NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, November 13th
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
Milwaukee at Orlando
Milwaukee
The Bucks are really struggling right now. They don’t have either of their starting big men and the offense looks completely lost. The Bucks seem to stand around and let either O.J. Mayo or Caron Butler try to take their man off the dribble. That’s not exactly the offense that you would like to see if you are a Bucks fan. Even though their offense is in disarray, that doesn’t mean that the Bucks don’t have any fantasy options.
Last night, Zaza Pachulia and Khris Middleton got the start at PF and C, but I expect that John Henson may draw the start tonight in order to matchup better with the Magic. Either way, all three of these players should see big minutes tonight. Caron Butler has also been seeing big minutes of late. I think that all 4 of these players are in play tonight against a below average defense of the Magic, but check the latest player news and update your lineups depending on who is starting.
Players to Target
- John Henson – My guess is that he is going to get the start tonight at PF to match up with the Magic and if that’s so, Henson immediately becomes a great fantasy option. The Magic have not defended the paint very well this season and Henson is a very long, very athletic young player that can score around the basket and rack up rebounds in a hurry. He had one of his best career games against the Magic last season.
- Zaza Pachulia – I’m giving Zaza another shot tonight. Last night’s matchup just didn’t fit his game as Chris Bosh plays around the perimeter which pulled Zaza away from the basket. Zaza has already put up 30+ FP’s three times this season and you shouldn’t sour on him because of one bad game.
Orlando
The Magic are playing at a quick pace (99 possessions per game) and are averaging 100 points per game. They have been a mixed bag as far as fantasy options are concerned, but they have a good matchup tonight against a Bucks team that is falling apart at the seams.
The Bucks rank below average against every position with the exception of PG. They have really defended PG’s well, but the rest of their defense has left much to be desired. For the Magic, there aren’t many great fantasy options on a nightly basis. Aaron Afflalo, Maurice Harkless, and Victor Oladipo all hurt each other’s fantasy value and all take away stats from one another. The same goes for both Jason Maxiell and Andrew Nicholson.
Players to Target
- Nikola Vucevic – Vucevic has scored over 40 FP’s three times already this season. While he has also scored under 25 a few times, he’s proven that he has good upside if the matchup is right. The Bucks are currently ranked 20th against opposing Centers and I think Vucevic should be dominant on offense and a beast on the boards. There aren’t many other options on the Magic tonight.
Houston at Philadelphia
Houston
This game is going to be a tough one to analyze because the Rockets are dealing with quite a few injuries. Chandler Parsons, James Harden, and Patrick Beverley are all game-time decisions. The value of the Rockets players all depend on the status of these three players. So the best that we can do here is to tell you to monitor the injury news throughout the day and adjust how you treat each player based on the news. If Patrick Beverley does end up playing, I think he has a big bounce back game after a terrible performance the other night.
Even with all of the injuries, we can break down the game as a whole. Vegas expects this to be the highest scoring game of the night. The current total is set at 209 points and there are going to be plenty of viable fantasy options for both teams.
Players to Target
- Dwight Howard – One player that is in no danger of missing tonight’s game is Dwight. He is coming off of a big game against the Raptors in which he scored 18 points and grabbed 24 rebounds. He has a very favorable matchup tonight against Spencer Hawes who is a very similar defender as Jonas Valanciunas. Dwight has a strength and speed advantage over Hawes and his value only goes up if any of the other Rocket’s players are forced to miss tonight’s game.
Philadelphia
The Sixers have been one of the fastest paced teams in the league scoring 103 points per game while giving up 107 points per game. They are really pushing the tempo and have been a fantasy goldmine so far this season. Michael Carter-Williams has been a very bright spot on this young team, but his price tag has caught up to his production and it’s hard to take him at this point when you can take players such as Damian Lillard for around the same price.
The Rockets are below average at defending every single position. They have really struggled against PF’s making Thaddeus Young an interesting play. He’s been a little too inconsistent to trust in cash games though, so I would label him more as a GPP only play.
Players to Target
- Evan Turner – Turner has scored over 30 FP’s in every game this season except for two. He excels in games that are fast-paced and he should play well again tonight. With Harden and Parsons both possibly out of tonight’s game, that would leave the likes of Casspi and Garcia to defend him which is a huge advantage for Turner.
