Boston vs Magic 

Vegas Favorite – BOS (-7.0), O/U – 213.5

Players to Watch 

Kyrie Irving (BOS) – ($8,300/41.63 FPPG)

Season Averages – 22.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 6.4 APG

Nikola Vucevic (ORL) – ($9,500/44.59 FPPG)

Season Averages – 20.2 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 3.7 APG

Spurs vs Thunder 

Vegas Favorite – OKC (-6.0), O/U – 227.0

Players to Watch 

LaMarcus Aldridge (SAN) – ($8,500/37.81 FPPG)

Season Averages – 20.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.4 APG

Paul George (OKC) – ($9,700/47.86 FPPG)

Season Averages – 26.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.9 APG

Nuggets vs Suns

Vegas Favorite – DEN (-9.0), O/U – 218.5

Players to Watch

Nikola Jokic (DEN) – ($11,000/46.15 FPPG)

Season Averages – 19.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 7.6 APG

TJ Warren (PHO) – ($6,800/30.19 FPPG)

Season Averages – 18.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 APG

Tonight there will be several matchups that offer up a lot of potential for fantasy players looking to build their rosters. The matchups we will be examining for picks with good potential will be the East vs West matchup of the Knicks vs Lakers and the Western Conference showdown between the #2 Thunder vs the #5 Trailblazers. 

Noah Vonleh ($6,300/25.94 FPPG) represents a decent value pick for fantasy players looking to take advantage of this matchup. From December 21-27th he put up double-doubles in three consecutive games. While he has been great on getting rebounds some other aspects of his play have fallen a little flat lately. However he has been working on stepping up his all around  performance lately by keeping up with his 39.2% of shots made from the three with 2.1 average attempts per game. Vonleh has also been working on blocking more shots such as the 9 blocks he has put up over the past five games. These stats definitely show that when he is given a sufficient workload and minutes, he has the ability to provide decent cross-category production. If the Knicks give him good minutes on the floor and if he keeps working to improve his all around game to put up more fantasy points, those looking to fill a value spot in their fantasy roster would be wise to take a look at Vonleh. 

With several players on the Lakers facing injuries that put them either out or a game-time-decision, JaVale McGee ($6,500/29.66 FPPG) might be getting some more playing time tonight. McGee has only been back two games himself after missing seven games due to pneumonia. His two games back have shown that he appears to be able to rebound back quickly to his normal playing levels. While playing only 23 and 20 minutes in the two games back, he still managed to put up 8 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal in his first game back and 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 blocks on his game on Wednesday. His performance in these two games gave fantasy players a 31.9 FP and 36.1 FP total. If he can play more minutes tonight and continue to improve his production across all aspects of the game, he will certainly be a strong fantasy pick. 

This season, Stevan Adams ($7,100/35.45 FPPG) has been a strong third player behind the powerful duo of Russell Westbrook and Paul George. His success in playing behind the duo can be seen with his double-double production, something that has been very consistent so far this season. In just the past four games the Thunder have played, Adams finished with a double-double in three of those games. And while Adams has been a little slow on shooting lately with no more than 10 shot attempts in four straight games. With Adams averaging 35.2 fantasy points over the past five games, if he can keep up with his past playing and hit another double-double tonight, fantasy points into and above the 40 FP range are very attainable. As he works to improve and create more opportunities for shots, fantasy players can still rely on his efficiency and strong board work to keep his fantasy point values strong.

In these late night matchups, one being an East vs West and one being two Western Conference teams there are a huge amount of players, including the ones listed above, that can help fantasy players to set up a strong lineup. If fantasy players work hard, do their research and get some luck they will be in line to get everything these players leave on the court into their fantasy point totals at the end of the night. 

