NBA Grind Down Wednesday, November 12th
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: 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
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Detroit at Washington
- Vegas Line – Washington -6.5, 189 Over/Under
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Brandon Jennings-Kentavious Caldwell-Pope-Josh Smith-Greg Monroe-Andre Drummond
- Washington Proj. Starters – John Wall-Garrett Temple-Paul Pierce-Nene Hilario-Marcin Gortat
| Detroit | Washington | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 189 |  | Vegas Total | 189 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 6.5 | Vegas Sprd | -6.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 91.3 | Team Proj. | 97.8 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 93.69 | Team Pace | 97.29 | |||||||||
| 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 | Brandon Jennings | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Josh Smith | Greg Monroe | Andre Drummond | Proj Starter | John Wall | Garrett Temple | Paul Pierce | Nene Hilario | Marcin Gortat | |
| Opp. Season | 2 | 22 | 21 | 3 | 13 | Opp. Season | 1 | 25 | 6 | 22 | 21 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 8 | 14 | 26 | 8 | 4 | Opp. Last 7 | 2 | 26 | 11 | 17 | 26 | |
Detroit
The Pistons are looking to turn their season around before it’s too late. They are 2-5 to start the season. They’ve been equally bad on offense as they have on defense. They come into tonight’s game as 6.5-point underdogs with the total set at only 189 points. The Wizards are only ranked 18th in defensive efficiency this season, but they have managed to hold opponents to 96.0 points per game. The matchup certainly leaves much to be desired as the Wizards’ interior defense has been stout this season (ranked 3rd against PFs and 13th against centers).
Prime Plays
NONE
Secondary Plays
Josh Smith – Smith production did not take a hit when Coach Van Gundy decided to slide him over to SF. Smith is averaging 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals per game. He’s also topped 30 fantasy points (FD scoring) in five straight games. Smith makes an interesting tournament play against the Wizards who are ranked 21st against SFs this season.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Caldwell-Pope continues to make a strong value play. Anytime you have a player at his price point that is averaging 35 minutes and 13 shot attempts per game, he’s going to draw some attention. The matchup isn’t bad either as the Wizards are ranked 22nd against SGs this season.
Washington
The Wizards are 5-2 this season despite only having a point differential of 1.6 points per game. This is a good matchup in terms of potential fantasy production. Even though the Pistons are only averaging 93.7 possessions per 48 minutes, they are ranked 19th in defensive efficiency. The Pistons are also ranked in the bottom ten of fantasy points allowed to SGs, PFs, and Centers this season.
Prime Plays
John Wall – Even though the Pistons are ranked 1st against PGs this season, I’m not buying it. Brandon Jennings is one of the worst on-ball defenders in the NBA and it’s only a matter of time before the DvP rankings match that. Wall is off to a hot start this season as he is averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals per game. His usage rate of 27.5 is the 14th highest of any player in the NBA. Wall is the top PG on the board tonight.
Marcin Gortat – Gortat isn’t flashy, but the ‘Polish Hammer’ gets the job done. He’s averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds per game and draws a prime matchup against the Pistons who are ranked 21st against centers this season. On a night where the center position looks fairly thin, Gortat offers a safe play in cash games.
Secondary Plays
Nene Hilario – Hilario’s price across the industry is still very cheap as he has had a few bad games that have kept his salary down. That said, he’s already topped 30 fantasy points (FD scoring) three times this season and he draws a nice matchup against the Pistons who are ranked 22nd against PFs this season.
Garrett Temple – Temple is right there with KCP as the best value play at SG tonight. On the season, he is averaging 33 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. He’s still close to minimum salary on most sites.
Utah at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -7, 198 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Trey Burke-Alec Burks-Gordon Hayward-Derrick Favors-Enes Kanter
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Jeff Teague-Kyle Korver-Thabo Sefolosha-Paul Millsap-Al Horford
| Utah | Atlanta | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 198 |  | Vegas Total | 198 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 7.0 | Vegas Sprd | -7.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 95.5 | Team Proj. | 102.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 94.86 | Team Pace | 96.44 | |||||||||
| 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 | Trey Burke | Alec Burks | Gordon Hayward | Derrick Favors | Enes Kanter | Proj Starter | Jeff Teague | Kyle Korver | Thabo Sefolosha | Paul Millsap | Al Horford | |
| Opp. Season | 6 | 29 | 16 | 17 | 12 | Opp. Season | 20 | 3 | 22 | 28 | 4 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 4 | 29 | 15 | 10 | 13 | Opp. Last 7 | 18 | 1 | 18 | 30 | 9 | |
Utah
The Jazz lost to the Pacers the other night to bring their road record to 1-3 on the season. Tonight they head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks who are 2-0 at home this season. The Jazz are currently 7-point underdogs with the total for the game set at a generous 198 points. The Hawks play at a moderate pace (96.4 possessions per 48 minutes). They are ranked 10th in defensive efficiency, but the one area of concern has been rebounding as the Hawks have the second-worst rebounding differential in the NBA.
