NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, April 1st - Page Three
L.A. Clippers at Portland – 10:00 PM
- Vegas Line – Portland -3, 210.5 Over/Under
- L.A. Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Barnes-Griffin-Jordan
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Afflalo-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
| L.A. Clippers | Portland | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 210.5 |  | Vegas Total | 210.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 3.0 | Vegas Sprd | -3.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 103.8 | Team Proj. | 106.8 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 97.01 | Team Pace | 96.36 | |||||||||
| 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 | Chris Paul | J.J. Redick | Matt Barnes | Blake Griffin | DeAndre Jordan | Proj Starter | Damian Lillard | Arron Afflalo | Nicolas Batum | LaMarcus Aldridge | Nicolas Batum | |
| Opp. Season | 25 | 22 | 11 | 1 | 5 | Opp. Season | 2 | 16 | 27 | 14 | 15 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 11 | 24 | 14 | 13 | 4 | Opp. Last 7 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 26 | |
L.A. Clippers
The Clippers lost a tough game at home to the Warriors last night. Their punishment is having to play in a back-to-back against the Blazers in Portland. The Clippers are three-point underdogs in a game that features a total of 210 points. While the matchup against Portland may not look great on paper, the Clippers are still projected to score 104 points tonight.
Opponent Breakdown (Portland)
Record: 48-25
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.9 (Rank: 10)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 9
Rebounding Differential Rank: 9
Elite Plays
Chris Paul (FD: $10400, DK: $9600 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 23.6)
If you haven’t seen THE FALL, here you go. It was a great move by Curry, but I’m not sure the video deserves the publicity that it’s getting (I say this as I post the link). Paul can’t be happy about that play or about the fact that they lost to the Warriors last night. He should be in full CP3000 mode tonight. This is a great bounce back spot for Paul, as the Blazers are ranked 25th against point guards this season.
Secondary Plays
Blake Griffin (FD: $8800, DK: $8600) and DeAndre Jordan (FD: $9200, DK: $8400) are both secondary options against the Blazers, who have one of the best defensive frontcourts in the NBA.
Portland
The Blazers have won four games in a row and are currently locked into the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. They are small favorites tonight against the Clippers in what is expected to be one of the highest scoring games of the night. The Blazers are projected to score 106 points, which is one of the highest team totals on the board.
Opponent Breakdown (L.A. Clippers)
Record: 49-25
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.3 (Rank: 17)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 17
Rebounding Differential Rank: 16
Elite Plays
LaMarcus Aldridge (FD: $9300, DK: $9000 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 30)
Aldridge has scored at least 44 fantasy points in six of his last nine games. His price is still reasonable across the industry and he draws a decent matchup against Blake Griffin and the Clippers. If you can’t afford Anthony Davis tonight, Aldridge is a fine alternative at power forward. In his last five games against the Clippers, Aldridge has averaged 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Secondary Plays
Robin Lopez (FD: $5300, DK: $4600 / MPG: 28 / Usage Rate: 15.6)
Lopez is one of the better value plays at center tonight. He doesn’t offer a ton of upside, but he has scored at least 25 fantasy points in two of his last three games. He may be asked to play a few extra minutes tonight against one of the best frontcourt duo’s in the NBA.
New Orleans at L.A. Lakers – 10:30 PM
- Vegas Line – New Orleans -8, 193 Over/Under
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Evans-Gordon-Pondexter-Davis-Asik
- L.A. Lakers Proj. Starters – Lin-Clarkson-Johnson-Kelly-Black
| New Orleans | L.A. Lakers | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 193 |  | Vegas Total | 193 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -8.0 | Vegas Sprd | 8.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 100.5 | Team Proj. | 92.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 93.85 | Team Pace | 96.46 | |||||||||
| 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 | Tyreke Evans | Eric Gordon | Quincy Pondexter | Anthony Davis | Omer Asik | Proj Starter | Jeremy Lin | Jordan Clarkson | Wesley Johnson | Ryan Kelly | Tarik Black | |
| Opp. Season | 30 | 25 | 21 | 11 | 26 | Opp. Season | 16 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 14 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 21 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 22 | Opp. Last 7 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 30 | |
New Orleans
The Pelicans are two and a half games behind the Thunder for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They are running out of time to make up ground and they will likely treat every game from here on out as a must win. They should be able to pick up a victory tonight against the Lakers. The Pelicans are eight-point favorites against a team that is ranked 28th in points allowed per game this season.
Opponent Breakdown (L.A. Lakers)
Record: 20-53
Points Allowed Per Game: 104.7 (Rank: 28)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 28
Rebounding Differential Rank: 14
Elite Plays
Anthony Davis (FD: $12300, DK: $11400 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 27.6)
Davis has been playing close to 40 minutes per game, as the Pelicans make their final push for the playoffs. If he sees 40 minutes tonight against the Lakers, his fantasy production should be off the charts. He has scored at least 52 fantasy points in five of his last nine games and he has a great chance to reach that mark again tonight. While I still like Westbrook a little more overall, there are more point guard options on the board. Davis might be the best superstar to spend up on tonight.
Secondary Plays
Tyreke Evans (FD: $7900, DK: $7700)and Eric Gordon (FD: $5200, DK: $5500) are also in play tonight against the Lakers.
L.A. Lakers
The biggest question here is whether Jeremy Lin will be available to play tonight. Byron Scott said that he believes he will play. If that’s the case, it will cut into the production of Jordan Clarkson. If Lin is unable to suit up, Clarkson would remain an elite play at point guard. The Lakers’ matchup against the Pelicans is mediocre at best. New Orleans is ranked 13th in points allowed per game and 6th in rebounding differential this season.
Opponent Breakdown (New Orleans)
Record: 39-34
Points Allowed Per Game: 98.6 (Rank: 13)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 22
Rebounding Differential Rank: 6
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Jordan Clarkson (FD: $7300, DK: $6000), Jeremy Lin (FD: $5800, DK: $5500), and Ryan Kelly (FD: $4300, DK: $4000) are all viable secondary options tonight against the Pelicans.