Raptors vs Spurs 

Vegas Favorite – Spurs (-2.0), O/U – 216.5

Player to Watch 

Kawhi Leonard (TOR) – ($10,300/45.90 FPPG) has been on top of his game lately. He rang in the New Year with a 45 point performance against the Utah Jazz, scoring with 72.7% of his shot attempts. Kawhi also has a season high 17 free throw attempts in this game, making 12 of them. He has had relatively steady performance in his last five games averaging 32 points and 7 rebounds while playing around 33 minutes per game. Fantasy players will be wise to take a look Leonard’s way if his performance this month is anything like December’s where he had only three games below 40 FP. He will have a chance to shine again tonight as the Raptors take on his former team in San Antonio. 

Nuggets vs Kings

Vegas Favorite – Nuggets (-3.5), O/U – 227.0

Player to Watch

De’Aaron Fox (SAC) – ($8,700/37.52 FPPG) had a slower performance than usual on January 1st due to a slight shoulder injury making it one of only eight contests where he put up below 30 FP since November 10th. He may not be Sacramento’s highest scorer but in his past seven games he has recorded three double-doubles due in large part to his impressive assist totals, averaging 8.7 per game across those contests. Even with his shoulder giving him trouble he has still played over 30 minutes in the past two games, giving him plenty of time for scoring opportunities and enough time for fantasy players to get some good use from him. 

Rockets vs Warriors 

Vegas Favorite – Warriors (-8.0), O/U – 224.5

Player to Watch

James Harden (HOU) – ($13,000/55.07 FPPG), who currently leads the NBA with an average 33.3 points per game is playing better than any other player in the league at the moment. He continued his dominance on New Year’s Eve where he led the Rockets with 43 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in Monday’s victory over the Grizzlies, giving him his 4th triple-double of the season. With eight straight games scoring at least 35 points and 5 assists, he also broke a little known record set by Oscar Robertson. Harden was a strong asset for fantasy players thru the month of December, scoring over 60 FP in just over half of the 15 games. Tonight Rockets fans and fantasy players alike will be watching and hoping for him to continue his elite performance as the Rockets try to move further up in the standings. 

Magic vs Hornets 

Vegas Favorite – Hornets (-7.5), O/U – 210.5

Players to Watch 

Nikola Vucevic (ORL) – ($10,000/44.71 FPPG)

Season Averages – 20.5 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 

3.7 APG

Kemba Walker (CHR) -($10,300/43.30 FPPG)

Season Averages – 25.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.0 APG 

Grizzlies vs Rockets 

Vegas Favorite – Rockets (-4.5), O/U – 200.5

Players to Watch 

Mike Conley (MEM) – ($8,700/37.92 FPPG)

Season Averages – 20.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 6.5 APG

James Harden (HOU) – ($12,600/54.55 FPPG)

Season Averages – 33.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 8.2 APG

Celtics vs Spurs 

Vegas Favorite – Celtics (-1.5), O/U – 218.5

Players to Watch 

Kyrie Irving (BOS) – ($9,400/42.80 FPPG)

Season Averages – 23.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.6 APG

DeMar DeRozan (SAN) – ($8,000/36.83 FPPG)

Season Averages – 23.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.2 APG

Mavericks vs Thunder

Vegas Favorite – Thunder (-8.0), O/U – 223.5

Players to Watch 

Luka Doncic (DAL) – ($8,500/35.78 FPPG)

Season Averages – 19.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG

Paul George (OKC) – ($10,300/48.44 FPPG)

Season Averages – 26.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4.2 APG 

Timberwolves vs Pelicans 

Vegas Favorite – Pelicans (-5.5), O/U – 227.0

Players to Watch 

Robert Covington (MIN) – ($6,500/30.76 FPPG)

Season Averages – 13.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.3 APG

Anthony Davis (NOP) – ($12,700/61.76 FPPG)

Season Averages – 28.5 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 4.5 APG

Warriors vs Suns (Single Game Contest)

Vegas Favorite – Warriors (-10.0), O/U – 230.5

Players to Watch

Kevin Durant (GSW) – ($17,000/49.40 FPPG)

Season Averages – 28.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 6.2 APG

Devin Booker (PHO) – ($14,500/41.21 FPPG)

Season Averages – 25.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 7.2 APG

Tonight two teams in the top five of the Western Conference face off for the second time this week. The fifth place Portland Trailblazers had a stunning overtime win against the third place Warriors on Thursday which was Golden States second loss in a row since they fell to the Lakers on Christmas Day. With Golden State just 0.5 games behind the conference-leading Nuggets and the Trailblazers at 3.5 games behind both teams will be fighting hard for a win tonight to bring them closer to the top spot. 

