NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for December 23 include Luka Doncic

The NBA has the day off on Christmas Eve but not before a full slate of games on Friday. In the heart of the schedule is a big matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 45 points in a loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, but which of his supporting cast might be strong options to fill out your NBA DFS lineups on Friday? Bobby Portis has been in a bit of a funk over his last two games, but that could give him some hidden value against the Nets, who he scored 20 points against in their first meeting this season.

Led by Kevin Durant, Brooklyn is on a seven-game winning streak, and Kyrie Irving should be back on the floor after sitting out the Nets’ previous game against Golden State to rest a sore calf. Otherwise, Ben Simmons has been a solid depth option out of the NBA DFS player pool, after he has shot 60.7% with 8.5 points, 6.5 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game over his last four starts. Before you make your NBA DFS picks, 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 over $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, he highlighted Pelicans guard CJ McCollum as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: McCollum finished as the top-scoring Fantasy point guard, with 40 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and two blocks to return 70.5 points on DraftKings and 67.1 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 NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, December 23

One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who is listed at $12,500 on DraftKings and $11,800 on FanDuel. Doncic scored 25 points with 10 assists, nine rebounds and three steals in his last start against Minnesota on Wednesday. He has been battling a nagging quad injury for much of the month but has averaged 29.8 points, 8.8 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in December.

On Friday, the Mavericks are at Houston, but Doncic was given the night off when the two played each other earlier this season. In two games against the Rockets last year, he scored 56 total points with 28 rebounds and 13 assists. Meanwhile, the Rockets allow the most points to the point guard position in the NBA, at 28.04 per game.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Suns point guard Chris Paul ($8,300 on DraftKings and $7,900 on FanDuel). Paul scored 12 points to go with 11 assists, four rebounds and two steals in his last start against the Wizards on Tuesday. Over his last five games, he has averaged 17.8 points, 9.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

The Suns are at home against Memphis, which has lost its last two games. Friday will be the first meeting between the two teams this season, but in three games against the Grizzlies last year, Paul averaged 12 points, 12 assists, and had 11 total steals. Devin Booker (groin) and backup point guard Cameron Payne (foot) are both out on Friday, meaning Paul will have to be on the court for the majority of the game and expected to pull all the strings on both ends of the floor for Phoenix.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, December 23

McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday 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.

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