NBA Grind Down: Tuesday, May 13th & Wednesday, May 14th (2-Day)

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2014-05-13 22:43:49

Welcome to the RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down Article. Each day, we’ll break down all of the matchups with a focus on defense vs. position stats. The Grind Down shows you Vegas lines, defense stats and projected starting lineups for each and every game.

The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. Use this article to help you gain a better understanding of the matchups for the coming week and build from there. We have everything you could possibly need on our Daily Research console for you to be a successful daily fantasy player!

Note: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NBA Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review

Washington at Indiana (Game 5 – Indiana up 3-1)

• Vegas Line – Indiana -5.5, 180 Over/Under
• Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Ariza-Hilario-Gortat
• Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert

Washington

After picking up a win in Game 1, the Wizards have now lost 3 straight and head to Indiana for Game 5 which will be an elimination game. The Wizards have really struggled to score against this Pacers defense in the last 2 games and now that the Pacers have their confidence back, I see the same thing happening in Game 5. The total is only set at 180 points which is by far the lowest total of any game in this slate of games. I think Bradley Beal is in play for GPP’s, but the only Wizards’ player that I will be targeting in cash games is Trevor Ariza.

• Trevor Ariza – Ariza has scored at least 30 FP’s in 3 of the 4 games in this series and is averaging close to 35 minutes per game. I expect his playing time to go up to around 40 minutes in this elimination game. His price is affordable and he is largely being overlooked at SF.

Indiana

All of the sudden the Pacers look like a force in the East again. This reminds me a lot of the Heat a couple of years ago when they were down to both the Pacers and the Celtics and all the media talked about was how the Heat were done for and were going to get blown up. They went on to win the championship that year and it appears that the Pacers are going to go on to the Eastern Conference Championship this year. George Hill makes a decent value play at PG here, but Paul George and Roy Hibbert are my top two plays:

• Paul George – George is coming off of his best game of the series. He put up 56 FP’s in Game 4 and knows the importance of this Game 5. They do not want to head back to Washington with a chance for the Wizards to send this series to a Game 7. George’s price is still expensive across the industry, but it has finally come down to a playable level.

• Roy Hibbert – Hibbert is averaging 33 FP’s per game over his last 3 and appears to be over the mental hurdles that seemed to be holding him back. He has his confidence back and he is easily the best value at Center in this slate of games. Use him with confidence in all of your lineups.

L.A. Clippers at Oklahoma City (Game 5 – Series Tied 2-2)

• Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -5, 213 Over/Under
• L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Barnes-Griffin-Jordan
• Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins

L.A.Clippers

The Clippers were close to being down 3-1, but Chris Paul would not let that happen. He willed them to victory with a huge 4th quarter comeback in Game 4 to tie the series up at two games a piece. This has been the best series to watch in the 2nd round and Game 5 should be no different. I will continue to avoid DeAndre Jordan here, but Blake Griffin is in play if you are looking to spend up at the PF position.

• Chris Paul – Paul has been by far the most productive Clipper in this series. He has scored at least 42 FP’s in each of the first 4 games and is actually a bit cheaper than Westbrook on most sites. Paul can fill up all areas of the stat sheet and he is my top PG option heading into Game 5.

• Jamal Crawford – Crawford saw a playoff high 34 minutes in Game 5 and he really played well with 33 FP’s. I expect to see a lot of Crawford the rest of the series as Barnes and Redick have just not been able to get it going offensively. Crawford is cheap and has great upside for the price.

Oklahoma City

The Thunder have been a two man show in this series, and I don’t think that it’s going to change heading into Game 5. The Thunder could easily be up 3-1 right now, but they still have to feel good about their chances in this series as they now hold homecourt advantage in a 3-game series. Serge Ibaka makes a decent upside play, but he has been relatively quiet for most of the series. There are really only two cash game options here, and I bet you can guess who they are.

• Kevin Durant – Durant has scored at least 53 FP’s in each of the last 3 games and is once again the top overall fantasy option available. He should be the first player that you build your lineups around. Expect another solid outing from Durant in Game 5.