Stephen Curry ($9,800/44.67 FPPG) is going to be working hard tonight to help his team avoid a second straight loss to Portland. Despite the loss on Thursday, Curry still performed much better across the board than he did in the loss on Christmas, with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals.  Since he has returned to the court on December 1st after an 11 game absence he has been putting up great fantasy numbers with only two games below 30 FP contrasted with  five games above 50 FP. If he can continue to play well and put up similar numbers to those in Thursday’s matchup, Curry will definitely be a smart choice for fantasy players tonight.  

Kevin Durant ($10,700/49.80) will also be working hard tonight to help avoid a second loss to the Trailblazers, especially since his missed shot at the buzzer Thursday would’ve ended the game with a Golden State win. He has had an elite season so far with his average 28.8 points per game the highest of his career since the 2013-14 season as well as a career high assists per game with 6.6. Despite the missed shot, Durant still put up good numbers Thursday with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists giving him his second triple double game of the season. December has been a productive month for Durant. Thru the 13 games this month he has averaged 26.3 points per game and has great rebound and assist numbers that helped bring him the one triple-double and three double-double games. His on the court performance has made him a great asset for fantasy players this month with 69.2% of his games scoring above 40 FP. Durant will be working hard tonight to help the Warriors avoid another loss to Portland making him a strong pick for fantasy rosters. 

For fantasy players willing to take a risk on a less consistent pick, Jusuf Nurkic ($8,000/35.36 FP) might be worth a look. While he put up a team leading 27 points in Thursday’s victory over the Warriors, his December has featured five games where he put up only single digit points. Despite his weak scoring, Nurkic has put up great rebound numbers with 9.8 per game on average. Having these rebounds have helped Nurkic’s fantasy numbers stay relevant despite the lack of consistent scoring. While he is definitely a more risky pick for fantasy rosters there is still a good amount of upside, especially if he can once again lead the team in rebounds and points against Golden State.

With the close situation in the Western Conference standings, the Trailblazers looking for a second victory to propel them closer to the top, and the Warriors hoping for a revenge win to end their two game streak, this game has implications lasting into the season. Fantasy players will be wise to keep their eye on this matchup with its abundance of elite picks to help propel their lineups to the top. 

Nets vs Hornets 

Vegas Favorite – Hornets (-4.5), O/U – 220.0

DeAngelo Russell (BKN) -($6,800/32.72 FPPG)

Season Averages – 17.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.2 APG 

Kemba Walker (CHA) – ($9,800/42.65 FPPG)

Season Averages – 25.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 6.2 APG

Mavericks vs Pelicans 

Vegas Favorite – Pelicans (-4.0), O/U – 229.5

DeAndre Jordan (DAL) – ($7,500/34.40 FPPG)

Season Averages – 11.4 PPG, 14.2 RPG, 2.2 APG

Jrue Holliday (NOP) – ($9,400/43.06 FPPG)

Season Averages – 20.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 8.7 APG 

Raptors vs Magic

Vegas Favorite – Raptors (-5.0), O/U – 209.0

Kawhi Leonard (TOR) – ($10,300/46.58 FPPG)

Season Averages – 26.9 FPPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.1 APG 

Aaron Gordon (ORL) – ($7,000/32.18 FPPG)

Season Averages – 15.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.1 APG 

Clippers v Lakers 

Vegas Favorite – Clippers (-5.5), O/U – 229.5

Tobias Harris (LAC) – ($7,500/35.71 FPPG)

