This year’s NBA Christmas slate is an intriguing 5 game slate that has a lot of the younger stars in the league including Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker, etc. This year’s NBA season has been interesting thus far as we head into the biggest day of the regular season, Christmas Day. I will take you through each game and play one player in a Christmas Day NBA DFS lineup. Let’s get started with the first game of the day.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks 12:00 PM
Victor Wembanyama ($11,700 FanDuel)
Wemby has been on a tear in fantasy these last few weeks and is guiding the Spurs to some wins in those games. This would be my obvious play because of Wemby’s talent and ability to potentially get 60 and 70 fantasy points. Some other players in this game are Chris Paul, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and a sneaky budget play in Stephon Castle. Wemby should go off on his first Christmas Day affair for huge numbers and make you huge money.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks 2:30 PM
Anthony Edwards ($8,900 FanDuel)
Ant-Man is my pick for this matchup occurring at 2:30 in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. This is also my pick for the game of the day to watch, especially if Luka and Kyrie play in this game as both have been dealing with injuries.
Anthony Edwards has been averaging around 40 fantasy points this season but I see this Christmas Day spotlight as an opportunity for him to explode and have a huge afternoon on National Television. I also think that Luka and Kyrie are great plays in DFS on Christmas Day. I predict Anthony Edwards to score 30 points and over 50 fantasy points against the Mavericks.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics 5:00 PM
Jaylen Brown ($8,100 FanDuel)
Jaylen Brown is the sneaky play of the stars in this 5:00 matchup on Christmas, The obvious plays are probably Tatum and Tyrese Maxey or Joel Embid. But I think Brown is going to have the bigger impact in this game because of the matchups. I think Brown will have a huge day in this game in the early evening. This is a risk because Tatum could end up taking most of the volume but I feel good about this pick of Jaylen Brown.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors 8:30 PM
Stephen Curry ($8,500 FanDuel)
Stephen Curry against Lebron James to start the nightcap on Christmas is probably going to be the most-watched game of the slate because the NFL action will be over and it’s Lebron and Curry. With that being said play either Lebron or Curry in DFS, but Curry is the easier and safer play of the two if he catches fire. The only advantage Lebron has is the potential for a triple-double. Another good play in this game is Anthony Davis as well if you didn’t play Wemby earlier in the day.
Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns 10:30 PM
Nikola Jokic (12,300 FanDuel)
Jokic is the go-to player always in DFS no questions need to be asked as he’s the best player in the league today and the best option in fantasy basketball at the moment. If you want to go with Sun’s flavor, play either Durant or Booker. But the only SAFE play and I REPEAT THE ONLY ONE THAT SAFE IS JOKIC!!!!! He always seems to have 60 fantasy points every single night and he always has good games against Phoenix.
Final Thoughts
The NBA Christmas slate is and will always be the best slate of the NBA season until the Playoffs start and this year is no different. I want to say Merry Christmas to all of the people who will read this article on behalf of the Total Apex Fantasy family and myself. Follow these picks and make a good safe lineup around these picks and you’ll have a successful DFS Christmas.