Charlotte at Boston
Charlotte
The Bobcats are playing at a very slow pace (94) and are only averaging 90 points per game which is the second lowest in the NBA. They are not a team that plays well on the road and now that Al Jefferson is back, it hurts the value of both Josh McRoberts and Bismack Biyombo. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been playing well, but will have a tough matchup against Jeff Green.
The Celtics are also a slow paced team and the over/under in this game is set at only 184 points. This does not look like a great game to target fantasy-wise. The one possible option that you could go with on the Bobcats would be Kemba Walker, but Avery Bradley is a very good defender and Kemba has historically played better at home.
Boston
The Celtics play with a slow pace (95) and are only averaging 96 points per game. However, unlike the Bobcats, there are a few viable fantasy options tonight. Kelly Olynyk has really played well since being inserted into the starting lineup and the same can be said for Jordan Crawford who is coming off one of the best games in his career.
The Bobcats really struggle to defend SF’s and Centers so bump up Jeff Green and Kelly Olynyk in this matchup. I do still think that there is value for Crawford though as his price is very cheap across the board. Even though this game will be low scoring, it should be a fairly close game.
Players to Target
- Kelly Olynyk – Olynyk is very cheap on a few different sites tonight. On FD, he is only $3,900 which is a steal for his upside. He has scored at least 24 FP’s in three of his last four games and only struggled in the one because he got into foul trouble early. He should outhustle Jefferson and score some easy buckets.
Toronto at Memphis
Toronto
The Raptors are a frustrating team to see on the schedule, at least from a fantasy perspective. They are in the bottom half of the league in both pace of play (92) and points per game (96). They also have five very capable starters that hurt each other’s fantasy production. Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Rudy Gay are all off to very slow starts and a lot of that has to do with the fact that there are only so many shots to go around.
The Grizzlies are one of the better defending teams in the league and if you factor in the pace of play by both teams and the Raptors individual player’s struggles, this is an easy fade for me. Some people will play Rudy Gay because he is going back to Memphis to face his old team, but Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince are both great on ball defenders and Marc Gasol has their back protecting the rim.
Memphis
The Grizzlies also rank in the bottom half of the league in both pace of play (95) and points scored per game (96). Vegas has this projected as the second lowest scoring game of the night and I expect this one to be a defensive battle. The Raptors have really only struggled against wing players this season, but neither Tony Allen or Tayshaun Prince are good fantasy options.
I’m just not seeing the value tonight for either team. It is going to be a knock down, drag it out type of game. With 11 other games on the schedule, you aren’t missing out on anything by avoiding options from both teams.
Cleveland at Minnesota
Cleveland
The Cavs will be without Andrew Bynum tonight which moves Anderson Varejao back into the lineup and should increase the minutes for both he and Tristan Thompson. The Cavs are playing at a decent pace this season (97) and the Wolves are giving up 100 points per game so there is certainly some upside for the players in this matchup.
There is a chance of a blowout in this game with the Wolves being favored by 8, but I usually don’t factor that in unless Vegas has a team favored by double digits. The Wolves DvP rankings show that they have only defended one position well and that is the PG position. That is a big difference from last season as they were one of the worst teams at defending PG’s. I expect that ranking to get worse as the season goes on as Rubio is not a top 5 defending PG.
Players to Target
- Dion Waiters – Waiters has scored over 30 FP’s in three of his last four games and has an excellent matchup against the Wolves who rank 28th against opposing SG’s. Kevin Martin is one of the best scorers in the game, but defense is not his strong suit. Waiters price has yet to reflect his recent production and he can be taken at a discount on both FD and DK tonight. The upside is there and the price is good.
Minnesota
The Wolves are really pushing the tempo this season. They are at the top of the league in both pace of play (102) and points per game (106). The Wolves have been a great team for daily fantasy basketball because every time they take the court, there are fantasy options galore. All five players in the starting lineup have proven to be solid fantasy contributors.
The matchup against the Cavs lines up well for Ricky Rubio, Corey Brewer, and Kevin Love, but I wouldn’t rule out Kevin Martin or Nikola Pekovic. Martin has been on fire all season long and Pekovic is coming off of his best game of the season. Their value tonight depends on their prices on the specific site that you are playing on.
Players to Target
- Kevin Love – Love is the only player that is averaging over 50 FP’s per game. While you obviously shouldn’t count on him scoring 50 FP’s every night, he is certainly capable of it. You are going to have to pay for Love tonight, but there are a lot of value plays across the board that will allow you to get him in your lineup. I think 20 points and 15 rebounds is his floor in this matchup with the possibility to post much higher totals.