NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, November 20th - Page 3
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Sacramento at Phoenix
- Vegas Line – Phoenix -5.5, 194 Over/Under
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Vasquez-McLemore-Mbah a Moute-Thompson-Cousins
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Bledsoe-Tucker-Frye-Plumlee
Sacramento
The Kings and Suns played last night in Sacramento and now play again tonight in Phoenix. I’m not sure why the schedule makers do these back to backs, but nonetheless, let’s get to the matchup. DeMarcus Cousins had a monster game against this Suns team last night, but even with that big game I’m still not going anywhere near him in cash games. Cousins has been arguably the most inconsistent player over the last few years and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him put up a dud. Now, do I like the matchup? Yes, and I like his upside too, but I’ve been burned by him too many times so I will only be using him in tournaments.
- Isaiah Thomas – Thomas seems like a safe bet for between 25-30 fantasy points every single night. He has been the one bright spot on this Kings team. I think the role players of the Kings will have a tougher time in this one now that the game is in Phoenix and I think Thomas steps up big.
Phoenix
The Suns may be without Eric Bledsoe again tonight. His injury wasn’t reported until late in the day yesterday and he wasn’t officially ruled out until close to tipoff. My guess is that they will keep him out of tonight’s game, but we probably aren’t going to find out by the time leagues start. So if you play on sites that lock rosters, it may be smart to assume that Bledsoe is playing. You don’t want to take a chance on Gerald Green and then have Bledsoe end up starting. However, if you play on sites that allow late-swaps, I would treat Bledsoe as being out for tonight’s game because even if he does play, you could swap out Green for someone else. Either way, I think Dragic is the best play in this one.
- Goran Dragic – Dragic started off last night’s game with a great first half and then didn’t do anything in the second half except turn the ball over. Dragic has a great matchup against the Kings who rank 25th against opposing PG’s. I like Dragic even if Bledsoe ends up playing. I think he tops 30 FP’s tonight.
Houston at Dallas
- Vegas Line – Dallas -3.5, 214.5 Over/Under
- Houston Proj. Starters – Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Blair
Houston
This should be another exciting game. Both of these teams rank in the top 5 in points per game and this one should be a shootout. Looking at the DvP rankings, the Mavs haven’t been great at defending any position so I think all of the Rockets are in play.
- Terrence Jones – While I do like the matchup for both Harden and Dwight, if I’m going to pay for a stud tonight it’s going to be either Kevin Love or Chris Paul. Jones has been on fire of late and has been an excellent fit in this offense. His price is still incredibly low on a few sites so take advantage before it goes up.
- Patrick Beverley – Beverley is seeing around 30 minutes as a starter and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. He is a very pesky defender that loves to take chances and get steals. This type of game lines up well for him and I see him easily paying off his price.
Dallas
The Mavs are in the same boat as the Rockets. Everyone is in play here, the Rockets rank in the bottom 11 against every single position. This should be a very high scoring game that is full of fantasy options.
- Monta Ellis – I love taking Monta in games that are expected to be fast-paced and high scoring. He is at his best when he gets the ball in the open floor. I love the matchup for him tonight and his price is very reasonable across the board. He has great upside and could really be a difference maker in your leagues tonight.
- Dirk Nowitzki – Dirk has been on fire lately with over 35 FP’s in 3 of his last 4 games. He is getting plenty of open shots in this uptempo offense and should have no problem scoring tonight against this awful Rocket’s defense.
Memphis at Golden State
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Bayless-Prince-Randolph-Gasol
- Golden State Proj. Starters – Thompson-Iguodala-Barnes-Lee-Bogut
Memphis
The Grizzlies have seen a resurgence from Zach Randolph over the last few games. He’s averaging over 40 FP’s in that stretch and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it going tonight against the Warriors. The matchup is certainly there for him to do it. The Grizzlies are one of the slower paced teams, but do have a nice matchup against the Warriors tonight who like to push the tempo.
- Zach Randolph – Like I said, he is posting some monster numbers lately and his price hasn’t really increased on a couple of different sites. This may be the last night to take him at this price. I also like Mike Conley in this matchup, but if Iguodala ends up playing PG for the Warriors, Conley is going to have a tough time on the offensive side of the ball.
Golden State
The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry and Toney Douglas tonight and it sounds like Andre Iguodala is going to be the one handling the ball. I’m not sure if that helps or hurts Iguodala’s value tonight, but he is a very unselfish player and I think we will see his assists increase. The rest of the team has a below average matchup against a tough defense. David Lee looks like he will be safe play, but there just isn’t a lot of upside with the Warriors tonight.