DraftKings NBA Picks for December 25

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, or if you an atheist, have a nice day. I don’t want to leave anyone out! Today is the unofficial beginning of the NBA season. This is where the NBA showcases the best and brightest on Christmas Day. The NFL gets Thanksgiving. This is the NBA’s time!

There are five straight games today, starting at noon and ending after midnight. We have plenty of stars to set our DraftKings lineups with, but where are the bargains to make the stars possible. Let’s take a look!

Don’t forget to follow @fantasycpr on Twitter for lineup updates as we get them leading to the tipoffs of the games! I am not always able to get back in here and fix my picks when someone sits for the night, but we will update it on Twitter.

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($12,500): Westbrook is averaging 65.1 DraftKings points per game. Averaging! He averages 5x value, which is incredible for someone this expensive. The Timberwolves are the worst in the league at defending the point, but Westbrook only got 54.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting, but this is Christmas Day. This is a big deal in the NBA. The stars are out, and Westbrook should shine.

Isaiah Thomas ($8,100): Thomas has put up 163 DraftKings points in the last three games. Thomas is firing on all cylinders right now. The Knicks are solid against opposing point guards, but this is still a rivalry game even if both teams aren’t that great right now. Thomas is going to show up today!

Kyrie Irving ($7,700): irving has averaged 50 DraftKings points per game over the last four games. Love did make his return on Thursday, but Irving continued at a high level. He had a nice Finals last season, so there is no reason to think that Irving wont play at his current high level today.

Honorable Mention:

Chris Paul ($9,300): There is a chance that Paul is not going to be ready. If he is, he is worth a shot with Blake Griffin out, but he still may be limited. That makes me nervous. Christmas Day is important to the NBA, but April is more important to the teams. If there is a chance that Paul could make the injury worse, he wont be out there. Keep an eye on this leading up to tipoff. If Paul sits, Austin Rivers becomes a very nice play.

Stephen Curry ($8,500): Curry has had a hard time hitting 5x value, but we all know how important he was against the Cavs in the finals last year. He will be amped for this game like usual, and you know everyone else will be too. This is the game that everyone looks forward to. I think Curry will have himself a solid game today.

Dark Horses:

Ricky Rubio ($5,900): Rubio has five straight games with over 32 DraftKings points. He missed the first game against the Thunder this year, but this is lining up for another good game for Rubio. He racks up plenty of assists with good rebounding and steals numbers as well. That makes Rubio a guy with a pretty high floor.

Rajon Rondo ($5,700): Rondo has been one of the most inconsistent players to use on a daily basis this season. He is more frustrating that possibly any other player. That said, he put up 41.5 DraftKings points on the Spurs earlier in the year and the Spurs are still one of the league’s worst against point guards. You can never be sure about Rondo, but this looks like a great place to use him.

My pick: Irving(PG), Rubio(G); Westbrook(PG), Rondo(G)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

Zach LaVine ($6,400): LaVine is riding a streak of five straight games above 5x value, and he has hit that mark in nine of his last ten games. He is a better player with Rubio on the court with him. LaVine scored just 11 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Thunder, but Rubio was out and Victor Oladipo played. Oladipo is still a game time call, and even if he does play, he likely wont be at 100%. LaVine is not a great option, but he has a higher floor than Thompson.

Dwyane Wade ($6,200): Wade has cooled off since a hot start to the month, but he is still consistently right around 5x value. He put up 38.75 DraftKings points against the Spurs in their first meeting. He should be somewhere in that range again today.

Honorable Mention:

Klay Thompson ($6,500): Thompson is inconsistent because he relies mostly on scoring to get his value. On a light slate such as today he will get plenty of play because he has high upside. The downside is that he regularly misses 5x value. Cleveland is an average matchup for him, but as we have seen, he can light up anyone when his shot is falling.

Dark Horses:

Manu Ginobili ($3,400): Ginobili only gets around 20 minutes per game anymore, but the fact that Danny Green has lost his offensive prowess means Manu plays when the Spurs need points. San Antonio chose to rest Manu on both Thursday and Friday, so he will likely be able to play as much as they need him in this one Ginobili has 87 DraftKings points over his last four games. That makes him over 6x value right now!

DeAndre Liggins ($3,200): Liggins is starting in the absence of J.R. Smith, but he has been outperformed by several others off the bench. That has led to inconsistent minutes and even less consistent fantasy output. That said, he is starting for a bargain price on a light slate. He is there for a roll of the dice if you need it.

My pick: LaVine(SG); Wade(SG), Ginobili(G)

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($10,300): Big players shine brightest on the biggest stage, and even at this point in his career, LeBron is still one of the biggest players. He has 5x value or more in six of his last night outing. I am willing to bet he hits it here against the Warriors. The Cavs want to send a message.

Kevin Durant ($9,500): One of the things most often overlooked about LeBron is that he is a very good defensive player. Durant is Golden State’s wild card this year. He is the guy expected to help bring the title back. He is the missing link. What better way to prove that than against the team that beat you in last year’s Finals? It will be interesting to see how Durant does in this game.

