NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, November 20th - Page 2
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Detroit at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
Detroit
The Pistons starters continue their inconsistent play. Last night it was Brandon Jennings that put up the dud. The Pistons are a tough team for me because they have 4 All-Star caliber players that are all hurting each other’s fantasy value. At times, each one of these players has had big nights, but if you look at their individual game logs, the inconsistency is just astounding. They have an above average matchup against the Hawks tonight, but at this point it’s too tough to predict which players are going to have good nights. With so many other options out there tonight, I am treating the Pistons as GPP players only tonight.
Atlanta
The Hawks are coming off of a tough loss to the Heat, but to be fair they were without their starting PF Paul Millsap. There hasn’t been any news on Millsap today, so treat him as being questionable and check the injury news as the day progresses. The Pistons have really struggled to defend PG’s and Centers this season and that just so happens to be the two positions that the Hawks best players play.
- Jeff Teague – Very quiet game from both Teague and Horford last night, but they should both bounce back nicely here. The Pistons are ranked 23 against opposing PG’s this season and Teague has been on fire at home averaging close to 40 FP’s per game. Like the matchup and the upside here.
- Al Horford – Horford started off last night’s game strong and then just couldn’t do anything after that against a very tough Miami defense. While common thought is that Andre Drummond is a great defender, the DvP rankings suggest otherwise. The Pistons rank 29th against Centers this season and Horford should bounce back with a big game here.
Portland at Milwaukee
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Portland Proj. Starters – Lillard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Wolters-Mayo-Butler-Ilyasova-Pachulia
Portland
The Blazers continue to rack up the wins and could pick up another one tonight against the short handed Bucks. Vegas has the Blazers favored by 5 and they have a nice matchup from a fantasy standpoint. The Bucks rank in the bottom half of the league against every single position except for PG. I think all of the Blazers are in play tonight, but something tells me that I should trust that #1 ranking against PG’s and avoid Damian Lillard. Sometimes it’s just best to trust the numbers.
- LaMarcus Aldridge – Aldridge has been on a tear of late, he’s scored over 35 FP’s in 5 of his last 6 games and could easily top that mark again tonight against a Bucks team that is very hobbled in the interior. Aldridge will be facing the likes of Pachulia, Udoh, and Henson and I like his matchup against any of the three mentioned.
- Wesley Matthews – Tempted to take Batum in this one, but oftentimes Batum gets lost in the offense and he ends up just sitting in the corner. In half court sets, Matthews touches the ball much more often than Batum. He has a nice matchup against O.J. Mayo who has never been known for his defense.
Milwaukee
The Bucks have been plagued with injuries all season long and it doesn’t sound like they are going to get much help tonight. While we could see a couple of Bucks return from injury, we won’t know until later on in the day. Until then, it’s really hard to break down their matchup. Nate Wolters should see big minutes regardless though and is probably my favorite play here against the Blazers who rank 21st against opposing PG’s.
L.A.Clippers at Minnesota
- Vegas Line – Minnesota -1, 213 Over/Under
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Paul-Redick-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic
L.A.Clippers
I can’t wait to watch this game. The Clippers are the highest scoring team in the league and the Wolves are the 3rd highest scoring team in the league. There should be plenty of fireworks in this one. Vegas has this game’s total set at 213 which is by far the highest of the night. Not only that, but they have this game as a pick ‘em so it should be a close game that comes down to the last few possessions. There are plenty of players that are worth a look in this game, so let’s get to it.
- Chris Paul – Paul leads the league in touches per game at over 100. While this stat doesn’t help us out all that much, it does mean that he is going to have the ball in his hands more than anyone. You are going to have to pay up for Paul tonight, but he could easily top 50 FP’s in this matchup.
- DeAndre Jordan – I like both his minutes and his upside. Jordan has been playing over 35 minutes per game this season and has really shown that he can be a productive fantasy player. He’s averaging over 35 FP’s in his last 7 games and I think he plays well again tonight. Blake Griffin is also in the mix, but you can take Jordan for a bit cheaper and they have similar upside.
Minnesota
Like I mentioned above, the Wolves are the 3rd highest scoring team in the league and have a great matchup against the Clippers tonight. Even though the Wolves played last night, I’m not worried about them having tired legs as they are a very young team.
- Kevin Love – Love is playing at an MVP type level and will want to make a statement by beating the Clippers tonight. The Clippers have not defended big men well this season and I expect Love to put up one of this classic stat lines. Something like 30 and 18 isn’t out of the question.
- Kevin Martin – Martin has played great all season long and this is the perfect type of game for him. He should see plenty of open looks as he runs the floor. His price varies across the board, but take him on the sites where he is a bit cheaper.
- Nikola Pekovic – I typically don’t like to take Pek in games that I know will be uptempo, but you have to love the matchup against the Clippers who are ranked dead last against opposing Centers this season. He’s very affordable and should cover his value.
Utah at New Orleans
- Vegas Line – New Orleans -10.5, 194 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burks-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Holiday-Gordon-Aminu-Davis-Smith
Utah
Being from Utah, I know how bad this Jazz team is. They are not only bad, but they don’t even compete. While they will be getting Trey Burke back tonight, I don’t think he sees more than 10-15 minutes off of the bench. The Pelicans are favored by 10 in this game for a reason. There are so many other options out there tonight that it doesn’t make sense to risk taking a Jazz player in a blowout.
New Orleans
The Pelicans are big favorites in this one. Even though I like the matchup for Anthony Davis, there is a very good chance that he ends up sitting out the entire 4th quarter in a blowout. For around the same price you can take either Kevin Love or Chris Paul, both of which have much better matchups. Outside of Davis, there hasn’t been much fantasy appeal this season. Jrue Holiday is expensive for his production and you can find better SG options in Eric Gordon price range.
Boston at San Antonio
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -15, 192 Over/Under
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Bass-Olynyk
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter
Boston
The Celtics got demolished last night against the Rockets and now have to play in a back to back situation against the Spurs who have one of the highest point differentials in the league. The Spurs are favored by 15 here which really makes this game unappealing as a whole. There is one name that is sticking out to me tonight though.
- Vitor Faverani – Faverani was a popular play last night and I tried to warn everyone that he would likely get into early foul trouble. His bad game last night is going to sour everyone on him, but I actually think he could play well here. If you are looking for a cheap GPP play at Center, Faverani is your man.
San Antonio
The Spurs are one of the worst teams to target in potential blowout games because Pop never plays his starters a minute more than he needs to. If they get up by 20, he has no problem pulling his starters and letting them rest the entire game. There are just too many reasons to avoid this game, don’t over-think this one.