Prime Plays
Derrick Favors – Favors has been inconsistent this season. While that’s not promising, it has kept his price down on both FD and DK. Favors has shown that he has great upside, as evidenced by him scoring 32 or more fantasy points in five games this season. Tonight is a great chance to buy low on Favors against one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA. Favors may also have a little added motivation to play well against Paul Millsap who used to start over him when he was in Utah.
Secondary Plays
Gordon Hayward – Hayward continues to stuff the stat sheet. He’s averaging 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game this season. DeMarre Carroll will not be in the lineup for the Hawks which boosts Hayward’s fantasy value as Carroll is a terrific on-ball defender.
Enes Kanter – The biggest knock on Kanter this season has been his playing time. That said, he’s played at least 25 minutes in each of his last five games and has averaged 23.2 fantasy points (FD scoring) per game during that stretch.
Atlanta
The Hawks will be without DeMarre Carroll tonight. Thabo Sefolosha will start in his place, but Kent Bazemore will likely see some extended playing time as well. In terms of their value in daily fantasy basketball, both can be avoided tonight against the Jazz. The Jazz are one of the slowest-paced teams in the league (94.9 possessions per 48 minutes), but they are ranked 28th in defensive efficiency and have given up an average of 102.5 points per game to their opponents.
Prime Plays
Jeff Teague – Teague is coming off of his worst game of the season, but don’t let recency bias cloud your judgment. Teague is still averaging 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. His usage rate of 24.7 is the 35th highest in the NBA. Look for Teague to bounce back tonight against Trey Burke and the Jazz who are ranked 20th against PGs this season.
Secondary Plays
Paul Millsap – Everyone loves a revenge game. While Millsap has been on the Hawks for over a year now, the statute of limitations for revenge is not up yet. In two meetings against the Jazz last season, Millsap averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists per game. It also doesn’t hurt that the Jazz are ranked 28th against PFs this season.
Al Horford – If you take out his two games against the Knicks, Horford is averaging 36.3 fantasy points (FD scoring) per game. He makes a great tournament play tonight as his ownership level will be low.
Oklahoma City at Boston
- Vegas Line – Boston -5.5, 198 Over/Under
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Lamb-Thomas-Ibaka-Adams
- Boston Proj. Starters – Rajon Rondo-Avery Bradley-Jeff Green-Jared Sullinger-Kelly Olynyk
| Oklahoma City | Boston | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 198 |  | Vegas Total | 198 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 5.5 | Vegas Sprd | -5.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 96.3 | Team Proj. | 101.8 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.64 | Team Pace | 102.82 | |||||||||
| 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 | Reggie Jackson | Jeremy Lamb | Lance Thomas | Serge Ibaka | Steven Adams | Proj Starter | Rajon Rondo | Avery Bradley | Jeff Green | Jared Sullinger | Kelly Olynyk | |
| Opp. Season | 14 | 23 | 15 | 27 | 2 | Opp. Season | 19 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 18 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 22 | 25 | 16 | 21 | 7 | Opp. Last 7 | 14 | 22 | 12 | 15 | 17 | |
Oklahoma City
Anthony Morrow made his season debut for the Thunder last night. He was on a minutes restriction though and should be avoided for our purposes until he is able to play a full complement of minutes. Perry Jones and Andre Roberson are both close to returning from their injuries, but both have been ruled out for tonight’s game. Jeremy Lamb and Lance Thomas will continue to see extended playing time in their absence. Tonight the Thunder are 5.5-point underdogs against the Celtics in a game that features a total of 198 points. The Celtics are a fast-paced team (102.8 possessions per 48 minutes) and they are only ranked 25th in defensive efficiency this season. This is a terrific matchup for the Thunder.
