LukHappy Saturday night in the NBA. It is December 30th, and we have a small four-game main slate on the horizon tonight. Even with only four games on the slate, we still have an abundance of star power here. We have Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks heading to Indiana to take on Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. Then, to close out the night we have the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks taking on LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers. Now without further ado, let's dive into the NBA main slate.

 

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 on their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!

Notable NBA Injury Updates

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Back-to-Backs

Pace Up Spots (December Ranks)

Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.

*key* Green is the 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 Totals

Top-Tier Core Plays

Luka Doncic, PG, Dallas Mavericks

Luka is heading into this matchup against the Warriors questionable with a quad injury. He missed the last game, so we would like to think he will suit up tonight. If he plays, he has to be thought about considering what he has done the past two games. Especially on Christmas when he absolutely broke the slate going for 97.5 fantasy points. It is once again a good matchup for him taking on the Warriors, so I have no problem paying up for Luka tonight. 

Anthony Davis, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers

Anthony Davis is just a monster. He heads into this game with a questionable tag like he does every game. I expect him to suit up, and if he does, he is most likely scoring 50 fantasy points. In a blowout win over Charlotte, Davis posted 26 points and eight rebounds with four blocks for 50 fantasy points. Oh, I forgot to mention he did that in three quarters because he sat the full fourth quarter. This is a much tougher matchup going up against Minnesota who is regarded as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. In the last matchup against Minnesota, he finished with 53 fantasy points. The matchup does not scare me off him tonight.

Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Indiana Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton is the cover boy for today's playbook. He is priced under 10K which feels like stealing at this point. Haliburton did go through a string of games where he wasn't hitting his value, but that has changed as of late. In a tough game environment against the Bulls who are the slowest-paced team in the NBA, Haliburton still went off. He finished that game with 65.5 fantasy points scoring 21 game points and and dishing out a whopping 20 assists. This matchup is much better with both of these teams ranking in the top-10 of pace for the month of December.

Anthony Edwards, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards keeps making his case for the NBA MVP. This guy is playing at another level. He has gone seven straight games scoring over 25 points in each game. In the last matchup against the Lakers earlier this month he posted 27 points, five assists, and seven rebounds. His price is sitting at just $9,200 which seems like he is underpriced in my opinion. I don't expect him to be one of the highest-owned players on the slate, so if you want to go against the field, play Edwards.

Tyrese Maxey, PG, Philadelphia 76ers

I know he is on the second leg of a back-to-back in which he played 41 minutes. This also isn't the best matchup for him against the Bulls, who can throw Alex Caruso, and Ayo Dosunmu at him. However, without Joel Embiid in the lineup, Maxey can go off again like he did last night against the Knicks. He got up 26 shots finishing with 42 game points and 55.5 fantasy points in a brutal matchup against the Rockets last night. Maxey is still worth a thought, tonight because it is in the realm of possibility he goes off tonight.

Mid-Tier Core Plays

Jalen Brunson, PG, New York Knicks

I had a hard time deciding which Knicks star I wanted to write up about in this great matchup with the Pacers. I decided to lean toward Jalen Brunson in this high-paced matchup. Julius Randle just has a tougher matchup with the Pacers now starting two bigs in Jaylen Smith and Myles Turner. The Knicks are on the second night of a back-to-back, and it was Julius Randle who went off last night. It's Brunson's turn tonight. He is priced under 9K and has the ability to hit a ceiling game tonight of over 50 fantasy points. He has done that in two of his past five games. I have no issues playing either Knicks star but I lean toward Brunson.

Andre Drummond, C, Chicago Bulls

Andre Drummond was highly owned in his last outing and he disappointed. He dealt with foul trouble and only finished with 21 minutes. however, he still finished with 28 fantasy points, so it wasn't a total bomb, because he is a rebounding machine. He finished with 16 rebounds in those minutes just giving him an amazing floor with him starting for the injured Nikola Vucevic. No Joel Embiid tonight, which makes this matchup even juicier. Go back to the well once again with Drummond tonight.

Tobias Harris, SF/PF, Philadelphia 76ers

Another 76er I want to mention is Tobias Harris, even in a pace-down matchup against the Chicago Bulls. Harris finished with 51 fantasy points last night and is still priced at just $7,200. In the six games without Joel Embiid in the lineup this year, Harris goes from 1.85 fantasy points per minute to 2.02. It isn't a huge jump, but it is something and he is the secondary scoring option behind Maxey. I like Harris tonight, especially at his price.

Brandin, Podziemski, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors

Brandin Podziemski continues to start for this Warriors team. He is priced under 6K which we like a lot, because if he just hits shots tonight he should smash his value in a good matchup against the Mavs. Podz also has a solid floor each night because of his other stats, that aren't scoring. He has dished out at least five assists in four straight games and has also grabbed at least five rebounds in four of his last five. I do not see a reason to be off POdz tonight.

Value Tier Core Plays

Jalen Smith, PF/C, Indiana Pacers

If Jalen Smith starts again, as I think he would, I am going back to the well. He is priced under 5K still on DraftKings sitting at 4,900 which makes him in play in my eyes. In his two starts this season he has finished with 25 and 29 fantasy points. The Knicks play two bigs together with Randle and Hartenstein, so Smith should get enough run to warrant a play once again. 

Taurean Prince, SF, Los Angeles Lakers

Taurean Prince is a huge part of this Lakers roster as a 3-D wing. He is coming off a disappointing game in a good matchup against Charlotte but that was because it was a blowout, and he only saw 22 minutes. In the previous four games, he played at least 28 minutes in each and scored over 25 fantasy points in three of his four as well. In a game against Minnesota that should be much more competitive, I will be going with Prince once again. Plus, it has a a bit of a revenge game narrative as well.

Trayce Jackson-Davis, C, Golden State Warriors

With Trayce Jackson-Davis getting more run off the bench as of late his price jumped over 5K. Then he disappointed on Christmas day and his price dropped below 5K again. Well, he played 26 minutes in the last game and finished with 30 fantasy points. Kevon Looney is heading into this game questionable, and if he does not play, TJD becomes a must-play for me at his price.

Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls

I am very surprised we have not seen a price jump for Ayo Dosunmu as of late. He has played 33 and 35 minutes in his last two games off the bench. He has even been with the closing lineup to finish the games as well. Both of those games were in great matchups, against the Knicks and Hawks who are two of the highest-paced teams in the league. Because of the different game environment, I do not expect a ceiling game from Ayo, but if he still gets you 25-30 fantasy points, you will gladly take that.

Quentin Grimes, SG/SF, New York Knicks

With the news of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley being traded for OG Anunoby opens up some minutes on the wings in this game for the Knicks. The obvious pivots are Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, but Quentin Grimes intrigues me a bit and he will most likely go overlooked. He is just $3,100 on DraftKings, and he could see over 20 minutes in this one. When Grimes gets extended run, we have seen him hit shots and produce for fantasy purposes. It's a shot in the dark, but if he gets you 16-20 fantasy points, you will take that as his price for tournaments.

Update: Quentin Grimes has been ruled out. DiVincenzo and Hart should be the top options now. But if you are looking for a punt option, perhaps Evan Fournier and Miles McBride get an extended run and can put up numbers at a minimum price.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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