NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook December 14
Published: Dec 14, 2023
We have a seven-game NBA DFS main slate on Thursday, December 14th, on DraftKings and FanDuel. This slate is full of stars with Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and De'Aaron Fox are all taking the floor. There are multiple teams on back-to-backs and just one game with a 240+ over/under. Let's dive into the top NBA DFS plays of the day for 12/14.
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!
Here's the NBA DFS Podcast for today's slate. Like the video and subscribe to our channel!
Notable NBA Injury Updates
QUESTIONABLE
- Anthony Edwards – IN
- Paul George – OUT
- Malcolm Brogdon – IN
- Deandre Ayton – IN
- Jaylen Brown – went through shootaround – IN
- John Collins – OUT
- Derrick Jones Jr.
- Alex Caruso – IN
- Josh Richardson – OUT
- Jaden McDaniels – IN
- Seth Curry – OUT
- Dennis Smith Jr. – OUT
- Haywood Highsmith – OUT
- Trey Lyles
- Lauri Markkanen – OUT
OUT
- Kyrie Irving
- Tyler Herro
- Evan Mobley
- Jerami Grant
- Keyonte George
- Draymond Green
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Bam Adebayo
PROBABLE
- Jamal Murray – IN
- Tim Hardaway Jr. – IN
- Kristaps Porzingis – IN
DOUBTFUL
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
- Timberwolves rank: 20th vs. Mavericks rank: 10th
- Thunder rank: 6th vs. Kings rank: 11th
- Jazz rank: 14th vs. Trailblazers rank: 25th
- Warriors rank: 12th vs. Clippers rank: 22nd
NBA Game Totals
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings - 243.5 (SAC -1.5)
- Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers - 230.5 (LAC -5.5)
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks - 230.5 (DAL -1.5)
- Brooklyn Nets vs. Denver Nuggets - 229.5 (DEN -9.5)
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics - 226.5 (BOS -8.5)
- Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trailblazers - 225.5 (POR -3.5)
Top Tier Core Plays
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
It’s only a 70-minute sample, but Jokic has averaged a 40% USG and 2.24 FP/min this year without Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Yeah, that’s pretty good I’d say. Denver has the third highest implied team total of the day and are catching Brooklyn on the second leg of a back-to-back. Jokic was also thrown out in his last game. In his first ejection this year he responded with a 30-point triple-double against Orlando. Just saying.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
The team with the second highest implied team total? OKC. It’s star, SGA, has been one of the league’s best players this year. This game has the best environment on the board and SGA has a 32% USG and averages 1.58 FP/min. He’s flashed a 70+ DKP ceiling this year. This is a ceiling spot for him.
Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
I love the price for Sabonis and mentioned that on today’s preview show multiple times. He triple-doubled in their one meeting with OKC this year and although De’Aaron Fox didn’t play, he’s been good with him too. He just triple-doubled four games ago with Fox. When sharing the floor with Fox, Sabonis avgs. 1.37 FP/min, which is slightly more than Fox. There’s a 60 FP ceiling here.
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Right behind Sabonis in terms of fantasy production, Fox sits at 1.32 FP/min with Sabonis on the floor. That’s elite production for Fox who’s amongst the league leaders in scoring this year. The Kings get a pace up spot in a game with a 243.5 total.
Mid-Tier Core Plays
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
I don’t necessarily care if PG13 is in or out because Leonard has been the Clippers star they’d hoped for when they acquired him years ago. He’s poured in 31+ actual in three straight games and 45+ DKP in each of those outings. If PG13 does sit, Leonard averages 1.22 FP/min and a 27% USG.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Since November 3rd, this is tied for the cheapest price he's been this year. He's had a very high ceiling this year averaging 1.27 FP/min, which is second on the Thunder. This game has risen to 244.5 implied points and the Thunder have the second-highest implied total on the board.
Chris Paul, Golden State Warriors
Love CP3 without Draymond Green here. Paul's averaged 1.1 FP/min without both he and Gary Payton II and we saw what the Warriors rolled out last game and gave him 31 minutes. He had a double-double over that span and 44.25 DKP. I'm not expecting him to start, but he's going to dominate the ball with the second unit.
Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz
Sexton was great upon entering the starting lineup yesterday for Utah as he shot 10-of-18 with 26 actual and 42 DKP. The Jazz are without both Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George in this game so we know Sexton will be back in the starting lineup again here. With just those two guys off the floor, he has a 28% USG and 1.28 FP/min.
Value Tier Core Plays
Jonathan Kuminga & Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
We saw the Warriors start both Kuminga and Podziemski in the second half of their last game and both guys topped 28 minutes. Would it shock anyone if they both cracked the starting lineup again here? Draymond Green is out. So is Gary Payton II. They benched Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney last game too. It's a youth movement in Golden State and Podz sits at .99 FP/min without Green and Payton while Kuminga sits at .98 FP/min, but has a 25% USG to boot.
Simone Fontecchio, Utah Jazz
We're expecting Lauri Markkanen to be ruled out, but that hasn't been confirmed just yet. We do know, however, Keyonte George and Jordan Clarkson are out. ALSO, John Collins is listed as questionable. Fontecchio has put up 30+ DKP in back-to-back games and has a .86 FP/min average when Markkanen's off the court. If he's starting and a bunch of Jazz are out again, I love the price.
