NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, December 11th
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 NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Orlando at Charlotte
- Vegas Line – Charlotte -6, 190 Over/Under
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Davis-Vucevic
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Tolliver-McRoberts-Jefferson
Orlando
Vegas has this as a close game, but it’s not expected to be very high scoring. While the Magic like to push the pace, the Bobcats are one of the slowest paced teams in the league. Nikola Vucevic is a game-time decision for tonight’s game so make sure to check the injury news for his status closer to tip-off.
- Victor Oladipo – Oladipo has only scored less than 20 FP’s in one game in his last eleven. He is averaging more than 35 minutes per game during that stretch and has really become a consistent fantasy option that gives you the added bonus of a great upside. I really think he plays well here.
- Glen Davis – Davis will get a bump if Vucevic can’t go tonight, but he’s a solid play either way. He has been very consistent over the last few weeks and can score both attacking the rim and hitting jump shots. He should cover his value tonight.
Charlotte
The Bobcats are near the bottom of the league in points scored per game, but have a favorable matchup tonight against the Magic. The Magic rank in the bottom half of the league against every single position except for Center and if Vucevic is out, I think that puts everyone in play for the Bobcats. Al Jefferson makes a nice play if Vucey it out, but my favorite play here is Mr. Walker.
- Kemba Walker – Walker has played great at home this season and has averaged over 35 fantasy points per game over his last three. He has a favorable matchup against the Magic who really struggle to defend PG’s. Look for him to continue his hot play in this one.
L.A.Clippers at Boston
- Vegas Line – L.A.Clippers -6, 195.5 Over/Under
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Crawford-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Bass
L.A.Clippers
This game is a tough one to predict because the Clippers are by far a better team and the Celtics are playing in the second half of a back to back. Even though the line for this game is only at 6, I could easily see this one turning into a blowout so you may want to stay away from Chris Paul just because of the fact that he may be sitting the entire 4th quarter. Both of the bigs have a good matchup here against the under-sized Celtics front court, but they are also pretty pricey and could get hurt in a blowout.
- Jamal Crawford – Crawford is my favorite play here. He has been seeing big minutes ever since J.J. Redick went down and makes a solid upside play tonight. He will see 30+ minutes regardless of the outcome and may actually benefit from a blowout because he would get some garbage time production.
Boston
The Celtics are coming off of a tough loss to the Nets and had to travel home in order to get ready for their game tonight against the Clippers. The good news for the C’s is that they have managed to compete with some of the top teams this season and the Clippers are an uptempo team which helps the Celtics’ fantasy value. The blowout potential is a concern, but none of the Celtics’ players are highly priced so they aren’t affected as much as the stud players on the Clippers.
- Jeff Green – Green has been seeing 35+ minutes over the last couple of weeks and has really started to become more aggressive offensively. I think he is a lock to top 20 fantasy points tonight with the potential for a lot more.
- Jared Sullinger – Sullinger is around the same price as Green and has similar upside. The Clippers are ranked 29th against Centers this season so look for Sully to have his way down low with this weak interior defense. If it stays close, I think we will see a 15 and 10 game from him.
Oklahoma City at Memphis
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -5.5, 191.5 Over/Under
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Allen-Prince-Randolph-Koufos
Oklahoma City
The Thunder travel to Memphis to take on the tough defensive Grizzlies. The problem with the Grizzlies is that they establish their tempo regardless of who the opponent is. They are a very disciplined team that rarely gets out of character. That really hurt the fantasy value for the Thunder because less possessions means less shots to go around. I think Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are both priced too high for their matchup.
- Serge Ibaka – I do like the matchup for Ibaka though. He should be able to get a few blocks on Randolph tonight and he should be able to reach double digit rebounds. If he can add 15 points into the mix, we are looking at a 35+ fantasy point night from Ibaka. He’s one of my favorite under the radar plays tonight.