Prime Plays
Reggie Jackson – Jackson continues to be one of my favorite targets in daily fantasy basketball. Though five games, he has averaged 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Even more impressive is that he has played at least 41 minutes in every game this season. Jackson’s usage rate on the season is 27.3 which is the 16th highest of any player in the NBA. Basically, he’s going to log heavy minutes and he’s going to be heavily involved in the offense. Fire him up as an elite play against the Celtics.
Jeremy Lamb – Even with the return of Anthony Morrow, Lamb played 34 minutes in last night’s loss to the Bucks. He’s a player that can fill up all areas of the stat sheet and he will continue to be a big part of this offense as long as the likes of Kevin Durant, Perry Jones, and Andre Roberson are out. Lamb is one of the better value plays tonight, especially on DK where he is still listed at $3,900.
Secondary Plays
Serge Ibaka – Ibaka is a great complementary player. Most of us have expected big things from him with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook out, but he’s really not a number one option offensively. We have to temper our expectations. That said, Ibaka is still a double-double threat that can rack up blocks. He draws a nice matchup against the Celtics who are ranked 27th against PFs this season.
Steven Adams – Adams continues to offer value as a punt play at center. On the season, he is averaging 28 minutes, 8 points, and 8 rebounds per game.
Boston
The Celtics will have Rajon Rondo back for tonight’s game, but Marcus Smart will still be out for the next couple of weeks. Tonight the Celtics square off against the Thunder who have slowly been increasing their pace of play (now averaging 95.6 possessions per 48 minutes). The Thunder are ranked 20th in defensive efficiency this season. It’s safe to assume that this game will be a fast-paced, high-scoring affair.
Prime Plays
Rajon Rondo – Rondo will be back in the lineup tonight after missing a game in order to remove the screw in his surgically-repaired hand. Rondo should be close to 100% for tonight’s game and is a top option at PG tonight. On the season, he is averaging 9 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 steals per game. He should flirt with another triple-double tonight against the Thunder who are ranked 19th against PGs this season.
Secondary Plays
Jeff Green – Green doesn’t have an ideal matchup against the Thunder, but he provides good upside at his price point. On the season, he is averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game and he’s already topped 32 fantasy points (FD scoring) in three of the first six games of the season.
Kelly Olynyk – Olynyk continues to fill up the stat sheet. The one knock on him this season has been his minutes, but over his last three games, he has played 34, 28, and 33 minutes. He’s played well during that stretch with 39, 23, and 36 fantasy points (FD scoring). He draws a nice matchup against the Thunder who are ranked 18th against centers this season.
Jared Sullinger – Sullinger has really played well over his last five games. The only thing holding him back from being a ‘prime play’ is his matchup against Serge Ibaka.
Indiana at Miami
- Vegas Line – Miami -8, 190.5 Over/Under
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Donald Sloan-Solomon Hill-Chris Copeland-Luis Scola-Roy Hibbert
- Miami Proj. Starters – Norris Cole-Dwyane Wade-Luol Deng-Shawne Williams-Chris Bosh
| Indiana | Miami | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 190 |  | Vegas Total | 190 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 8.0 | Vegas Sprd | -8.0 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 91.3 | Team Proj. | 99.3 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 93.87 | Team Pace | 96.29 | |||||||||
| 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 | Donald Sloan | Solomon Hill | Chris Copeland | Luis Scola | Roy Hibbert | Proj Starter | Norris Cole | Dwyane Wade | Luol Deng | Shawne Williams | Chris Bosh | |
| Opp. Season | 5 | 27 | 27 | 2 | 25 | Opp. Season | 28 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 30 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 5 | 24 | 25 | 1 | 28 | Opp. Last 7 | 25 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Indiana
The Pacers are a mess right now. They are 2-6 to open the season and have basically been a black hole when it comes to fantasy production. They are one of the slowest-paced teams in the league and their starters have been wildly inconsistent with the exception of Roy Hibbert. The Pacers are 8-point underdogs tonight against the Heat in a game that features a low total of 190 points. The usual suspects will continue to see extended playing time with all of the injuries on the Pacers (C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey are both out again tonight), but I am quickly souring on the likes of Donald Sloan and Chris Copeland.
Prime Plays
Roy Hibbert – Hibbert is the one Pacers player that you can safely target in cash games. He is the Pacers go-to guy offensively which is a far cry from the fourth-option in last year’s offense. Hibbert is averaging 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game and draws a favorable matchup against Chris Bosh and the Heat who are ranked 25th against centers this season.