Honorable Mention:

Kawhi Leonard ($7,800): It seems almost criminal to have Kawhi this cheap. Especially when you consider that he has 93.5 DraftKings points over his last two games and he put up 43.5 in his first tilt with the Bulls. He should at least hit that total tonight.

Jimmy Butler ($7,500): Butler has been well over 5x value in seven of the last ten games. He only had 35.25 against the Spurs in the first meeting, but that is still close enough that he wont hurt you with that mark. Butler has three 50+ point outings in those ten games. He has a high ceiling for his price point.

Dark Horses:

Jae Crowder ($5,100): Crowder was dreadful against the Thunder on Thursday, but he had hit 5x value or better in seven of nine games prior to that. Crowder missed the first matchup against the Knicks, but on paper this looks like a pretty good one for him. At this price, Crowder should get plenty of bang for the buck.

Luol Deng ($4,900): Deng has outplayed rookie Brandon Ingram by a large margin recently, so the Lakers are happy to give the veteran more run. Especially with youngsters D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle on the floor. Deng has been over 5.5x value in seven of the last eight games. He is one of the safer options at any price range right now.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ($3,600): Mbah a Moute has picked up quite a few more minutes in the absence of Blake Griffin. The trend should continue that way. Mbah a Moute has gone over 22 DraftKings points in two of his last three games with Griffin out. Don’t be surprised if he does it again.

My Pick: James(SF), Crowder(F), Mbah a Moute(UTIL); Mbah a Moute(SF)

Power Forwards

Best Bets:

Kevin Love ($8,200): Love has the skill set to battle with Draymond Green. That could be one of the more enjoyable games within the game tonight. Love was a bit rusty in his return on Thursday night, but if he can shake the rust, 5x value is imminent.

Draymond Green ($8,000): Green is pretty much matchup proof because most of his value lies within his defensive ability. That should hold true tonight. Love will be able to lock him down on offense, but just try to keep Draymond down defensively. That makes him a pretty safe option, albeit with little upside.

Honorable Mention:

LaMarcus Aldridge ($6,800): Aldridge ate Portland alive in his last outing. Honestly, only the Clippers have been able to keep him down over the last ten days or so. He had only 28 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Bulls, but they are still statistically one of the bottom six in the league against power forwards.

Gorgui Dieng ($5,500): Dieng’s scoring has taken a hit with LaVine and Wiggins picking up theirs, but Dieng still hauls in plenty of rebounds and stacks up some blocks. He wont always hit value, but he is always close because of his defensive talents.

Dark Horses:

Enes Kanter ($4,300): Kanter put up 38 DraftKings points on Minnesota in their first meeting. He also has 67.5 DraftKings points in his last two games. The presence of Adams limits his value, but it is possible for them both to have a good game. It has happened before.

Marreese Speights ($4,000): Mbah a Moute sees most of the minutes, but Speights has managed 5x value at least in the games with Griffin out. He plays more against bigger teams, which could limit him against the Lakers though.

My pick: Kanter(PF); Kanter(PF)

Center

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,300): It’s to the point that I would trust Towns in almost any matchup. He has hit 5x value in six straight games, and it was closer to 7x in half of those. Towns put up 43.5 DraftKings points in the first meeting with the Thunder this year. Don’t be surprised when he does it again.

DeAndre Jordan ($7,400): Jordan’s production hasn’t increased as much as it did last year when Griffin was out. Of course, he hasn’t had a great matchup yet, but tonight’s borders on it. Do you really think Mozgov can slow down Jordan? Me either.

Honorable Mention:

Al Horford ($6,500): Horford missed the first tilt against the Knicks as well. Noah is still a solid defensive player, but Horford hasn’t had many issues against his college teammate. Horford has at least 42 DraftKings points in four of his last five games. I don’t think he will have quite that many against Noah, but he should be in the mid 30’s.

Pau Gasol ($6,000): Gasol has quietly put up over 5x value in seven straight games. He is finally getting accustomed to life in San Antonio. Gasol put up 33.5 DraftKings points in his first matchup against his former team this year. He should hit that 5x value mark again here.

Dark Horses:

Steven Adams ($5,000): Adams had a good game along with Kanter in their first game against MInnesota. Adams picked up 33 DraftKings points in that one. He has managed to shake some of the inconsistency that plagued him early in the year. However, the presence of Kanter limits his overall potential for a huge fantasy night.

Amir Johnson ($3,100): If Johnson keeps seeing 20 minutes a night, he is certainly worth rolling with at this price. He has averaged 22 DraftKings points per game over his last five outing, and should see a decent run against the Knicks tonight.

My pick: Horford(C); Towns(F), Gasol(C)

Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks, our DFS NHL picks, and plenty of NFL advice heading into your weekend. We will also have the college football bowl picks against the spread. You don’t want to miss any of this!