NBA Grind Down: Tuesday, November 5th - Page 2
L.A.Lakers at Dallas
| L.A.Lakers | Dallas | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 214.0 |  | Vegas | 214.0 | |||||||
| Spread | 8.5 | Spread | -8.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 102.09 | Pace | 102.51 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 29 | 13 | 16 | 9 | 25 | Season | 30 | 27 | 19 | 17 | 14 | |
| Last10 | 29 | 13 | 16 | 9 | 25 | Last10 | 30 | 27 | 19 | 17 | 14 | |
| Blake-Meeks-Young-Williams-Gasol | Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert | |||||||||||
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers are playing at a very quick tempo but so far this season, that hasn’t exactly led to a lot of scoring. They are in the middle of the pack in points per game, but are close to the league leaders in points allowed. This game has the highest total of the night of 213 and it’s really not even close.
The Mavericks have not been a very good defensive team this season. They have a lot of old legs in that lineup and it shows in their DvP Rankings. There really aren’t any positions that I would stay away from tonight on the Lakers.
Players to Target
- Pau Gasol – I keep hyping Gasol as a great fantasy option and he keeps trying to prove me wrong. He is the main focal point on one of the most uptempo offenses in the NBA. He fits D’Antoni’s system perfectly and it’s only a matter of time before we see him putting up 20 and 12 type numbers. While Samuel Dalmebert is a decent defender, I think Pau has his best game this season.
- Xavier Henry – Henry scored 18 points in his first trip to the starting lineup and will get the start again tonight. He’s not a must play by any stretch, but I like him as a GPP play. He is a score first type of player that has the green light when he is in there.
Dallas
The Mavs may have old legs, but they are playing at an extremely quick pace. They are averaging 102 possessions per 48 minutes which ranks near the top of the league. They are also the 3rd highest scoring team in the league this season averaging 111 points per game. They haven’t exactly had anyone step up as their main scorer yet, but both Dirk and Monta should be in for good games against this awful defense of the Lakers.
The Lakers rank in the bottom half of the league against every single position so don’t be scared to take a couple of Mavs players tonight.
Players to Target
- Monta Ellis – I am typically not an advocate of taking Monta Ellis, but sometimes the matchup fits the player so well that you are forced to change your mind. Let me rephrase, I am not usually a fan of Monta in H2H and 50/50 leagues. He always makes a great GPP play thanks to his upside. Tonight however, I think I will be using him in all types of leagues. These uptempo games are the ones he succeeds in and he is playing at home where he has been better in his career.
- Dirk Nowtizki – Dirk will be matched up against Shawne Williams and Chris Kaman for most of this game and I like his chances for a big game against either of them. Kaman is too slow and Williams just isn’t a great defender. Dirk should easily top 20+ points tonight so if he can pad those other areas of the statsheet, he will have a big night.
San Antonio at Denver
| San Antonio | Denver | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 201.5 |  | Vegas | 201.5 | |||||||
| Spread | -4.0 | Spread | 4.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 98.21 | Pace | 97.79 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 27 | 3 | 10 | 22 | 28 | Season | 25 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 16 | |
| Last10 | 27 | 3 | 10 | 22 | 28 | Last10 | 25 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 16 | |
| Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter | Lawson-Foye-Hamilton-Faried-McGee | |||||||||||
San Antonio
The Spurs were without Duncan for one game, but he is back in the lineup now. Both of these teams like to push the ball and get quick buckets so this is another game that we will want to target tonight. The Nuggets rank 27th against opposing PG’s so you can imagine who I really like for the Spurs. Danny Green should be avoided at all costs as he is not getting many minutes this season and Tiago Splitter could get lost in an uptempo game like this one.
Players to Target
- Tony Parker – Parker is having another solid season averaging 18 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. His price is still a bit higher than I would like it to be on a few sites, but the matchup is very favorable. Ty Lawson takes too many chances on the defensive end and gets burned often. Tony P should be treated as a top-5 PG tonight.
- Kawhi Leonard – Leonard can do a little bit of everything on the floor. He can score, rebound, and defend. He was very quiet against the Blazers the other night, but I expect a big bounce back game from him tonight as the Nuggets are really hurting at the SG and SF positions.
