NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, November 27th
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
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Indiana at Charlotte
- Vegas Line – Indiana -7.5, 181 Over/Under
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Kidd-Gilchrist-McRoberts-Jefferson
Indiana
This game just doesn’t have much fantasy appeal. Both of these teams rank in the bottom half of the league in both pace of play and points scored per game. Vegas has this game’s total set at only 180 points which is by far the lowest of the night. Not only that, but the Pacers have one of the best point differentials in the league and this one could easily turn into a blowout. The one play to look at here is Paul George. The Bobcats struggle to defend SG’s and George has really turned it on in his last few games. That said, it will be tough for him to cover his value in such a low scoring game.
Charlotte
The Bobcats are actually playing some good basketball, but it’s not thanks to their offense. They are only averaging 89 points per game and face one of the best defenses in basketball. The Pacers rank in the top 15 against every single position and with so many other options on the board, this game is an easy fade.
Philadelphia at Orlando
- Vegas Line – Orlando -3.5, 208.5 Over/Under
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Anderson-Turner-Young-Hawes
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Davis-Vucevic
Philadelphia
Unlike the Pacers and Bobcats, the Sixers are a team that likes to push the ball. They are averaging 103 points per game while giving up a league-high 109 points per game. It sounds like Thaddeus Young will be available for the Sixers tonight, but they are going to bring him off the bench. With Thad back, you can safely ignore Lavoy Allen as a viable fantasy option going forward.
The Magic have been a below average team defensively and rank in the bottom half of the league against every position except for Center. While Victor Oladipo is a solid defender, they have a bad defensive scheme and the Sixers should be able to exploit that in the open floor.
- Evan Turner – You can make a case for MCW in this one as well, but Turner is a bit cheaper and is a more polished offensive player. He has a favorable matchup and great upside. Turner can be counted on to put up 30+ FP’s and he’s playable in both cash games and GPP’s.
Orlando
The Magic are right in the middle in both pace of play (98) and points scored per game (99), but they have a very favorable matchup tonight against the league’s worst defense. The only concern that I have here is that the Magic are getting a lot of players healthy at once. Tobias Harris could be in the lineup tonight and Glen Davis is back in the full swing of things. That really confuses the minutes given to Harkless, Oladipo, and Vucevic. While they all have great matchups, I’m not sure where the minutes are going to go.
- Glen Davis – One thing that we do know is that Davis will be in the starting lineup tonight. He’s played well so far in his 3 first games and has scored over 20 FP’s in each start. He has a great matchup tonight and is priced very cheap across the board. He should easily cover value with the potential to do a lot more.
- Jameer Nelson – It’s been a while since Nelson’s name has come up in the Grind Down, but when you are facing the leagues worst team at defending PG’s, he’s going to make a strong play. Nelson is very cheap tonight on most sites and has the best matchup on the board. He will be under-owned and I could see him taking down a big tournament for someone.
Memphis at Boston
- Vegas Line – Memphis -2.5, 182 Over/Under
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Allen-Prince-Randolph-Koufos
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Bass-Sullinger
Memphis
While this game isn’t expected to be the lowest scoring game of the night, it is very close. Both of these teams play with an extremely slow pace. Vegas has the total for this game set at 183 points which is not an attractive number for fantasy purposes. However, the Marc Gasol injury opens a few different options up. Zach Randolph, Kosta Koufos, and Ed Davis will be called upon to fill the void.
Mike Conley has a bad matchup tonight against Avery Bradley so avoid taking him tonight.
- Zach Randolph – While Koufos carries some value on sites where he is close to minimum salary, Randolph is really the only viable fantasy option across the board. Randolph has been averaging over 20 and 10 over the last couple of weeks and is the main option offensively without Gasol in the lineup. He should play well against an undersized Celtics frontcourt.
Boston
The Celtics have been filled with value plays all season long. They don’t have any one or two players that consistently produce big games, but you can always find good value plays based on the matchup. The problem tonight is that the matchup doesn’t line up well for any of the starters. The Grizzlies rank in the top 18 against every position on the floor. With so many games on the schedule, I think you can find better value plays elsewhere.
L.A.Lakers at Brooklyn
- Vegas Line – Brooklyn -2, 200 Over/Under
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Blake-Meeks-Johnson-Hill-Gasol
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Livingston-Johnson-Pierce-Blatche-Garnett
L.A.Lakers
The Lakers have been very competitive over their last few games and Vegas has taken notice of this. They were only 5 point underdogs in last night’s game and they are only 2 point underdogs tonight. While the Lakers defense needs some serious work, all we are concerned about is their fantasy production. The Lakers play at an extremely fast pace and their offense is starting to click.
The matchup against the Nets is a favorable one. The Nets really struggle to defend all positions except for SF. There are a few options here, but my two favorite plays are Steve Blake and Jordan Hill.
- Jordan Hill – I think tonight is the perfect time to buy low on Hill. He has had 3 quiet games in a row and most people have jumped off of his bandwagon at this point. His price is still very affordable across the board and he has a great matchup. Look for Hill to bounce back with a big double-double performance tonight.
- Steve Blake – Blake is more of a site specific play as his price varies across the board. I like his price on both FD and DK, but he’s probably too expensive on DS. Blake is averaging over 30 FP’s per game over the last two weeks and should continue to play well tonight against the Nets.
Brooklyn
The Nets will likely be without Brook Lopez and Deron Williams again so Andray Blatche and Shaun Livingston continue to make strong value plays. The Lakers are giving up 102 points per game this season and the matchup couldn’t get much better. In addition to the two value plays, Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce are also playing well of late. All four of these players are underpriced across the board and they all have favorable matchups. The tough part is choosing which ones to target.
- Paul Pierce – Pierce has averaged over 25 FP’s in his last two games and looks like a nice play tonight against the Lakers. While Joe Johnson has been the hotter player of the two, Pierce is a bit cheaper on most sites. I think he can fill up the stat sheet and easily cover his value.
- Shaun Livingston – I was close to taking Blatche here, but Livingston has been the more consistent of the two and Livingston has a big size advantage over the much smaller Blake. Livingston is extremely cheap on both FD and DK and is close to a must play.
Miami at Cleveland
- Vegas Line – Miami -9, 196.5 Over/Under
- Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Battier-Bosh
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Waiters-Clark-Thompson-Varejao
Miami
It’s always exciting when Lebron James goes back to Cleveland. Right after he left, the Cleveland fans hated him and would boo him like crazy. Things have changed dramatically now that Lebron is about to become a free agent. I expect the crowd to cheer more for Lebron than they do for the Cavs tonight. The Heat are 8.5 point favorites in this one which isn’t a great number, but sometimes the situation outweighs the matchup.
- Lebron James – Lebron is going to want to play well in this game. He’s back in front of his hometown crowd and will want to put on a show. Lebron’s fantasy numbers have been a bit down this season, but something tells me that he is going to come out and put up a monster game. I’m calling for a 30, 10, and 10 performance from the King.
Cleveland
The Cavs have a very tough matchup tonight. This Heat defense ranks in the top 12 against every single position. They are pretty big underdogs at home and there just aren’t any great fantasy options here. The one play that I would recommend is taking Kyrie Irving in a GPP. He always seems to play well when he has something to prove and if the Cavs are going to keep this one close, Irving will be the main reason.