NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, January 28th - Page Three
Washington at Phoenix – 10:30 PM EST
- Vegas Line – Phoenix -6, 211 Over/Under
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Pierce-Hilario-Gortat
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Bledsoe-Tucker-Morris-Len
| Washington | Phoenix | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 211 |  | Vegas Total | 211 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 6.0 | Vegas Sprd | -6.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 102.50 | Team Proj. | 108.50 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.73 | Team Pace | 99.23 | |||||||||
| 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 | John Wall | Bradley Beal | Paul Pierce | Nene Hilario | Marcin Gortat | Proj Starter | Goran Dragic | Eric Bledsoe | P.J. Tucker | Markieff Morris | Alex Len | |
| Opp. Season | 10 | 18 | 25 | 8 | 23 | Opp. Season | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 25 | 24 | 15 | 26 | 21 | Opp. Last 7 | 30 | 2 | 28 | 5 | 14 | |
Washington
The John Wall injury situation was the worst-case scenario last night. He was basically the top play at point guard all day yesterday until he was downgraded to questionable. Everyone was too scared to roster him at that point. Then Wall ends up playing and posts a monster stat line against the Lakers. The Wizards now have to head to Phoenix for the second half of back-to-back road games. This is expected to be a close, high-scoring game, which is typically a good recipe for fantasy production.
Opponent Breakdown (Phoenix)
Record: 26-20
Points Allowed Per Game: 105.3 (Rank: 28)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 20
Rebounding Differential Rank: 25
Elite Plays
John Wall (FD: $9100, DK: $9200 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 24.9)
Wall has a few nagging injuries that he is dealing with. He has a sore Achilles, sprains in both feet, and has been dealing with migraines. He certainly didn’t play like he had any injuries last night though, as he posted a huge stat line of 21 points, 9 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 steals against the Lakers. He has now scored at least 42 fantasy points in four straight games. As long as he gets the green light to play tonight, he will be one of the premier options at point guard.
Secondary Plays
Marcin Gortat (FD: $5700, DK: $5500 / MPG: 30 / Usage Rate: 18.3)
Gortat seems to make my list of suggested plays every single night. His production has been down recently, but he still deserves strong consideration against the Suns. On the season, the Suns are ranked 23rd against centers and 25th in rebounding differential. This may be the night where Gortat finally gets it going offensively.
Phoenix
The Suns are six-point favorites against the Wizards in a game that features a total of 211 points. They are projected to score 108.5 points tonight, which is one of the highest team totals on the board. While that’s certainly encouraging, I do not find myself rostering any of the Suns outside of tournaments tonight. The Wizards are a very good team defensively and the Suns’ players have been a little too inconsistent recently.
Opponent Breakdown (Washington)
Record: 30-15
Points Allowed Per Game: 97.6 (Rank: 9)
Defensive Efficiency Rank: 7
Rebounding Differential Rank: 4
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
None