DFSGhost 
The Christmas Day NBA action is in my top two favorite days on the schedule, and it isn’t number two. With plenty of marquee matchups featuring a plethora of star players, things have been detoured compared to previous years due to many players being unavailable for their respective teams, but it remains that this day is simply the best there is on the NBA calendar. It’s a Seltzer Saturday, Christmas Day edition of the Gems – let’s ride.
One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.
Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:
Atlanta Hawks @ NY Knicks (-7)
The first game that interests us on this slate is none other than the one that gets it all started. While this would have been a scene on its own to see Trae Young in Madison Square Garden after eliminating the Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs last year with an infamous bow to the crowd, he will unfortunately be unavailable for the Hawks, after failing to clear health and safety protocols. However, despite Ice Trae missing in action, there is plenty to love in this game.
The Knicks will be getting reinforcements in the near future with players clearing protocols, but will likely be without RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley due to conditioning, while Derrick Rose is out for the next 2+ months after ankle surgery. In addition, Kevin Knox and Nerlens Noel will also be unavailable for the Knicks this afternoon, meaning this one has Kemba Walker’s name written all over it. The narrative and stage is set for a Cardiac Kemba performance at MSG, while the veteran has also been efficient since drawing back into the lineup for Tom Thibodeau. In first three games since falling out of the rotation, Walker has sported a 29.3% usage rate while logging over 40 MPG, posting a 31.3/7.7/5.3 scoring line on 44.1% shooting from the field and from behind the arc. He’ll likely be one of the most popular options on the NBA slate, and rightfully so.
On the flip side of this game, there will be a ton of value with the Hawks, who have optimism with both Cam Reddish and Delon Wright listed as probable, but will be without Trae Young, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, De’Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Onyeka Okongwu. Both Reddish and Wright will see the bulk of the minutes in the backcourt, while the combination of John Collins and Gorgui Dieng will man the paint. Additional minutes will be available for players such as Skylar Mays and Bogdan Bogdanovic as well, and truthfully, there is a lot to desire when looking at the point/dollar upside with the Hawks on this NBA slate, most notably with Reddish and Dieng.
Brooklyn Nets @ LA Lakers (-1)
The best matchup of the NBA slate features what people were calling a potential Finals meetup, but they simply did not listen to our season preview show to understand just how bad we knew this Lakers team would be. Nonetheless, two of the best players on the slate in James Harden and LeBron James are featured in the same game with Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis sidelined for their respective teams as well. In two games without KD this season, Harden has sported a whopping 37% usage rate and has posted a 30.5/10.5/8 scoring line – all while shooting a horrendous 26.5% from the field. Facing a Lakers team that ranks 27th in the league versus primary ball handlers, Harden is poised to come back to the lineup with a bang. On the flip side, LeBron James remains one of, if not the best player in the league whilst in his 19th year in the NBA. Christmas Day NBA action is nothing without LeBron featured in a key game, and he comes into this one as hot as anyone in the league, sporting a 33.1% usage rate in his last three games and having posted a 33.7/10/4.7 scoring line on 59.1% shooting.
Honorable Mention (GPPs):
- Golden State Warriors @ Phoenix Suns (-6.5)
You can find us on Twitter @DFS_Ghost and @Bucn4life