Denver
The Nuggets are still without both Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. Their offense has really took a big hit with those guys out of the lineup. I can’t remember the last time I saw the Nuggets in the bottom third of the league in scoring. They are still playing at a quick pace, but they just don’t have the weapons offensively. The injuries have opened up big minutes for Randy Foye and Nate Robinson.
Players to Target
- Ty Lawson – Last season Lawson was awful against the Spurs averaging only 9 points and 4 rebounds. I think that has more to do with the variance on a nightly basis than it does Tony Parker defense. The Spurs are currently ranked 25th against opposing PG’s and I expect Lawson to have a nice game, especially considering the fact that he is their best offensive player.
Houston at Portland
| Houston | Portland | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 204.5 |  | Vegas | 204.5 | |||||||
| Spread | 1.5 | Spread | -1.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 97.51 | Pace | 97.49 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 15 | 29 | 6 | 8 | 21 | Season | 7 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 11 | |
| Last10 | 15 | 29 | 6 | 8 | 21 | Last10 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 11 | |
| Lin-Harden-Parsons-Asik-Howard | Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez | |||||||||||
Houston
The Rockets defense was nowhere to be found last night. Add James Harden to that list as well. The Clippers gave up 137 points to the Clippers and James Harden sat the bench the entire 4th quarter. While I’m not putting any stock into him sitting, one thing is very clear: the Rockets are a great team to take players against.
The matchup against the Blazers is a good one. The Blazers have defended SG’s and SF’s well this season, but have struggled everywhere else. While I think Jeremy Lin is still a decent value play with Beverley still out, I would use him more in GPP’s than I would in cash games.
Players to Target
- James Harden – Harden is going to have plenty of bad games this season. But he is one of those players that can shake it off and get right back at it the next night. I expect him to bounce back nicely and I think that the Rockets could actually pull off a win in this one.
Portland
The Blazers have been the 5th highest scoring team this season and might jump up the rankings even further after tonight’s game against the Rockets. All Blazers are in play tonight, but my three favorite have to be Damian Lillard, Nicoas Batum, and LaMarcus Aldridge. There should be enough fantasy points to go around for all of them and I think you can fit two of them in your lineup.
Players to Target
- Damian Lillard – I have to go against the DvP rankings again because I know that Jeremy Lin is not a very good defender. Chris Paul made easy work of him last night and I expect Lillard to do the same tonight. Pay the price for Lillard and be glad that you did.
Atlanta at Sacramento
| Atlanta | Sacramento | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 201.5 |  | Vegas | 201.5 | |||||||
| Spread | 2.5 | Spread | -2.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 99.19 | Pace | 94.25 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 26 | 24 | 1 | 19 | 15 | Season | 6 | 30 | 23 | 12 | 9 | |
| Last10 | 26 | 24 | 1 | 19 | 15 | Last10 | 6 | 30 | 23 | 12 | 9 | |
| Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford | Vasquez-Thornton-Salmons-Patterson-Cousins | |||||||||||
Atlanta
The Hawks have really picked up their pace this season and have been pretty efficient on the offensive end of the floor. A lot of that has to do with the sharp shooting of Kyle Korver who has averaged over 30 FP’s per game this season. If you can take Korver for a low price, he has a nice matchup against the Kings and should be in your lineups. The Kings have always seemed to struggle against PG’s though and Jeff Teague is the Hawk that I will be using the most.
Players to Target
- Jeff Teague – This is the perfect situation for Teague. It should be a very fast, high scoring game and he will be matchup up with the likes of Greivis Vasquez and Isaiah Thomas. Look for Teague to be aggressive early on. I think we could see a 20 point, 8 assist, 4 rebound performance from him.
Sacramento
The Kings are always a tough team to predict with DeMarcus Cousins leading the charge. So much for him trying to establish himself as a consistent player. I think the safest route to take with Cousins this season is to just avoid him unless he has a matchup that is too good to pass up. His matchup with Al Horford tonight doesn’t exactly fit that bill. The PF position for the Kings is basically a time split and none of the wing players are producing much of anything. I like what I’ve seen from McLemore, but I need to see more before I take a shot on him.
Players to Target
- Isaiah Thomas – At this point, Thomas is really the only Kings player on my radar. He’s averaged 30 minutes and 30 FP’s per game this season and has the green light the second he steps onto the floor. I think he could find some success against the second unit of the Hawks and should be in line for another good chunk of minutes.