NBA DFS Picks: Monday 12/30/24

If you're looking to have some fun this basketball season, NBA DFS on FanDuel has you covered.

With NBA DFS, you can put your hoops knowledge to the test and ride with players you think will go off in a given night.

To help you along the way, we've got a bunch of tools here at FanDuel Research. Specifically, our NBA DFS projections, powered by numberFire, update throughout the day to reflect current news.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks for Today

Guards

Top Priorities

Kyrie Irving ($9,300) and Spencer Dinwiddie ($5,200) -- Luka Doncic is out.

Irving's usage rate climbs 3.8 percentage points to 30.7% without Luka on the year. Irving has averaged 1.08 FanDuel points per minute in games without Doncic and has had 10 and 12 three-point attempts the last two games with Doncic sidelined. On a slate without a ton of high-end upside, Irving jumps out as appealing due to ceiling.

Dinwiddie's usage rate is up 2.8 points to 20.1% without Doncic, and his assist rate jumps up, too. Dinwiddie has averaged 31.4 FanDuel points per game without Doncic active this season.

Josh Giddey ($6,800) -- Giddey is facing a short-handed Charlotte Hornets team (plenty more on them later) as a 5.0-point favorite. Charlotte ranks 19th in defensive rating and 25th in pace, so the matchup is good -- not phenomenal.

But Giddey is fresh off of a 29.5-minute, 60.0-FanDuel-point showing in his return to the lineup after a four-game absence. Giddey went for 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists with a steal and a block for a hyper-efficient game.

He has averaged a robust 1.15 FanDuel points per minute against mid-tier defenses this year. He's also put up at least 38.9 FanDuel points in four straight games.

Vasilije Micic ($4,100) and Seth Curry ($3,600) -- Both LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are listed as doubtful. Without those two active last game, Micic played 29.3 minutes, and Curry played 22.0.

Micic scored 16 points on 13 shot attempts and had 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal for 22.4 FanDuel points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Curry scored 12 points with a block and two rebounds for 17.4 FanDuel points.

These are the top two projected values, via numberFire's model, tonight.

Others to Consider

James Harden ($8,700) -- Harden is averaging 51.3 FanDuel points per game in eight matchups with bottom-10 defenses.

Jamal Murray ($8,100) -- Murray is in the highest-totaled game on the board with a slate-best implied team total. Murray has 49.1 and 57.0 FDP the last two games.

Wings

Top Priorities

Miles Bridges ($6,900), Tidjane Salaun ($4,000), and Josh Green ($4,200) -- Let's go back to the Hornets.

With Ball and Miller off the floor, Bridges holds a 30.6% usage rate, up 5.6 points from his splits with those two dominant ball-handlers. That's one of the biggest bumps we'll see tonight, and the forward landscape is pretty bleak overall in terms of upside options.

Salaun earned 31.4 minutes off the bench last game with these two sidelined. He got up 10 shots and had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and an assist, block, and steal each for a total of 20.5 FanDuel points.

Green played 39.3 minutes last time out for just 20.9 FanDuel points on 9 shot attempts but had 3 steals, as well.

Paul George ($7,800) -- Joel Embiid is questionable tonight, and George could see a usage bump without him but still stands to be in a solid spot either way for a floor output.

George has averaged 34.5 FanDuel points per game on the full season and has double-digit shot attempts in 11 straight games with an average of 14.4.

George is averaging 35.3 FDP per game and 1.13 per minute without Embiid active.

Others to Consider

Josh Hart ($7,400), Mikal Bridges ($6,400) and OG Anunoby ($6,200) -- Jalen Brunson is questionable, and they draw a matchup with a bottom-10 defense. Keep an eye out on the injury report here.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Nikola Jokic ($12,400) -- By far the highest-salaried player on the board, Jokic makes a lot of sense to prioritize from a baseline process standpoint based on the Hornets value we're getting.

Jokic has averaged a league-high 63.4 FanDuel points per game on the year and has had at least 50.0 in six of his last seven.

The Denver Nuggets are sitting with the highest implied team total on the board and face a Utah Jazz team that is last in defensive rating. Against bottom-10 defenses, Jokic has averaged 61.8 FDP in 37.1 minutes per game.

Ivica Zubac ($7,800) -- Zubac has been on an uptick of late. In his last seven games, he's averaged 33.8 minutes and 45.9 FanDuel points.

Zubac gets a weak Pelicans defense, and in matchups with bottom-10 units, he's averaged 37.8 FanDuel points and 1.21 fantasy points per minute.

Mark Williams ($5,800) -- We're not done with the Hornets.

Williams played 22.3 minutes last game without Ball and Miller and had 29.0 FanDuel points with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. He's projected for 33.3 FanDuel points on 27.0 minutes tonight.

Others to Consider

Domantas Sabonis ($9,500) -- He's facing a mid-level rebounding team and hasn't had fewer than 35.9 FDP in a game yet this year.

Patrick Williams ($4,500) -- Williams is averaging 24.1 minutes per game over his last six for 23.4 FDP per game.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.