Secondary Plays
Solomon Hill – Donald Sloan and Chris Copeland have both struggled in their last few games and with a large slate, both are easy fades tonight. Hill on the other hand makes a nice value play. Over his last four games, he has posted 29. 15, 40, and 21 fantasy points.
Miami
A matchup against the Pacers may seem like one you would want to exploit, but I’m not sure that’s the case. The Pacers are one of the slowest-paced teams in the league averaging only 93.9 possessions per 48 minutes. They are also ranked eighth in defensive efficiency and they have held their opponents to 94.6 points per game. Indiana has also been strong on the glass as they are ranked third in rebounding differential this season.
Prime Plays
Chris Bosh – Both centers in this matchup should play well tonight. Bosh should have trouble defending Hibbert in the paint and Hibbert should have trouble defending Bosh on the perimeter. Bosh is averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists per game this season. He’s the focal point of the Heat offense as evidenced by his high usage rate of 26.0 which is the 23rd highest in the NBA.
Secondary Plays
Shawne Williams – Williams has been one of the most consistent value plays this season. He is averaging 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. He’s also scoring the majority of his points from the three-point line which gives him a small fantasy boost on DK thanks to the three-point bonus.
Dwyane Wade – Wade isn’t the best cash game play tonight, but he proven that he still has a lot left in the tank. He makes an interesting tournament play tonight against the Pacers who are ranked 26th against SGs this season.
Orlando at New York
- Vegas Line – New York -6.5, 190.5 Over/Under
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Payton-Fournier-Harris-Frye-Vucevic
- New York Proj. Starters – Shane Larkin-Tim Hardaway Jr.-Iman Shumpert-Carmelo Anthony-Samuel Dalembert
| Orlando | New York | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 190 |  | Vegas Total | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 6.5 | Vegas Sprd | ||||||||||
| Team Proj. | 92.0 | Team Proj. | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | 97.09 | Team Pace | 88.61 | |||||||||
| 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 | Elfrid Payton | Evan Fournier | Tobias Harris | Channing Frye | Nikola Vucevic | Proj Starter | Shane Larkin | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Iman Shumpert | Carmelo Anthony | Samuel Dalembert | |
| Opp. Season | 18 | 12 | 5 | 24 | 5 | Opp. Season | 16 | 28 | 4 | 29 | 27 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 26 | 6 | Opp. Last 7 | 11 | 30 | 6 | 28 | 14 | |
Orlando
The Magic blew a huge fourth-quarter lead last night to the Raptors. That loss has to be defeating and now they have to play the second half of a back-to-back as they head to New York to face the Knicks. The Knicks have been the slowest-paced team in the NBA this season. The good news for the Magic is that the Knicks are ranked 27th in defensive efficiency and 20th in rebounding differential.
Prime Plays
Channing Frye – Frye is finally starting to see starter’s minutes. He played 42 minutes in the loss to the Raptors last night and has topped 33 minutes in four of his last five games. He’s proven that he can be very productive when given playing time and he should continue to get all of the minutes he can handle as long as Kyle O’Quinn is out. He draws a nice matchup against the Knicks who are ranked 24th against PFs this season.
Secondary Plays
Nikola Vucevic – Vucevic already has five double-doubles this season. He should be able to add to that total tonight against the Knicks who are not a great rebounding team. The only thing holding him back from an elite play is his matchup against Samuel Dalembert.
New York
The Knicks have dropped to 2-6 on the season, but have a good chance to pick up their third win of the season tonight as they face the Magic who are playing the second half of a back-to-back. The Knicks are 6.5-point favorites tonight. The Magic play at a fairly quick pace (97.1 possessions per 48 minutes) and are ranked 18th in defensive efficiency, both of which bode well for the Knicks tonight.
Prime Plays
Carmelo Anthony – Anthony is coming off of his best game of the season. He posted 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists against the Hawks the other night. Anthony still hasn’t shot the ball that well this season (39% from the floor), but it’s promising that he is getting his teammates more involved. His price is still down and this may be your last chance to take him at this discounted price. He draws a prime matchup against the Magic who are ranked 29th against PFs this season.
Iman Shumpert – Shumpert has really played well this season, which is something that can’t be said about many of the Knicks. He is averaging 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He’s also scored at least 23 fantasy points (FD scoring) in each of his last six games. Shumpert has a high floor and a high ceiling tonight against the Magic which makes him a great play in all league formats.
Secondary Plays
NONE