NBA DFS Building Blocks for DraftKings & FanDuel | Christmas Day Slate

NBA DFS action on Christmas Day locks at Noon EST with a festive five-game main slate. Before you lock in your NBA DFS picks and favorite lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and SuperDraft, make sure to check out Awesemo’s daily fantasy basketball rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some NBA DFS picks, including Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, and more.

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NBA DFS Picks: Christmas Day Building Blocks DraftKings + FanDuel

Stephen Curry: Golden State Warriors at Milwaukee Bucks

DraftKings $10,200, FanDuel $8,700, Yahoo $40
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 8.5%, FanDuel 43.8% Yahoo 27.0%

On Tuesday night, Stephen Curry looked solid in just his sixth regular-season game in the last 14 months; and second in the last nine months. Through the first three quarters, the 12-year veteran played 30:19 and led the team with 20 points, 21 FGAs, 10 3pt attempts and 10 assists. At that point, the ‘Dubs were down by 28 points, so there was no need to have the two-time MVP on the court in the fourth quarter.

We know that Milwaukee tends to encourage/force teams to take 3-point shots having allowed the most attempts each of the last two seasons. This fits right in with the bread-and-butter strategy for Curry, who has a 43.4 FG% from behind the arc for his career.

DraftKings is ahead of things, giving Curry a five-figure price tag. With him nestled among Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic and LeBron James it looks like he will be lost in the shuffle. On FanDuel, the former Davidson Wildcat is the ninth-most expensive player and $2,000-$2,500 less than the top-shelf options. In turn, he will be wildly popular there. Yahoo has him surrounded in the $39-42 range with five other players and well below the top four who are $47+ so he splits the difference in popularity on that site.

Wanna bet?

Alex “Awesemo” Baker’s projected stats (part of Awesemo+) have Stephen Curry scoring 27.25 points, which makes the over 25.5 at -106 on OddsShopper an intriguing way to hedge some our DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups. Click on the image below to start your Christmas Day odds shopping for the best edge in betting and check out all the player props available for the Friday holiday action!

Nikola Jokic: Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers

DraftKings $10,100, FanDuel $9,700, Yahoo $41
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 9.5%, FanDuel 6.8% Yahoo 13.4%

These two teams had an amazing seven-game playoff battle in the bubble where Denver stormed back after losing Game 1 by 23 points to ultimately take down the series. The combination of Nikola Jokic and the leveling up of Jamal Murray was a sight to behold. Now it is hard to compare the stats from this series where Jokic played 38:35-plus in the last five games to just the second game of this new season. However, we know the offense will be revolving heavily around the 25-year old and he contributes across the box score.

Do not be too concerned with the addition of Serge Ibaka to the Clippers. The last two times Jokic faced him — both games were in December 2018 while Ibaka was with Toronto — Jokic averaged 35.5 minutes, 24.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2 steals. Keep in mind that was also the Raptors squad that took home the 2018-19 NBA title.

In the Awesemo preliminary player ownership run it looks like Jokic is going to be barely into double digits on Christmas Day. This makes him an excellent building block in tournaments. With his all-around game, he will always be a solid “cash” lineup option.

NBA DFS Picks: Good Value

Jeff Teague: Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets

DraftKings $4,200, FanDuel $5,800, Yahoo $10
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 26.6%, FanDuel 2.1% Yahoo 23.2%

The DraftKings and Yahoo price tag make Jeff Teague an easy recommendation. It is a little harder to be enthused on FanDuel where there is not much “profit potential” in his $5,800 salary cap figure. We should not be concerned that the well-travelled veteran is coming off the bench. With no Kemba Walker, Teague will get plenty of run and also likely be seeing run with the closing unit.

While we are not going to get eye-popping statistics, Teague should averaged around 0.9 fantasy points per minute. There is also upside if Marcus Smart runs into foul trouble while dealing with Kyrie Irving.

Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith: Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers

Kleber: DraftKings $3,500, FanDuel $5,300, Yahoo $10
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 40.3%, FanDuel 3.5% Yahoo 11.2%

Finney-Smith: DraftKings $4,800, FanDuel $4,200, Yahoo $14
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 20.7%, FanDuel 25.3% Yahoo 12.8%

While it is hard to get overly excited by this duo, they should be seeing solid minutes for the Mavericks. Dorian Finney-Smith likely will be in the starting five until Kristaps Porzingis returns. DF-S sadly is not usually the best DFS option as he tends to be the fourth of fifth option when he is on the floor. However, the minutes are golden.

Maxi Kleber came off the bench, however looking at the box score rotations courtesy of AddMoreFunds, we can see that Dwight Powell left midway through the third quarter and it was a combination of Kleber (13) and Willie Cauley-Stein (6) playing the last 19 minutes. Powell is coming back from an Achilles injury and actually did not play the fourth quarter in any of the Dallas preseason games. We know that the Lakers will play big, so that bodes well for Kleber seeing mid-20s for minutes with a couple available for built-in upside.

NBA DFS Picks: Risky Value

Eric Bledsoe: New Orleans at Miami Heat

DraftKings $5,600, FanDuel $5,600, Yahoo $19
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 36.7%, FanDuel 28.9% Yahoo 30.2%

Alright, raise your hand if you have been “burned” by Eric Bledsoe in your otherwise perfect lineup. Okay, hands down everyone — you, too, Coach Budenholzer. It will be interesting to see how the backcourt rotation shakes out with the Pelicans this year. It is likely that Lonzo Ball and Bledsoe will be starting for new head coach Stan Van Gundy while J.J. Redick and Josh Hart come off the bench. However, that doesn’t mean that Van Gundy won’t have a quick hook or be afraid to mix things up mid-game.

Is this a recommendation to “fade” Bledsoe in the giant holiday tournaments? Absolutely not, but it is pointing out a leverage spot on FanDuel and Yahoo where we could go to Teague at a fraction of the popularity. We can also directly pivot away from Bledsoe by going with Ball who is more expensive, but will also facilitate a different build away from one of the most popular options on the slate.

 Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies

1. Donte DiVincenzo: MIL vs. GSW – $10
2. Paul Millsap: DEN vs. LAC – $10
3. Patrick Beverley: LAC at DEN – $10

SuperDraft Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks

1. Bam Adebayo: MIA vs. NOP – 1.30x multiplier
2. Jrue Holiday: MIL vs. GSW – 1.60x multiplier
3. Michael Porter Jr: DEN vs. LAC – 1.70x multiplier

Final Thoughts

The Christmas Day tournaments are massive so be prepared to utilize leverage and strategies to help you gain differentiation on the field. There also is a good chance of seeing overlay on No House Advantage, Yahoo and SuperDraft so keep your eyes peeled and be ready to pounce.

Be sure to tune into the Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows beginning at 10a.m. EST for all of your up-to-date information and analysis.

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