Do you hear what I hear? Yep, that’s the jingling dribbling of bells balls on the hardwood today. It’s Christmas, which is the official “start” of prime time NBA TV. We have five games today, and all feature either a rivalry or an intriguing matchup of some sort. Some cool Christmas uniforms will also be on display; they’re the best ones I’ve seen in a long time, too, though the Cavs’ version isn’t much different than their everyday get-ups, are they?
Here are today’s top value plays to stuff your stocking with, and remember, the first game tips off at noon eastern, so make sure to have your lineups in before lock time.
J.J. Redick, Clippers ($9,200)
Redick’s DFS ceiling is always capped because he doesn’t do a lot besides score and hit threes, but he has an inviting matchup versus the Lakers today, and it’s one worth exploiting. The Lakers are 29th in fantasy against shooting guards this season and are dead last over the past two weeks. Redick’s been on fire of late, averaging 18.9 real-life points over his last eight games, and he receives the gift of Kobe Bryant, Lou Williams and Nick Young guarding him on the defensive end.
Taj Gibson, Bulls ($8,300)
Bobby Portis will be the popular play here due to the fact that he is $1,900 cheaper, but with this small of a slate I think it’s worth ponying up for Taj Gibson. With Joakim Noah (shoulder) possibly out for a month or longer, it’ll be Gibson, not the trendy Portis, who will reap the benefits. In 13 games subbing for Noah last year, Gibson put up a healthy 12.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks (he went for 10 and 9 with 4 assists and a block on Monday).
Boris Diaw, Spurs ($7,000)
Friday marks the first game of a back-to-back for the Spurs. It’s also the beginning of stretch where they’ll play three games in four days and four games in six days. For most teams, this wouldn’t affect a guy like Boris Diaw, but he plays for the Spurs, which means there’s likely to be some “Popping” going around this week. When guys get Popped, Diaw is usually a player who benefits from the extra minutes afforded to him. Tim Duncan could see reduced minutes Friday, which means Diaw has a chance at exploiting a Houston Rockets team that is 29th vs. power forwards this season and 30th over the past two weeks.
