NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, December 4th - Page 2
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Indiana at Utah
- Vegas Line – Indiana -8.5, 187.5 Over/Under
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Williams-Favors
Indiana
The Pacers have the highest point differential in the league, they are outscoring opponents by an average of more than 10 points per game. They are a very efficient team offensively and a shut down team defensively. It’s hard to see the Jazz staying in this one, but they are playing at home which helps.
While I don’t know if I will pay the price for Paul George in a potential blowout, there are some cheaper options that are in play tonight. The Jazz haven’t been great at defending PF’s this season and David West has been playing well. I also think that George Hill makes a nice value play on a few sites where his price is depressed.
Utah
The Jazz are in a tough spot tonight. They are big underdogs at home and are facing the league’s best defense. The Pacers rank in the top 6 against every single position except for PG. It sounds like Marvin Williams will sit out tonight’s game so look for Enes Kanter to get the start tonight. If he is minimum priced, he carries some value, but there are better value options out there. Trey Burke is worth noting though, he has been playing great and finally looks comfortable in this offense. If his price hasn’t come up too high, he could be worth a shot against the Pacers who are ranked 15th against PG’s.
San Antonio at Minnesota
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -3.5, 205 Over/Under
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic
San Antonio
This is the game that I am the most excited for tonight. The Spurs have been one of the best team’s in the West for years and are facing a Wolves team that has followed the Spurs same model. They have grown organically and look like a team that will be good for years to come. The Spurs are always hard to predict because Pop likes to sit his starters as much as possible, but the Spurs only have one more game in the next 5 nights so expect the starters to all see big minutes.
This game has the highest over/under of the night at 209 points. If you look at the DvP rankings of the Wolves, you will see nothing but blue and green rankings. They have not defended any position well. I like the matchup for Kawhi Leonard, but I’m targeting the two old men here:
- Tony Parker – Parker is one of my favorite plays tonight. He has a great matchup against Ricky Rubio and the uptempo Wolves. Parker is the engine of this offense and I think he tops 20 points and 10 assists. For his price, he is probably my top PG play of the night.
- Tim Duncan – Duncan is still playing at an extremely high level. It’s hard to believe considering how long he has been in the league, but here he is still posting double-doubles. The Wolves have not defended PF’s well and this is one of the few nights where you can expect 30+ minutes out of him.
Minnesota
If you were to only look at the DvP rankings, you would want to avoid the entire Wolves team tonight, but those don’t always tell the whole story. This game is expected to be close and to be the highest scoring game of the night. That means that both teams should have a good night offensively.
- Kevin Love – Love is matchup proof. He seems to play well regardless of his matchup and after a couple of down games, I think he breaks out tonight. Love is averaging over 45 FP’s at home this season and has had great success against the Spurs in the past.
- Nikola Pekovic – Pek’s biggest asset is his ability to bang down low and get easy buckets. I like the matchup for him tonight against Tiago splitter who is much more lean than Pekovic.
Oklahoma City at Portland
- Vegas Line – Portland -2, 205 Over/Under
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
Oklahoma City
The Thunder are playing in a back to back after last night’s win against the Kings. They have a solid matchup tonight against the red hot Blazers. The Blazers struggle to defend PG’s and Centers, but Kendrick Perkins is far from a viable fantasy option. While the Blazers have defended SF’s well this season, don’t rule out Kevin Durant. He should easily top 40 FP’s.
- Russell Westbrook – Westbrook is coming off of a dud performance against the Kings last night, but is in a great spot to bounce back tonight. The Blazers are ranked 24th against PG’s this season and Westbrook should be able to get his own shot whenever he wants tonight.
Portland
The Blazers are the 5th highest scoring team in the league at 104 points per game. Both of these teams are very good offensively and this should be another high scoring game. The Thunder have defended SF’s and Centers well, but have really struggled against the other 3 positions.
- Damian Lillard – Lillard is one of the most consistent fantasy players in the league. He rarely has a bad game and should play well in his matchup with Westbrook tonight. Lillard is averaging well over 30 FP’s at home this season and should top that again tonight.
- LaMarcus Aldridge – The Thunder have really struggled against PF’s this season which is surprising considering that Serge Ibaka is known around the league as one of the best defenders. Expect Aldridge to have another solid game and another double-double.