NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook Christmas Day
Published: Dec 25, 2023
We've reached the Christmas Day where the NBA brings us a five-game featured slate which each game being on primetime. Because of these games being nationally televised the start times are more spread out than usual with the first game of the slate tipping off at 12pm ET and the final game of the slate tipping off at 10:30pm ET. There is a ton of injury news that will come out throughout the day but the biggest ball has already dropped with Joel Embiid being ruled out after injury his ankle during the 76ers matchup against the Raptors over the weekend. With Embiid ruled out we now have some value opening up on this slate where there wasn't a lot available. That said, there are still plenty of names listed as questionable so make sure that you are available to adjust your lineups if needed throughout the day.
NBA DFS Tools to dominate tonight's NBA DFS slate!
Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based off their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!
Check out today's NBA DFS Playbook Preview Show
Notable NBA Injury Updates
Out
Questionable
- Anthony Davis
- LeBron James
- Jimmy Butler
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Dereck Lively
- Andrew Wiggins
- Rui Hachimura
- Cam Reddish
Teams on Back-to-Backs
- None
Pace Up Spots
Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.
*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.
Green = Fast Paced team
Blue = Neutral Paced team
Red = Slow Paced team
- Milwaukee Bucks 4th vs New York Knicks 27th
- Golden State Warriors 13th vs Denver Nuggets 29th
- Boston Celtics 23rd vs Los Angeles Lakers 9th
- Philadelphia 76ers 12th vs Miami Heat 26th
- Dallas Mavericks 8th vs Phoenix Suns 25th
Notable NBA Game Totals
- Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks +3 (241.5)
- Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets -6.5 (233.5)
- Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers +3 (234.5)
- Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat -2.5 (225)
- Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns -4.5 (237.5)
Top Tier Core Plays
- Luka Doncic, PG Dallas Mavericks
- Nikola Jokic, C Denver Nuggets
- Bam Adebayo, C Miami Heat
- Tyrese Maxey, PG Philadelphia 76ers
- Jalen Brunson, PG New York Knicks
Mid-Tier Core Plays
- Jamal Murray, PG Denver Nuggets
- Derrick White, PG/SG Boston Celtics
- Khris Middleton, SF Milwaukee Bucks
- Tobias Harris, PF Philadelphia 76ers
Value Tier Core Plays
- Dante Exum, SF Dallas Mavericks
- Jonathan Kuminga, SF/PF Golden State Warriors
- Brandin Podziemski, PG/SG Golden State Warriors
- De'Anthony Melton, PG.SG Philadelphia 76ers
- Paul Reed, C Philadelphia 76ers
Player Pool
| $ Tier | PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Luka Dončić  $12,500 | LeBron James $10,300 |  Giannis Antetokounmpo $12,000 |  Nikola Jokić $12,200 | |
 Stephen Curry $9,000 |  Kevin Durant $10,200 |  Anthony Davis $11,200 | |||
 Jayson Tatum $9,800 | |||||
| Medium |  Jalen Brunson $8,300 |  Tyler Herro $8,100 | Jimmy Butler $8,300 |  Julius Randle $8,700 | Bam Adebayo $8,900 |
 Tyrese Maxey $8,600 | Derrick White $7,700 |  Khris Middleton $6,700 |  Tobias Harris $6,200 |  Isaiah Hartenstein $6,200 | |
| Jamal Murray $8,000 | Danté Exum $7,400 |  Michael Porter $6,500 | |||
| Low |  Immanuel Quickley $5,600 | De'Anthony Melton $6,000 | Jaime Jaquez $5,700 | Bobby Portis $5,700 | Paul Reed $4,800 |
| Brandin Podziemski $6,200 | Taurean Prince $4,800 | Jonathan Kuminga $5,400 |  Udoka Azubuike $3,500 | ||
| Grayson Allen $5,500 | Rui Hachimura $4,900 | ||||
| Malik Beasley $5,000 |
Player News
Justin Edwards finished with 15 points (6-of-11 FGs), two rebounds, two steals and three three-pointers against the Grizzlies on Tuesday.
After two subpar shooting performances to open up Summer League, Edwards was much better on Tuesday. He made over half of his shot attempts, which including a trio of triples. Edwards will be part of the 76ers’ rotation next season, though it will be in a more limited capacity than it was during his rookie year. Still, he should be producing at a high level in Summer League, so we should see more games like this in Las Vegas.
Johni Broome finished with eight points (3-of-11 FGs), 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks against the Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Broome now has three Summer League games under his belt, and while there has been a lot to like, he has struggled to put the ball in the basket. He has shot 9-of-29 (31 percent) from the floor so far, and he wasn’t able to get a three-pointer to go on Tuesday after knocking down two in each of his first two games. Still, he was excellent on the glass, and he has been able to produce some defensive stats, which is encouraging.
Judah Mintz led the 76ers with 26 points (9-of-15 FGs, 8-of-9 FTs), three assists and three steals in a 91-90 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday.
With VJ Edgecombe (thumb) sidelined for a second straight game, Mintz remained in the starting lineup. 24 hours after he scored 21 points as a starter, he surpassed that mark by scoring a game-high 26 points in a win. Mintz has been fantastic and is well on his way to earning a two-way contract, even if it isn’t with the 76ers.
Vladislav Goldin finished with 10 points (4-of-5 FGs), five rebounds, two assists and one steal against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Goldin got the starting nod in place of Kel’el Ware, who didn’t play in Tuesday’s game. Goldin only played 20 minutes, but he was able to have a decent night. The undrafted big out of Michigan will likely spend most of next season in the G League after joining the Heat on a two-way contract.
Kasparas Jakučionis struggled again on Tuesday and finished with just five points (0-of-5 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), four rebounds, three assists, one steal and four turnovers against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Jakučionis has gotten off to a really rough start this summer. He has shot 1-of-15 from the floor through three games for a total of 12 points. Yikes. Summer League isn’t the time to panic, but it has been a really disappointing start for him. He’ll look to improve in Las Vegas, but he’ll be looking to put the California Classic behind him.
Kira Lewis Jr. led the Heat with 16 points (7-of-10 FGs), one rebound, four assists, one steal, two three-pointers and five turnovers in a 93-79 win over the Warriors on Tuesday.
The former lottery pick last played in the NBA during the 2023-24 season. He spent last season with the Wizards’ G League affiliate, and now he’s trying to make it back to the NBA with Miami. This was his second Summer League game, and it went better than his first, where he was held to four points in 20 minutes. Even if he is able to earn a roster spot, Lewis Jr. will likely be on a two-way deal and spend most of his time in the G League once again.