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
Stephen Curry (hamstring) is out for Game 5 against the Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Unsurprisingly, Curry is officially out for Game 5 due to the hamstring injury he suffered during Game 1. Game 6, which will be played on May 18, was a far more realistic possibility for the Warriors’ superstar guard. Buddy Hield will likely remain in the starting lineup, with Jonathan Kuminga taking on a more prominent role off the bench. Those two and Brandin Podziemski will need to be at their best if the Warriors are to extend this series, which they trail three games to one.
Sam Merrill (neck) is out for Game 5 against the Pacers on Tuesday.
A late addition to Cleveland’s injury report, Merrill will not be available for a game the Cavaliers need to keep their season alive. His absence leaves the East’s top seed down a rotation player, but they will have Donovan Mitchell (ankle) in the starting lineup.
Donovan Mitchell (ankle) is available for Game 5 against the Pacers on Tuesday.
Mitchell did not play in the second half of Sunday’s Game 4 blowout loss after aggravating a left ankle injury. The good news is that he’ll be available for Tuesday’s game, and the Cavaliers will need all hands on deck as they trail three games to one. Cleveland will go with its regular starting lineup, with Darius Garland, Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen joining Mitchell. According to TNT, an MRI on Monday revealed a sprain and showed that Mitchell did not suffer any additional damage.
Sam Merrill (neck) is questionable for Game 5 against the Pacers on Tuesday.
Absent from the Cavaliers’ initial injury report for Game 5, Merrill has been added due to a strained neck. With Donovan Mitchell (ankle) a game-time decision, Cleveland could be down two rotation players with their season on the line. They would require more production from Darius Garland, Max Strus and Ty Jerome to keep their season alive.
Sam Hauser (ankle) is probable for Game 5 against the Knicks on Wednesday.
Hauser has been out of the Celtics’ lineup since spraining his ankle during Game 1. His likely return will give Boston another rotation player to call upon, as Jayson Tatum (Achilles) is out for the foreseeable future. With Kristaps Porzingis (illness) still not back to full strength, Hauser will play rotation minutes if cleared, potentially as a starter.
The Celtics announced Tuesday that Jayson Tatum underwent surgery to repair his ruptured right Achilles tendon.
Tatum was injured during the fourth quarter of Monday’s Game 4 loss to the Knicks, with his leg giving out as he attempted to corral a loose ball. The Celtics star could not put any weight on his leg while being helped to the locker room, and the worst fears have officially been realized. Not only will Tatum miss the remainder of this playoff series, which Boston trails 3-1, but he’ll likely miss most of the 2025-26 season. One would expect Kristaps Porzingis to return to the starting lineup in the short term, and the Celtics have serious long-term questions to answer following Tatum’s injury.