Happy hump day! It is December 20th, and we have the privilege's of picking our fantasy basketball rosters out of ten big games for this Wednesday night slate in the Association! We have so many good options to choose from with some very enticing game environments to boot! Any slate where we get both the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks in different games, we know it is going to be a fun time! Let's dive right in.

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

 

 

Teams on Back-to-Backs

2nd Leg

1st Leg

 

PACE:

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

 

NBA Game Spreads & Totals:

 

Top Tier Core Plays:

Luka Doncic (PG), Dallas Mavericks

Luka is my top play tonight and for good reason. Both Joel Embiid (Minnesota) and Nikola Jokic (Toronto) have not only some tougher match ups on their plate tonight, these games have some slower game environments and they have other high-usage players on the floor with them mainly at all times. Luka once again will get this whole Mavericks team to himself tonight at home against a Clippers team that will be forced to play with more pace than they typically enjoy. Luka continues to put up monster games consistently without Kyrie Irving on the floor, possessing a hefty 36% usage rate with an insane 1.59 fantasy point/per minute with Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively OFF the court this year. Luka thrives in this scenario where he knows the game is going to be on his back, and that is why he has recorded 63+ fantasy points in his last five-games straight.

Joel Embiid (C), Philadelphia 76ers

Will whole-heartedly admit that I don't exactly love this spot for Embiid going against the twin towers of Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony-Towns tonight, however, he is on his home floor and he has been excellent this season there. Embiid is averaging roughly 65 fantasy points on his home court this year so far, and even though this game doesn't support the best overall game environment, it still only has a three-point spread and a modest game total. We know Joel is great at getting opposing Bigs in foul trouble, and that is exactly what he will look to do again tonight against Gobert and Towns. Joel has lived in the 60+ fantasy point range all the way up to 70ish, so would not be shocked to see a similar performance here tonight even against a stout defense in the Timberwolves.

Anthony Davis (PF/C), Los Angeles Lakers

I really think you want to save a few dollars at center tonight, you can always look to Davis here, as he is going back to his hometown to play the Bulls in the United Center. The last time Davis ventured his way into Chicago last season, he poured in 38 points, 10 boards, four dimes, with two steals and two swatted shots. We have to believe that Davis will have lots of family and friends in the seats for this one and the Bulls have been very competitive lately, so should expect a good game. Davis is one of my favorite plays for tonight's slate.

 

Mid-Tier Core Plays:

Domantas Sabonis (C), Sacramento Kings

Love this spot for Sabonis with the Celtics coming off an OT loss last night against the Warriors in a game where essentially every starter for Boston played over 40 minutes (except Kristaps Porzingis, who missed). Sabonis is coming off a monster game vs the Wizards where he only needed just 32 minutes of court time to amass nearly 63 fantasy points on the night with a line of 28 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, and a blocked shot. Even though the Celtics are on the second leg of the back-to-back, this game still has just a single bucket spread with a 237.5-point total. The Kings are playing much faster lately, and this should speed this game up, and this is where Sabonis should thrive against a banged-up Celtics frontcourt, who are going to be with Al Horford and Luke Kornet tonight.

Terry Rozier (PG/SG), Charlotte Hornets

Absolutely LOVE this spot for Scary Terry tonight against the fastest team in the league in the Indiana Pacers. Rozier is excelling quite well in the “LaMelo Ball” role here for the Hornets since Ball has been on the shelf. Rozier has been an absolute monster to be frank, averaging 52 fantasy points in his last eight games where he saw at least 30 minutes on the floor. The Pacers have been absolutely dog water against the PG spot this season and we have seen some massive games from them in this spot - see James Harden last game scoring 24 actual in the 4th quarter alone vs Indy just for example. Terry is the cover of the playbook tonight for a reason.

Tyler Herro (PG/SG), Miami Heat

Herro returned from an 18-game absence on Monday night to face the Timberwolves and did not skip a beat playing 33 minutes on the night while scoring 25 points, grabbing three boards, dishing two dimes, and swiping up two steals in route to 35 fantasy points. That was with Jimmy Butler IN the game. Tonight, he does not have to worry about Butler, as he has already been ruled OUT of this game, as well as Kevin Love. Herro has only seen just 130-minute sample so far this season with both of those guys OUT, but he averages 1.01 fantasy point/minute, while also seeing a usage rate at 29.8%. Isn't the greatest match up and atmosphere here for Herro and the Heat vs the Magic, but those numbers are too hard to ignore.