Season Averages – 21.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.3 APG 

Kyle Kuzma (LAL) – ($7,200/30.52 FPPG)

Season Averages – 18.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.3 APG 

Spurs vs Nuggets 

Vegas Favorite – Nuggets (-4.0), O/U – 214.5

LaMarcus Aldridge (SAN) – ($7,700/36.10 FPPG)

Season Averages – 18.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.1 APG 

Nikola Jokic (DEN) – ($9,800/43.89 FPPG)

Season Averages – 17.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 7.3 APG

 Nuggets v Spurs 

Vegas Favorite – Spurs (-4.0), O/U – 216.0

The number one team in the Western Conference, the 21-10 Denver Nuggets, will be traveling tonight to take on the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are 18-16 so far this season which places them 4.5 games behind the Nuggets, but they have been a very good team at home this season with a 13-5 home record compared to a road record of 5-11. While the Nuggets have an overall winning record while on the road this season, they have shown some signs of faltering recently with their last three road games ending in losses. Given that the Spurs have the highest 3 point percentage out of the entire league this season with 40.3% of attempts made, the Nuggets will need to continue their trend of holding their opponent to just 32.4% of shots beyond the three. For San Antonio to come out ahead, the Spurs need to attempt to step up their points in the paint. So far this year they have scored the 5th fewest points in the paint throughout the entire league while the Nuggets are the polar opposite with the 5th highest paint points per game. The Nuggets will have to avoid a slow start similar to the one they had in their last loss, continue their strong defensive performance and play hard and fast through all 4 quarters if they want their road losing streak to end tonight. 

Players to Watch 

Jamal Murray (DEN) – ($7,800/32.18 FPPG)

Season Averages – 17.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.0 APG 

Jamal Murray has been on a hot streak lately, shooting above 50% in four of his last five games. His recent performances also included a career high 15 assists, along with 7 rebounds and 22 points for a total of 53.9 fantasy points while playing for 39 minutes in Denver’s recent victory over the Mavericks. Throughout this month, with one 13.7 FP exception, Murray has had a decent fantasy showing with an average 35.9 FP across the 9 games the Nuggets have played in December. Tonight against the Spurs, fantasy players will be hoping for him to continue his high shooting accuracy as well as picking up assists and rebounds to help out their lineups. 

DeMar DeRozan (SAN) – ($8,700/40.93 FPPG)

Season Averages – 23.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.3 APG 

Despite scoring only 12 points in last week’s victory against the Timberwolves, DeRozan rebounded in a big way in San Antonio’s loss to the Rockets on Saturday where he scored 28 points and put up 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. This game mirrored his overall performance this December with him averaging 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists across 12 games so far this month. Due to his efforts he has been a great asset for the most part to fantasy players recently, scoring above 40 FP in almost half of San Antonio’s matchups this month including two games above 50 FP and one above 60 FP. As DeRozan looks to continues on this trend tonight against the Nuggets, fantasy players will be wise to consider him for their rosters. 

Tonight’s Christmas night NBA slate features two matchups between Western Conference teams. Both the game between the top tier Golden State Warriors defending their home court against the visiting Lakers and the matchup featuring the Jazz looking for their second win in a row against Portland will have plenty of fantasy potential for players looking to create a winning Christmas night lineup. 

Coming off a 42 point game against the Clippers, Steph Curry ($9,700/45.19 FPPG) will be looking to stay hot tonight against the Lakers. He has put up above 20 points per game in 10 out of the 11 games the Warriors have played so far in December and has also averaged 5.4 rebounds per game across that same period. If he can keep up his performance up, fantasy players can expect him to put up a high amount of fantasy points. With the exception of a disappointing showing against the Raptors earlier this month, Curry has put up above 35 FP in every other game played this month, making him an expensive but consistent and worthwhile pick to add to fantasy lineups tonight.