Kelly Olynyk, Utah Jazz
The Jazz elected to start Kelly Olynyk over Walker Kessler last game and he was fantastic. He almost messed around and put up a triple-double, falling just one point and two assists shy. He played 30 minutes and if everything remains the same, we know how high of a ceiling he has. 1.08 FP/min without Clarkson, George, and Markkanen this year.
Kris Dunn, Utah Jazz
The Jazz started Ochai Agbaji in the second half and played him 30 minutes after the Keyonte George injury. Dunn played 18 minutes last night, putting up 25.5 DKP, which is a great ceiling, but the minutes were meh. Dunn COULD play 20+ minutes here. He's averaged 1.14 FP/min without George, Clarkson, and Markkanen.
Dario Saric, Golden State Warriors
This guy is a monster FP/min producer. Saric just needs the run because low-20s minutes in the mid-5K price range, but there is a chance for mid-to-high 20's with Draymond Green out and Kevon Looney's minutes on the fritz. Saric on the year averages 1.1 FP/min and has a 19.5% USG rate this year.
Late-News Core Play Section
*Section for players we are considering “core plays” based on late-breaking news
- Talen Horton-Tucker, Utah Jazz
- Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings (GPPs)
- James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers
- Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Clippers (FanDuel)
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Player Pool
| $ Tier | PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander  $11,400 |  Jayson Tatum $9,800 |  Domantas Sabonis $9,600 |  Nikola Jokić $12,400 | |
 De'Aaron Fox $9,900 |  Kawhi Leonard $9,000 | ||||
| Medium |  Stephen Curry $8,900 | Anfernee Simons $8,300 |  Karl-Anthony Towns $8,500 |  Nikola Vučević $8,200 | |
| James Harden $8,100 |  Shaedon Sharpe $7,800 | Keegan Murray $6,100 | Chet Holmgren $8,000 | ||
| Chris Paul $6,700 | |||||
| Russell Westbrook $5,900 | |||||
| Low | Kris Dunn $4,400 | Brandin Podziemski $5,800 | Talen Horton-Tucker $5,300 | Dario Šarić $5,500 |  Kelly Olynyk $5,300 |
| Malik Monk $5,800 |  Simone Fontecchio $5,000 | Jonathan Kuminga $5,300 | |||
 Collin Sexton $5,400 |  Taylor Hendricks $3,900 |
Player News
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Magic signed PF/C Moritz Wagner has agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal.
Wagner tore his ACL in December, and he’ll miss time to start the 2025-26 season. Before suffering the injury, he averaged career highs in points (12.9), rebounds (4.9) and three-point percentage (36) in just 18.8 minutes per game. Once he returns, he’ll likely take on a similar role as a microwave scorer and spacer off the bench.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reports the Rockets have signed Kevon Harris to a two-way contract.
Harris appeared in 36 games for the Magic during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, averaging 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.9 minutes. While he did not play in the NBA last season, the 6-foot-6 wing flourished in the G League, averaging 19.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Harris is unlikely to impact fantasy basketball in Houston as a two-way contract player due to the Rockets’ depth.
Jahmai Mashack is headed to Golden State as part of the seven-team trade headlined by Kevin Durant.
Selected by the Rockets with the 59th overall pick in last month’s draft, Mashack was initially headed to Memphis via trade. Now he’s headed to Golden State as part of a trade that included an NBA record seven teams. Given his reputation as a rugged defender and “glue guy,” Mashack will look to earn an opportunity with the Warriors, who could use a low-cost contributor due to their current salary cap situation.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the 76ers signed Jabari Walker to a two-way contract.
To get a player of Walker’s experience level on a two-way contract is a shrewd piece of business by the 76ers. The 57th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Walker appeared in 60 games last season, averaging 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.5 minutes. During the 2023-24 campaign, Walker started 23 of the 72 games he played, averaging 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds in 23.6 minutes. With a healthy Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond, Walker’s minutes will likely be limited next season, but he’ll have some value on nights when Philadelphia is shorthanded in the post.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Jaxson Hayes and the Lakers have agreed to a one-year deal.
Hayes appeared in 56 games for the Lakers last season, making 35 starts. However, his role will be different in 2025-26, as Deandre Ayton has agreed to a two-year deal and will be the starting center. Hayes finished last season with averages of 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks on 19.5 minutes per game. He did not provide consistent fantasy value as a starter, which should remain the case now that Hayes will be coming off the bench.
Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports the Suns are discussing a potential buyout for Bradley Beal.
Beal’s time in Phoenix has not been what anyone hoped it would be, due to the combination of injuries and underwhelming production. He’s been the focus of trade rumors in the past, but as one of two players in the league with a no-trade clause (LeBron James is the other), Beal has been incredibly difficult to move. Regarding a buyout, there are multiple issues at play. Accepting the deal would include Beal losing his no-trade clause, but he would be an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers. The more significant issue is that Phoenix has already waived and stretched Nassir Little and E.J. Liddell, so they will need Beal to leave some money on the table. Per league rules, the amount of salary stretched cannot exceed 15 percent of the salary cap.