Welcome back to another edition of Court Vision, your comprehensive breakdown of the week ahead. Last week we had to deal with a shortened schedule, resulting in only four teams playing a four-game schedule. This week, half the league plays four times. The Celtics have proven yet again that they are not a fantasy friendly matchup, allowing just 79.3 points per game in their first two contests. The Bulls dropped 90 on the Celtics, but that was after Boston took their foot off the pedal late in the 3rd quarter.
On the flipside of that coin it's business as usual for the Golden State Warriors. They've allowed 115.5 points per game in their first with, no surprisingly, the Knicks right behind them at 108.5 and the Indiana Pacers at 108.0 per game. It might be time to put the Pacers on the same level with the Knicks in terms of favorable defensive matchups.
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Schedule Breakdown
Below are the teams listed by the number of games they play. You'll find the home/away games listed as '(home, away)'.
Four-game teams: Hawks (1,3), Celtics (1,3), Nuggets (0,4), Pistons (2,2), Lakers (2,2), Grizzlies (0,4), Timberwolves (2,2), Nets (2,2), Hornets (2,2), Knicks (3,1), Magic (2,2), Suns (0,4), Kings (3,1), Jazz (3,1), Wizards (2,2)
Three-game teams: Bobcats (2,1), Bulls (2,1), Cavaliers (2,1), Mavericks (2,1), Warriors (2,1), Rockets (2,1), Clippers (2,1), Heat (2,1), Bucks (1,2), Thunder (2,1), 76ers (2,1), Blazers (3,0), Raptors (1,2)
Two-game teams: Spurs (0,2)
Favorable Schedules
Memphis may have to play four road games this week (@SAC, @GSW, @LAL, @LAC), but the schedule breaks down in their favor -- at least from a fantasy perspective. The Warriors have allowed 115.5 points per game in their first two, while the Clippers are giving up 106.3 in their first three. The back-to-back road games against the Lakers and Clippers only means that the Griz can stay put on Friday night. Also, it's worth noting that Memphis is second in the league in rebound differential, posting a +9.5 heading into the weekend. Three of their four opponents -- Lakers, Clippers, and Warriors -- all have posted fewer rebounds than their opponents. There's no reason to keep Marc Gasol on your bench this week.
The Wizards start off the week with a tough back-to-back combination -- at Cleveland, home to Miami. They finish the week, however, with a road game in Indiana and a home game against the Suns. The Pacers are averaging 20.5 turnovers per game this season, so you might see a nice spike in steals from your Wizards. The Pacers are also allowing their opponents to shoot 42.7-percent from beyond the arc. Similarly the Suns are allowing 104 points per game, turning the ball over 18.5 times, and allowing their opponents to shoot 46.2-percent from the three-point line. Like the rest of us, the Wizards are waiting to get through hump day.
The Clippers open the week at home to Minnesota. The T-Wolves have allowed 7.5 blocks per game, while the Clips are blocking 7.0 per. This is the kind of game where you want to be sitting within 15 rows of the court. A ball might just land in your lap. The Clips also head to the Bay Area to take on the Warriors -- need I say more? It might always seem like Boston is playing a favorable schedule, but this week (@PHI, @MIN, PHO, @NJN) Eddie House (threes), Kendrick Perkins (blocks), and Sheldon Williams (rebounds) should get in on the action.
The Warriors play twice at home (MEM, LAC) and once on the road (@SAC). Last season the Warriors led the league in scoring on their home court (113.8 points), while neither the Grizzlies, the Clippers, nor the Kings are known for their defensive acumen -- or their Philly cheesesteaks.
Milwaukee with three games (@CHI, @MIN, NYK) could get on track this week. More importantly their frontcourt should have an opportunity to post some nice numbers. I'm talk to you, Andrew Bogut.
Unfavorable Schedules
The Spurs play just twice this week and those two games happen to be back-to-back road games at Utah and then at Portland. With 15 teams playing four times this week, anyone else feel comfortable starting any player on the Spurs other than Tim Duncan? I could see starting Tony Parker because chances are you may not have another starting point guard sitting on your bench, but I would even have to think twice about starting Manu Ginobili.
Philadelphia is home against Boston and New Jersey, then on the road to Detroit to close out the week. The Celtics are obviously a tough matchup, holding their opponents to 19-percent shooting from beyond the arc, but the Nets and Piston have both been quite good at defending the three. The Pistons are holding their opponents to 17-percent shooting from beyond the arc, while the Nets have held their opponents to just 25-percent -- including Friday night's performance against the Magic, holding them to 6-of-21 shooting from the three-point line. The 76ers need to get going from beyond the arc to get their Princeton offense running early.
Houston is last in the league in rebounding differential (-9.0), and it may not get any better with matchups against Utah (+5), Oklahoma City (+4) and a Laker team with Pau Gasol possibly back on the court. I'm probably not starting Chuck Hayes or Carl Landry this week, but I'd still give Luis Scola the nod. Nothing says "you're alright" like getting the nod from a fantasy expert.
Things don't get any easier for the Charlotte Bobcats who play three times this week (NJN, ATL, @CHI) against three teams in the Top 10 in blocks per game. Interestingly enough the Bobcats are 5th in the league in blocks allowed per game (7.5). I see a pattern here.
Check back on Sunday for Picks and Roles, your weekly Start 'Em, Sit 'Em.
