NBA DFS: LeBron James and top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for Christmas Day, 2021

The 75th slate of NBA Christmas Day games will take place on Saturday and it features many of the league’s top players. Former MVPs like Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook are expected to be in action, as well as future potential winners such as Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker. The league is never short on star power for Christmas games, which could make constructing NBA DFS lineups quite the task. Add in all of the various players unavailable due to health and safety protocols, and there’s a lot to consider when evaluating the NBA DFS player pool.

Players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant are not expected to clear protocols in time for Christmas Day. You don’t want to make the mistake of rostering them or any others who will be watching the games from home. So, before setting your Christmas Day NBA DFS strategy, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure. 

McClure is a DFS professional with nearly $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account. 

This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.

On Thursday, McClure included Knicks guard Kemba Walker as one of his top NBA DFS picks on FanDuel and DraftKings. The result: Walker went off for a season-high of 44 points to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists to return 70.75 points on DraftKings and 66.8 points on FanDuel. Anybody that included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.

Now, McClure has turned his attention to the Christmas Day NBA DFS slate and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top NBA DFS picks for Christmas Day

One of McClure’s top Christmas Day NBA DFS picks is Lakers forward LeBron James at $10,800 on DraftKings and $10,900 on FanDuel. Despite his team not living up to expectations, James is still putting up MVP-worthy numbers. His 26.8 points per game are his most in three years and he’s also chipping in 6.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.

James has scored at least 31 points in three straight games, which marks the first time he’s accomplished that feat this year. He will get to face a depleted Nets team that will be without a host of regulars due to protocols, including Durant. James also has some additional motivation to put on a show on Christmas as he’s closing in on Kobe Bryant’s record for most points on Christmas Day. James is just 13 points from passing Bryant and he’ll want his record-breaking game to be a memorable one.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Nets guard James Harden ($10,700 on DraftKings and $10,200 on FanDuel). After missing the last four games, Harden cleared the league’s health and safety protocols and is expected to suit up on Christmas Day. The 2018 MVP was averaging 22.7 points, 10.3 assists and 8.3 rebounds over his last three games prior to being sidelined.

Harden always takes his game up a notch when Durant is not on the floor, such as a mid-November game vs. Orlando. Harden went off for 36 points in that contest, which is his second-highest mark of the season, to go along with 10 boards, eight assists, three steals and two blocks. Expect another stat-stuffing game on Christmas with the Nets in desperate need for some offense with so many players missing.

How to set NBA DFS lineups for Christmas Day

McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Christmas Day because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.

So who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Christmas Day? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has almost $2 million in career winnings, and find out.