Julius Randle (PF/C), New York Knicks 

This game is super intriguing tonight and I honestly don't believe many folks go here on such a big slate. Randle has been very good this season, and this spot presented is a good one against a much smaller, and less physical frontcourt in the Nets. The Knicks are still without Mitchell Robinson, and are likely going to start Hartenstein here tonight. Randle has double-double potential on every single slate he plays in, and just left Los Angeles with a 50-burger fantasy point night against the Lakers. This game has just a 1-point spread and a 233.5 game total, so expect there to be some fireworks.

Fred VanVleet (PG), Houston Rockets

Any chance we get to fade the PG spot for the Hawks, we have to take it. Not only that fact, but VanVleet has been torching opposing teams as of late, coming off a 71 fantasy point effort last time out vs the Cleveland Cavaliers pouring in 27 points, grabbing eight boards, dishing a whopping 17 dimes, with a swat and two steals spread across 45 minutes of action. The best thing here is that Fred is literally seeing an average of 38+ minutes a night, and this spot is one of the best on the slate in a major pace-up spot vs the Hawks.

Nikola Vucevic (C), Chicago Bulls 

I really like this spot here for Vucevic and think his price is very comfortable tonight at home vs the Lakers. I think with everyone more focused on Coby White's hot streak and DeMar DeRozan usually getting a lot of love as well, Vuce is the one that comes in nearly un-owned in a match up that I don't think is all that threatening. Yes, Davis can be a great defender, but Vuce is a also a grizzled veteran who has also been a main driving force in the Bulls run here lately. Nikola has recorded 40 or more fantasy points in six of his last seven games, and the lone miss was a 33 fantasy point outing vs the Heat on the road, in which he dropped 56 the game before against the same Heat team in the same spot. He is playing very well and I think he is very low-owned.

 

Value Tier Core Plays:

Spencer Dinwiddie (PG,SG), Brooklyn Nets

Dinwiddie has turned the blocks back a bit lately with Cam Thomas returning and putting up nice scoring efforts, allowing Spencer to be a bit more comfy in the lead PG role as a facilitator and ancillary scorer. Dinwiddie's last four games have been good in terms of fantasy scoring 49, 53, 36, and 41 in those games. Tonight, I mentioned this game sets up for some back and forth that I don't think many see in the 1-point spread and nice total of 233.5. If there is one way to exploit the Knicks, who have been a shade of the defensive team they were with Mitchell Robinson, it is to attack Jalen Brunson and the backcourt. 

Collin Sexton (PG/SG), Utah Jazz 

With both Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George still on the shelf, Sexton has came on strong in grabbing the starting PG role. Sexton has played 30, 32, 33, and 35 minutes across his last four contests while putting up 42, 38, 36, and 40 fantasy points as a result of the increased starter minutes. Sexton has always been a great shooter, and his facilitating has really stepped up as well in the PG spot, and not to mention - he is going back to Cleveland where he started his career and played four seasons before being traded to Utah. Love the spot, and this Cavs defense is depleted without Garland and Mobley.

Clint Capela (C), Atlanta Hawks

Capela also gets a little bit of a revenge narrative spot here as he will head back to Houston where he played a few seasons before being shipped off to Atlanta. Not only that, but Capela has been playing more minutes and playing really well as of late. Capela has seen 29+ minutes in his last six-straight games, which we know typically has not been the norm for him as he was splitting time with Okongwu generally. As a result of the extended minutes, Capela has topped 38 fantasy points in four of his last five games. Have to love the minutes bump, and the fact that he is seeing time with Okongwu lately in bigger line ups. Houston can be exploited in the frontcourt and Capela could potentially put up another 40-fantasy point effort tonight at a fair price.

