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Jamie's top DraftKings NBA DFS picks for today, Monday, 12/23/24. His favorite daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for DraftKings DFS.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to our RotoBaller family! I hope Santa (and us at RotoBaller) can help you win a little extra coin right before the big day. The NFL was a success yesterday, so let's keep it rolling with tonight! There are 11 NBA games tonight on the DraftKings slate before a night off for Christmas Eve, so let's dive in.
The questionable statuses of the studs mean everything tonight. Damian Lillard is already doubtful, and we have questionable tags next to his teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, along with Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and R.J. Barrett as well. These could have far-reaching consequences across the slate, so stay tuned.
We've got you covered in the RotoBaller Discord. My colleagues and I will be breaking down every bit of injury news and analyzing how it should affect both your cash and GPP lineups, so come join us. Good luck tonight, and enjoy all the hoops!
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DraftKings NBA DFS Core Picks
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL - PF/C ($11,300)
Giannis Antetokounmpo is coming into tonight with the dreaded questionable tag, so this is a situation that will have to be seriously monitored. If Giannis does wind up playing, he'll find himself in one of the best matchups and environments that he could hope for.
Chicago is ranked third in pace and 24th in defensive efficiency, so they've been a team to target all season long. In addition, the Bulls have also allowed the highest at-rim shot frequency in the entire league, and it's not close. Giannis is a freight train when he gets inside, so there's no one to slow him down.
The big man has a 36.6% usage rate this year which is in the lead by far, and that mark rises to 37.9% when Damian Lillard sits. The latter is doubtful for tonight, so Giannis is the top stud on a slate where many are playing.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK - C ($10,200)
It's been too long for it to happen, but Karl-Anthony Towns' price tag has finally crossed the $10k mark. It's not without reason, as the Knicks center has been crushing it with his new team. He's double-doubled in 17 straight games and has 24 on the season (second in the NBA behind only Domantas Sabonis).
The Knicks are 14.5-point favorites over Toronto tonight, but Coach Thibodeau has long proven that he'll ride his starters into the ground no matter what the game script is. Towns put up 60.75 DK points against these Raptors on December 9, needing only 13 shots to do so.
R.J. Barrett returning to face his old team would be ideal (he's questionable), but Towns can be safely deployed in all formats regardless, especially with the double-double bonus on DraftKings.
Others Under Consideration: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC - PG ($10,100), Scottie Barnes, TOR - SF/PF ($9,100), Anthony Edwards, MIN - PG/SG ($8,700), Jalen Brunson, NYK - PG ($8,300)
DraftKings NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Joel Embiid, PHI - C ($9,500)
Joel Embiid is off the injury report and good to go (we think?) for tonight. No one is going to be playing him, due largely to the fact that he's taking on Victor Wembanyama, and has been the poster child for volatility this season. This makes him the epitome of an elite GPP play.
Embiid is still rolling along with a top-tier usage rate (33.6%) in the limited time he's played this year and flashed his ceiling with 60.75 DK points in 31 minutes against Charlotte last game. The Hornets have improved dramatically in the rebounding department this year, but are still 21st in defensive efficiency.
Take advantage of the $9,500 price tag. Remember that in his MVP season, his price tag was well over $11k more often than not.
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DraftKings NBA DFS Value Picks
Lauri Markkanen, UTA - SF/PF ($6,700)
Lauri Markkanen has been a bit of an enigma this season. Utah's playing style hasn't changed, but his production has certainly dipped to where he's averaging a pedestrian 33.3 DK PPG. His price has dropped too, though, and that's where we can take advantage.
After taking only 38 shots in four games from December 3 to December 16, Markkanen has hoisted 36 shots over this last two, scoring 48 points in the process and averaging 43.6 DK points. The matchup is terrible against Cleveland, but Keyonte George's looming absence for the second straight game should help.
Markkanen is more of a cash play than a GPP option tonight, but he has the floor you need at a depressed tag.
Mikal Bridges, NYK - SG/SF ($6,200)
Mikal Bridges still gets trolled on social media, but true NBA fans realize that his lousy start is a distant memory. Bridges has been leading the Knicks in scoring since December 1 and is leading the NBA in minutes per game with 38.6.
The biggest knock on Bridges this year was his "broken jumper", but his true shooting percentage (57.8%) is higher than such names as Devin Booker, De'Aaron Fox, Jalen Johnson, and LeBron James. In addition, his 3PT% has been rapidly climbing, and now sits at 35.1% (only two percentage points below his career).
Mikal Bridges now has a higher 3P Percentage than:
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Devin Booker
• LaMelo Ball
• LeBron James
• De’Aaron Fox
• Tyrese Maxey
• Jaylen Brown
• Franz Wagner
• Desmond Bane
• Paul George
• Anfernee Simons
• Jrue Holiday
• Trae Young
• Ja… https://t.co/dqWtODHbYo pic.twitter.com/MzHegcmDv6— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) December 22, 2024
Even if Bridges is the third (or fourth) usage option on the team, his minutes floor is one you can always count on for cash, and his recent scoring binge gives him GPP upside as well.
Ryan Rollins, MIL - PG ($3,500)
Ryan Rollins started the last game for the Bucks and scored 22.25 DK points in 31 minutes. Damian Lillard is doubtful for tonight, so a Rollins start could happen again. Rollins has a 21.3% usage rate with Lillard off the court, so even 20-24 minutes off the bench could prove fruitful.
The rest of the Bucks players' statuses do matter here. Giannis, of course, sat last game as well which opened up WAY more usage. He's questionable again tonight, and so is Khris Middleton. If either of those two sits, Rollins becomes a lot more palatable. If both sit alongside Lillard, Rollins is a near lock.
Others Under Consideration: Bobby Portis, MIL - PF/C ($6,300), OG Anunoby, NYK - SF/PF ($6,100), Gradey Dick, TOR - SG ($5,900), Ben Simmons, BKN - PG ($5,900), Zach Edey, MEM - C ($4,800), Wendell Carter, ORL - C ($4,800), Jonathan Isaac, ORL - PF/C ($3,500)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stack
Bucks at Bulls (O/U 231.5)
The spread of 1.5 points right now suggests that Vegas is a little more concerned about Giannis playing than I am, but the game is fully stackable even if Giannis sits. The Bulls are third in pace factor and 24th in defensive efficiency, which enhances the game environment greatly.
If Giannis does sit, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez become amazing plays and you can stack them together. The aforementioned Ryan Rollins would be a very intriguing value as well, and you'd have to at least give Khris Middleton some attention even though he should only play 22-24 minutes.
On the Bulls' side, the shooters have a better matchup than the interior plays. Josh Giddey is questionable again, so Coby White and Zach LaVine would be in line for additional usage and shots. Nikola Vucevic has a tougher matchup but is always in play for GPPs.
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Joel Embiid
- My favorite VALUE play: Mikal Bridges
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