• Russell Westbrook – While I give the slight edge to CP3 over Westbrook (because of the Durant factor), I still think Westbrook makes a terrific play. If you can somehow afford to get both CP3 and Westbrook in a lineup, it may not be a bad idea because both players have tremendous upside.

Brooklyn at Miami (Game 5 – Miami up 3-1)

• Vegas Line – Miami -7, 188 Over/Under
• Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Williams-Livingston-Johnson-Pierce-Garnett
• Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Haslem-Bosh

Brooklyn

The Nets had a great chance to tie this series up in Game 4, but in the end, LeBron James and his 49 points were just too much to overcome. The Nets now head back to Miami for a Game 5 elimination game. Deron Williams, Paul Pierce, and Joe Johnson have all played at a subpar level throughout this series. I don’t think the Nets will go out without a fight, but once again, I think the best plays on the Nets are the value plays. The Heat were ranked 3rd or better against PG’s and wings this season and I just don’t have enough confidence in Johnson, Williams, or Pierce to use them in my cash games.

• Kevin Garnett – Garnett is averaging 22 FP’s per game over his last 3 and the bigger stat to point out here is that he is averaging 23 minutes in that stretch, including 25 minutes in Game 4. With a win or go home in Game 5, I wouldn’t be surprised to see KG play 25-28 minutes. I love his price and think he makes a great cash game play at PF.

• Shaun Livingston – Livingston is a very cheap PG/SG option across the industry and he has averaged 24 FP’s per game over his last 3. He has topped 30 minutes in every game so far in this series and should be a lock for 20+ FP’s in Game 5.

Miami

The Heat have a chance to close out the Nets in Game 5 after a huge performance from LeBron James in Game 4. The rest of the team played pretty poorly, but James stepped up and put the team on his back. I expect the role players to play better as Game 5 heads to Miami for a home game for the Heat. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are both in play, but I think there are better options at their positions and price points. Mario Chalmers has topped 18 FP’s in 3 of the 4 games in this series and makes a nice punt option.

• LeBron James – I expect this game to be closer than most and LeBron has scored 47 and 62 FP’s in his last 2 games. He knows the importance of these close out games and I think we see a very aggressive LeBron in Game 5. I still have Kevin Durant ahead of LeBron, but there are quite a few value plays and you may be able to get them both in your lineup.

• Ray Allen – Allen has topped 19 FP’s in 3 of the 4 games in this series and averaged 27 FP’s in the two home games. Allen is cheap across the industry and is averaging close to 28 minutes per game off the bench.

Portland at San Antonio (Game 5 – San Antonio up 3-1)

• Vegas Line – San Antonio -8, 208 Over/Under
• Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
• San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter

Portland

The Blazers picked up a blowout win over the Spurs in Game 4 and now face another elimination game in Game 5, although this time it will be in San Antonio. The Blazers really struggled to score in the first two games of this series and with the Spurs favored by 8, it does make the Blazers risky fantasy options. I’ll likely be avoiding Robin Lopez, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Wesley Matthews, but I do like the other two starters:

• Nicolas Batum – Batum is averaging 39 FP’s per game over the last 3 and the Blazers are going to need a monster game from him if they want to pull off the upset in Game 5 in San Antonio. Batum can fill up the stat sheet and has great upside for his price at SF.

• Damian Lillard – Lillard has now scored at least 33 FP’s in each of the last 3 games. There has been a lot of talk about his subpar play, but he’s actually one of the few Blazers that has put up good numbers in this series. The Spurs were below average against PG’s this season and I like Lillard as a GPP play in Game 5.

San Antonio

The Spurs looked dis-interested in Game 4 as they got down big in the 3rd and Coach Pop decided to rest his starters for the entire 4th quarter. The good news is that the starters all saw limited minutes and should be well rested for Game 5. Expect a nice bounce back game from this Spurs team. Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, and Manu Ginobili are all in play, but my two favorites are the two faces of the franchise.

• Tony Parker – Parker has scored at least 37 FP’s in 3 of the first 4 games in this series. The Blazers have tried to defend him with a number of different players, but until the bigs start to hedge the pick and roll, it may not matter.

• Tim Duncan – Duncan has played good, but not great in this series. I expect him to have his best game in Game 5, especially after only playing 27 minutes in Game 4.