On the Lakers side of this matchup, Lebron James should have some of the pressure taken off him tonight because of Brandon Ingram’s ($6,000/25.51 FPPG) return to the team two games ago after missing 7 games with an ankle injury. While it may be a little early to say for sure how much he will continue to add to the team, since his return he has appeared to quickly rebound back to his pre-injury performance, having scored 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists against the Pelicans and 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assist against the Grizzlies in Sunday’s game. While his fantasy point production was inconsistent and at some times disappointing in parts of the season before his injury, in his return he put up 30.4 FP and 27.3 FP. If he can keep his shooting in line and continue to add rebounds and assists for the Lakers he will definitely continue to have great fantasy potential and be a solid choice to add to fantasy rosters. 

In the last contest of the night, the Portland Trailblazers point guard Damian Lillard ($9,300/43.67 FPPG) will be a excellent choice for fantasy players especially considering his recent production. In Sunday’s game against the Mavericks, Lillard put up team high points (33) and assists (7) which shows his value to both the Portland team and fantasy players. This month he has excelled at shooting with 47.2 percent shooting overall and 47.4 percent from beyond the three for an average 28.2 points per game. This has had a great impact on his fantasy point production as well, with him scoring above 40 FP in 63.6% of the contests in December. He will be looking to keep this hot streak alive tonight against the Jazz and fantasy players wanting to take advantage will be wise to add him to their lineups tonight. 

Joe Ingles ($6,000/27.15 FPPG) will offer fantasy players a value pick that has good upside despite his lower scoring potential. Ingles scores above double digits in Utah’s last three games for the first time since the beginning of December. Despite his low scoring he still offers decent fantasy point potential due to his skills with rebounds and assists, having averaged 3.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists across the 11 games played so far in December. Due to these stats keeping him well rounded, he has put up above 30 FP in 54.5% of the matchups this month, including a 33.5 FP showing in Friday’s game against the same team the Jazz will face tonight, offering fantasy players good potential for a lower price. And because FanDuel drops the lowest scoring pick in a lineup there isn’t much downside in the event that Ingles doesn’t perform well.

With the Lakers looking for a win against a tough Golden State team to help them avoid their 4th loss in five games and the Trailblazers looking for revenge after their loss at home to the Utah Jazz last Friday, both teams will be working hard in these Christmas night games. The picks listed here are just a few of the players with great potential in these matchups and should offer fantasy players some nice gifts as they leave it all on the court tonight. 

Raptors vs 76ers

Vegas Favorite – 76ers (-8.0), O/U – 219.0

This matchup features the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors, facing off with the number four ranked Philadelphia 76ers, who are 3.5 games behind the Raptors. The Raptors have handily beaten the 76ers twice already this season but will be playing tonight without their top scorer Kawhi Leonard, who put up 31 points in October’s win and 36 points when the teams met earlier this month. Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry and Danny Green are also questionable for the Raptors tonight, leaving the offense substantially weakened. The already strong 76ers, who are 3rd best in the league for offense and 18th best for defense since acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Timberwolves will definitely go all out to take full advantage of an injury plagued Raptors team but they will need to avoid turning the ball over. The 76ers had a major problem with turnovers in their losses to the Raptors, with 18 turnovers from Ben Simmons alone across those two matchups. This gave a major advantage to the Raptors, who used the plays resulting from those turnovers to outscore the 76ers 56-33 off them. If the 76ers can keep control of the ball and continue to use their offensive weapons they have a real chance of winning due to the some of Toronto’s key players being sidelined for this matchup.