Brandon Miller (SG/SF), Charlotte Hornets

Miller should continue to be a staple of this Charlotte Hornets rotation with LaMelo Ball still on the sideline. Even though Hayward is probable to play, we don't know how healthy he is. With Hayward sitting last game, Miller played 37 huge minutes on the night, and generally in close games is seeing 35+ minutes a night regardless. This is obviously an excellent spot against the up-tempo Pacers and like this spot quite a bit here for Miller. Miller has had some tougher match ups lately with Toronto and Miami and was still able to get around 25 fantasy points, so we could easily see him getting into the mid-30s or better here in a much faster game environment.

Malik Monk (PG/SG), Sacramento Kings - 

Monk has played much better on his home floor this season, and now gets a Celtics team who should be on tired legs after logging 40+ minutes last night in the Bay area. Monk is a King that generally doesn't get rostered much, and with this many games I don't think he will come in above 5-6% rostered. in 13 home games so far this season, Monk is averaging nearly 33 fantasy points and 27 minutes per game. On the road, that number goes to 23.9 fantasy points and 23 minutes on average. We typically don't love to fade the Celtics defense, but they are not only depleted in the frontcourt, they are off an OT game the night before.

Caris LeVert (SG/SF), Cleveland Cavaliers

Jon and I talked a little bit last night about wanting to look at rotations for teams and seeing who closes games for them, well, LeVert is one of those players and will continue to be for this Cav's team as long as Garland and Mobley are out. LeVert has seen a major up-tick in court time lately, playing 25+ minutes in four of his last six games, and putting up 25 or more fantasy points in his last three straight. We saw the ceiling three games in Boston where he accrued 46 fantasy points while playing 35 minutes on the night. He is great at scoring, rebounding, and his defense is what also keeps him as a closer in this line up. Also, Donovan Mitchell was NOT seen at shootaround, so possibly he could miss this game? Stay monitoring this, because if so, LeVert is a MUST play.

Dillon Brooks (SF), Houston Rockets - 

Brooks is the starting SF and we know he will plug big minutes, and he has played well lately putting up 24, 29, and 39 fantasy points across his last three games. We love playing against the Hawks!

Isaiah Hartenstein (C), New York Knicks

With the news that Sims will now miss 1-2 week, and the fact that the Knicks are already down Mitchell Robinson, this should ultimately thrust Hartenstein into a starting role and 30+ minutes a night. Hartenstein was already playing roughly 30 minutes off the bench in spell of Sims, so this should really make not much of a difference. Over his last four games, Isaiah had seen 29, 30, 31, and most recently 39 minutes of action, while putting up 19, 27, 34, and 41 fantasy points in those games. The Nets are not very sizable in the frontcourt and generally run small-ball with Finney-Smith, so this could be a smash spot if Hartenstein continues to get 30+ minutes.

Aaron Nesmith (PF), Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have been experiencing with their line ups and both Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith are getting good run, but Nesmith has really been the more consistent producer lately. Nesmith is mainly playing off the bench, however, he is seeing between 24-28 minutes a night and for his price I think he comes in a little lower owned in this game. Nesmith has recorded 25, 26, and 33 fantasy points in his last three games, so we could see him once again be a bright spot off the bench in a great game environment against the Hornets tonight. 

Alex Caruso (SG/SF), Chicago Bulls

Caruso continues to be a great impact for this Bulls team whether he starts or comes off the bench. He does get a familiar foe tonight in the team that drafted him and developed him into more of the defensive-minded player he is today in the Los Angeles Lakers. I do believe we will see Caruso come out with more spark tonight and we have seen some nights where he has brought the offense to boot, hopefully that is tonight.

Dean Wade (PF/C)/Craig Porter Jr. (PG/SF), Cleveland Cavaliers

Wade has been serviceable for the Cavs lately and has picked up the starting PF role with Mobley shelved. I do expect him to see another start here, and play 20+ minutes, and with Mitchell now questionable to play, he could be in line for even more run. Wade has seen at least 20 minutes in four of his last five, while putting up at least 20 fantasy points or more in those four of five as well. Mitchell is ruled out and Porter Jr. is reported to start here. He carries a 1.3 fantasy point/minute with Garland, Mobley, and Mitchell OFF the floor. He will be chalky, but price too good.

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