Memphis
The Grizzlies take on a Thunder team that likes to push the tempo, but that neither hurts or helps their fantasy value. The Grizzlies are who we thought they were. Both bigs are in play here tonight. The matchup for Kosta Koufos isn’t great, but he isn’t a great offensive player to begin with. He scores by consistently being around the basket so I wouldn’t worry about the Thunder’s solid ranking against Centers. Mike Conley is also worth a look if his price is cheap enough, the Thunder have really struggled to defend PG’s this season.
- Zach Randolph – While I do expect Ibaka to get few blocks on him tonight, classic Z-Bo will get blocked, grab the rebound and go up again. The Thunder are ranked 27th against opposing PF’s this season and Z-Bo is their #1 option offensively. I’m expecting something in the range of 18 and 12 tonight.
San Antonio at Milwaukee
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -11, 193 Over/Under
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Mayo-Middleton-Ilyasova-Henson
San Antonio
The Spurs are not a team that you want to target tonight. They are playing in a back to back situation and they are double-digit favorites. Pop loves to rest his starters in these type of situations so don’t be surprised to see a late scratch or two tonight. Even if the starters do end up playing, their minutes will be very limited, that’s just how Pop coaches. You could target a few of the backup players here, but none of them stand out to me as great fantasy options.
Milwaukee
The Bucks don’t have much in their favor tonight, but they do have one thing going for them. They are short-handed, which means there are plenty of minutes to go around. I fully expect a blowout in this one, but if we get word that any of the Spurs are going to get the night off, then it would make a couple of Bucks interesting plays.
Brandon Knight has been playing extremely well and how about John Henson? I think you can still make the case for Henson tonight, but with Larry Drew, you can never count on anyone to see consistent minutes. If there were only a few games on the schedule, it might be different, but with so many games tonight, you don’t need to waste a roster spot on either of these teams.
Philadelphia at Minnesota
- Vegas Line – Minnesota -12, 209 Over/Under
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Wroten-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic
Philadelphia
This game is in a similar spot as the Spurs/Bucks except for the fact that there could be 250 points scored in this one. Both of these teams are two of the fastest-paced teams and this game should be so high scoring that most players might be able to cover their value in only 3 quarters. If you’ve read the grind down before, you know how I feel about potential blowouts, but I’m going to break my own rule for this one. The matchup is just too good for both sides.
- Tony Wroten – Michael Carter-Williams has been ruled out of tonight’s game so look for Wroten to get another start. He has played great filling in for MCW and even though his price has come up across the board, he will do more than enough in tonight’s game to make his value. Factoring in price, he’s one of my favorite plays across the board.
- Evan Turner – Coach Brown expressed his displeasure with Turner after their last game and I expect him to come out of the gates firing tonight. Turner is at his best in the open floor and you aren’t going to find two teams that like to push the ball as much as these two. Turner has great upside in this matchup.
Minnesota
One of my favorite strategies in daily fantasy basketball is to stack the team that is facing the Sixers. Now by stacking, I only mean 2-3 players, but you get my drift. The Wolves are expected to be the highest scoring team tonight and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them score in the 120’s. There is definitely blowout potential here, but the matchup is going to outweigh that tonight. Let’s just hope the Sixers can stay within ten so the starters can see their usual minutes.
- Ricky Rubio – I mentioned Rubio and Love in my post yesterday and I will mention them both again today. Rubio is at his best in the open floor and I could see him topping 15 assists in this one. The Sixers rank dead last in the league against PG’s this season.
- Kevin Love – Love is the top overall fantasy play tonight. He is coming off of a huge game last night and should post similar numbers tonight. There is no one on the Sixers that can guard him. If he plays his full minutes, I’m predicting a 30 and 15 game from him.
- Kevin Martin – Pekovic and Brewer are also both in play, but I can’t recommend taking 5 Wolves’ players. Martin has been red hot and should see plenty of open looks against this awful defense. If you give Martin a foot, he can knock the shot down. And the Sixers have been giving their opponents open looks all season long.