The NBA schedule has included games on Christmas Day since 1947 and the 76th edition of the NBA on Christmas Day will feature five star-studded matchups. The action begins at noon ET with Knicks vs. Bucks and will also include Nuggets vs. Warriors, Lakers vs. Celtics, Heat vs. 76ers and Suns vs. Mavericks. This will be LeBron James 18th time playing on Christmas Day and he’s the NBA all-time leader in points scored (460) on Dec. 25.
James is averaging 25.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists in his 21st NBA season and he’ll be an undoubtedly popular option for NBA DFS lineups. So how much exposure should you have to James, and who else in the NBA DFS player pool should you be targeting? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Saturday, McClure highlighted 76ers center Joel Embiid as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Embiid had 31 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, four blocks and two steals, returning 68.5 points on DraftKings and FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Christmas Day and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Christmas Day 2023
For Christmas Day, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who is listed at $5,600 on DraftKings and $5,400 on FanDuel. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft has carved out a critical role for himself in his third season with Golden State and he’s moved into the starting lineup with Draymond Green suspended indefinitely.
Kuminga is averaging a career-best 12.2 points per game while shooting 49.2% from the floor and he has averaged 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds over his last six games. He’s also 9-of-19 from the 3-point line during that stretch and could be in line for 30 minutes or more on Christmas Day against the Nuggets.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Mavericks guard Luka Doncic ($11,400 on DraftKings and $12,500 on FanDuel). Doncic is averaging 32.7 points, 9.1 assists (both career-highs) and 8.4 rebounds per game. He’s also posted five triple-doubles this season.
Doncic had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a win over the Lakers on Christmas Day last season and averaged 32.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists in a seven-game playoff series against the Suns two seasons ago. Phoenix ranks 17th in the NBA in defensive rating this season (115.5). See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Christmas Day 2023
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Monday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Christmas Day? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
