |
| FPPG (FD) | 22.5 | 24.6 | 2.1 | 26.6 | 4.1 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 16.8 | 14.5 | -2.3 | 15.3 | -1.6 |
If you don’t feel confident using Rajon Rondo tonight, feel free to swap Collison in for him instead. They are both borderline elite plays against this Lakers’ defense that can’t defend point guards or shooting guards. In fact, you can actually use them together, as the Kings do have the highest team total on the board. One thing is for sure – you want to have some exposure to the Kings’ backcourt tonight.
Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 14-53 — Home: 9-23 — Last 10: 3-7
- Los Angeles Lakers Offense
Points Scored Per Game: 97.9 (28 of 30)
Implied Team Total: 107.0 (4 of 12)
Projected Point Differential: 9.1 (2 of 12)
The Lakers have nothing to play for at this point in the season. However, they are in no-mans land when it comes to their record. They are five games up on the Sixers in the win column, but the next closest team has four more wins than the Lakers. That means that they can still win a few more games without it costing any lottery balls. The Lakers have a good chance at picking up a win tonight against the dysfunctional Kings. Los Angeles is projected to score 107 points, which is the fourth highest team total on the board.
- Sacramento Kings Defense
Points Allowed Per Game: 109.5 (30 of 30)
Defensive Efficiency: 106.5 (24 of 30)
Rebounding Differential: 0.0 (13 of 30)
Fantasy Points Allowed Per Game: 213.1 (29 of 30)
The Lakers are certainly in the running, but the Kings have to be considered the worst defensive team in the NBA. They are ranked 30th in points allowed per game, 29th in fantasy points allowed per game, and they play at a faster pace than any other team. While I love this spot as a whole, the Lakers’ backcourt situation is a bit tricky now that they are all healthy. Kobe Bryant, Lou Williams, and Marcelo Huertas are all stealing minutes/production from D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson.
- Injury Watch:
Brandon Bass (Questionable)
Elite Plays
| Julius Randle | |||||
 | FanDuel: | DraftKings: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$6,100 | Salary:$6,400 | ||||
| Position:PF | Position:PF | ||||
| FP/Min:0.93 | FP/Min:1.02 | ||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 27.7 | 29.0 | 1.3 | 28.5 | 0.8 |
| FPPG (FD) | 25.9 | 27.0 | 1.1 | 29.2 | 3.3 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 18.3 | 18.3 | 0.0 | 19.0 | 0.7 |
Randle is a borderline elite play tonight, although I would put him a level below Thaddeus Young and Nerlens Noel at power forward. While he lacks minute upside, he has been playing great, averaging 29.2 fantasy points over his last five games. He also draws an elite matchup against the Kings, who have taken over as the worst team against power forwards (that honor used to belong to the Rockets).
Secondary Plays
| D’Angelo Russell | |||||
 | FanDuel: | DraftKings: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$7,000 | Salary:$6,900 | ||||
| Position:PG | Position:PG | ||||
| FP/Min:0.83 | FP/Min:0.91 | ||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 27.9 | 31.6 | 3.7 | 30.7 | 2.8 |
| FPPG (FD) | 23.3 | 31.0 | 7.8 | 26.9 | 3.7 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 20.0 | 23.2 | 3.2 | 23.2 | 3.1 |
The Kings can’t defend point guards and the Lakers are going to see an increase in pace of play. That’s a strong combination for Russell, but I am concerned about his minutes. He is only averaging 30.7 over his last five games and I’m a little hesitant to pay close to $7,000 for him tonight in cash games. Fire him up in tournaments, but look elsewhere in cash.