Players to Watch 

Fred VanFleet (TOR) – ($5,800/22.05 FPPG)

Season Averages : 9.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 4.5 APG

Ben Simmons (PHI) – ($9,300/41.94 FPPG)

Season Averages : 15.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 7.9 APG

Thunder vs Jazz

Vegas Favorite – Jazz (-1.5), O/U – 218.0

The Jazz have had played well in their last two games, beating the Warriors by five and completely dominating the Trailblazers in Portland by 30 points yesterday. They will look to continue this trend tonight as they play at home against the 20-10 Oklahoma City Thunder who are only 1.0 game behind the Western Conference leading Denver Nuggets. This will be one of the toughest stretches of the season for the Jazz with another game against Portland and then a meeting with the 76ers following tonight’s game. The Thunder have been on fire lately winning 7 of their last 10 games including an 11 point victory against the Jazz earlier in December. They also lead the NBA in defensive rating at the moment but their real strength lies in their offensive performers. Their aptly named Big Three, which consists of Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams have been averaging an astounding 71.8 points, 29.3 rebounds, 15.7 assists and 6.3 steals per game which not only makes them a killer force for the Thunder but also brings them to the top in every stat category for a set of any three players across the entire NBA. For the Jazz to have any hope of defeating the Thunder, they will have to limit as much performance from these three players as possible while also making sure they keep their own offensive performance in line with their past two games. 

Players to Watch

Paul George (OKC) – ($9,800/47.19 FPPG)

Season Averages : 25.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.4 APG

Rudy Gobert (UTA) – ($8,700/39.47 FPPG)

Season Averages : 14.4 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 2.0 APG

#24 Furman v LSU

Vegas Favorite – LSU (-8.5), O/U – 148.5

As one of the 8 remaining undefeated teams in college basketball, the 12-0 Furman Paladins have beaten two elite teams already this season: the defending NCAA champions Villanova and Loyola, another Final 4 participant from last year. They have been performing great on both offense and defense so far this season, scoring an average 83.7 points per game as they hold their opponents to just 64.9 on average. Tonight Furman will be going on the road as 8.5 point underdogs to face another strong team, the 8-3 LSU Tigers, who are averaging 81.2 points per game this season while holding their opponents to 71.3. The Tigers haven’t lost a game at home so far this season and two of their three losses were to top ranked teams, the Florida State Seminoles and a still undefeated Houston team. In order for LSU to stay ahead of the powerful Furman defense, the Tigers will need to use their offense to maintain control of the ball and shoot more threes than their current season average of 32.8% for 7.4 per game to ensure that they can put up enough points for a victory. With LSU one of the strongest teams on Furman’s remaining schedule, the Paladins will have to leave it all on the court tonight to avoid having their undefeated season spoiled. 

Players to Watch 

Matt Rafferty (FUR) – ($9,300/43.56 FPPG) 

Season Averages : 17.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 4.6 APG

Skylar Mays (LSU) – ($6,900/24.41 FPPG)

Season Averages : 13.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.5 APG

#14 Buffalo vs #20 Marquette

Vegas Favorite – Marquette (-3.5), O/U – 156.5

In this Top 25 matchup, another undefeated team, the Buffalo Bulls, will be looking to keep their unbeaten streak alive. One of the reasons for the Bulls dominance this season is that they have held their opponent to 66.6 points per game on average while their offense averages around 84 points per game. They face a strong opponent tonight in the 9-2 Marquette Golden Eagles, who are scoring an average 77.5 points per game, while only allowing 66.5 to their opponents. Marquette’s only losses this season have been against other powerful ranked teams, the Indiana Hoosiers and the still undefeated Kansas Jayhawks. One way that Marquette can combat Buffalo’s strong defense is to work on picking up rebounds, something that they lead the Big East in with an average of 40 per game while allowing only 33 to opponents. If the Golden Eagles can continue this trend against Buffalo, they hold a better chance of being able to control the ball more which will give them more scoring opportunities. Since Buffalo will be facing a team with a strong defense similar to their own, they will need to continue their strong offensive performance tonight if they hope to keep their unbeaten record.

Players to Watch

CJ Massinburg (BUF) – ($8,200/31.03 FPPG)

Season Averages : 17.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.1 APG

Markus Howard (MARQ) – ($8,500/34.20 FPPG)

Season Averages : 23.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.5 APG