NBA Grind Down: Tuesday, March 24th - Page Two
Golden State at Portland – 10:30 PM
- Vegas Line – Golden State -6.5, 205 Over/Under
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Curry-Thompson-Barnes-Green-Bogut
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Batum-Wright-Leonard-Lopez
| Golden State | Portland | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 205 |  | Vegas Total | 205 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -6.5 | Vegas Sprd | 6.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 105.8 | Team Proj. | 99.3 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 100.72 | Team Pace | 96.4 | |||||||||
| 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 | Stephen Curry | Klay Thompson | Harrison Barnes | Draymond Green | Andrew Bogut | Proj Starter | Damian Lillard | Arron Afflalo | Dorell Wright | Meyers Leonard | Robin Lopez | |
| Opp. Season | 27 | 20 | 11 | 1 | 6 | Opp. Season | 6 | 8 | 10 | 19 | 20 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 30 | 28 | 12 | 1 | 10 | Opp. Last 7 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 25 | 13 | |
Golden State
The Warriors are playing in the second half of a back-to-back, but they should have fresh legs, as their starters weren’t required to do a whole lot in a blowout win over the Wizards last night. The Warriors are listed as 7-point favorites tonight against a short-handed Blazers’ team that will be without three of it’s best four players. I expect the Blazers to keep this game within striking distance, but if this one gets out of hand, the Warriors’ starters will see limited action once again.
Opponent Breakdown (Portland)
Record: 44-24
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.9 (Rank: 10)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 9
Rebounding Differential Rank: 9
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Stephen Curry (FD: $9800, DK: $9400 / MPG: 33 / Usage Rate: 28.2)
The issue with Curry isn’t his matchup or the way that he has been playing, it’s his minutes. Curry has only averaged 29.5 minutes per game over his last six. The Warriors just haven’t needed him to log heavy minutes and that may be the case again tonight. It’s hard to justify paying his hefty price tag when he’s not guaranteed to play more than 30 minutes. For that reason, I see him as a secondary option against the Blazers.
Draymond Green (FD: $7500, DK: $7500 / MPG: 32 / Usage Rate: 17)
Green should under the radar tonight, as the Blazers have been excellent against power forwards this season. That said, Green sees a sizable boost with LaMarcus Aldridge out of the lineup. Green’s price is a bit lower than we have seen it at over the last couple of weeks. He’s a terrific tournament play tonight against the Blazers.
Portland
LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum are both doubtful for tonight’s game against the Warriors. Dorell Wright and Meyers Leonard are the likely candidates to enter the starting lineup. The two injuries open up a ton of different fantasy options on the Blazers, as there is a lot of production to be made up in their absence.
Opponent Breakdown (Golden State)
Record: 57-13
Points Allowed Per Game: 99 (Rank: 13)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 1
Rebounding Differential Rank: 17
Elite Plays
Damian Lillard (FD: $8100, DK: $7600 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 26.5)
Damian Lillard and Jeremy Lin are options 1A and 1B at point guard tonight. My plan is to use both in my cash game lineups. Lillard should see a huge boost in usage with Aldridge and Batum out. He may also be asked to play a few extra minutes tonight against the Warriors. His increased role in tonight’s game more than outweighs his tough matchup.
Robin Lopez (FD: $4700, DK: $4500 / MPG: 29 / Usage Rate: 15.7)
Lopez should see a boost with LaMarcus Aldridge out of the lineup. It also helps that his price is depressed. He is listed at a bargain price on both FanDuel and DraftKings. If he scores 25 fantasy points, he would easily exceed value. Lopez is one of the top value plays on the board tonight.
Secondary Plays
With LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum both doubtful, Arron Afflalo (FD: $4000, DK: $4300), Dorell Wright (FD: $3500, DK: $3500), and Meyers Leonard (FD: $3500, DK: $3000)are all viable punt options at their respective positions.