This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
The NBA's annual holiday showcase is indisputably at least partly marred by the specter of COVID-19, as there were will be several big stars that will be forced to sit out while in COVID protocols Saturday. Nevertheless, all five games are still slated to go off as scheduled, something that wasn't completely a given earlier in the week. Spreads are larger than they would be in some instances thanks to the absences, but it should still be an entertaining day of DFS action where some value plays figure to have a key role in tournament success.
Slate Overview
Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks (-7) (O/U: 209.0 points)
Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks (-7) (O/U: 220.5 points)
Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns (-6.5) (O/U: 214.5 points)
Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Lakers (-1.5) (O/U: 224.5 points)
Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz (-12.5) (O/U: 215.0 points)
It's heartening to see two games have projected totals over 220 points despite what will be spotty participation records on the part of the biggest names, and with only one spread at double digits, we seem to have a good chance of a largely competitive day of hardwood action. There are a couple of scores that need settling between teams as well, as the Bucks are down 0-2 to the Celtics in this year's series thus far and the Knicks are looking to notch a win against Atlanta in front of their home fans after being ousted from the postseason by the Hawks last summer.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
Luka Doncic, DAL (ankle): OUT
Jalen Brunson should draw the start at point guard in Doncic's absence, while the usage of the remaining members of the starting five should see a bump.
LeBron James, LAL (abdomen): PROBABLE
James is fully expected to play through his probable designation and will be primed for elevated usage with Anthony Davis (knee) out.
Trae Young, ATL (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
With Young expected to remain sidelined, Delon Wright is likely to handle starting point guard duties, while the usage of the likes of Bogdan Bogdanovic and John Collins should remain particularly elevated.
Kevin Durant, BRO (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
In Durant's expected absence, the just-cleared James Harden should have a significant bump in his already elevated usage, while Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap are likely to handle starting power forward duties.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (COVID-19 protocols): QUESTIONABLE
Antetokounmpo cleared health and safety protocols Friday, and a final decision on his Christmas status is expected to come during pregame warmups. Jordan Nwora would likely step in at power forward again if Giannis' conditioning keeps him out.
Kristaps Porzingis, DAL (toe): QUESTIONABLE
If Porzingis joins Doncic as unavailable for the night, Dorian Finney-Smith might shift to power forward and Marquese Chriss would also see a bump in opportunity off the bench.
Other notable injuries:
Anthony Davis, LAL (knee): OUT
Clint Capela, ATL (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
RJ Barrett, NYK (COVID-19 protocols): GTD
Al Horford, BOS (COVID-19 protocols): GTD
Marcus Smart, BOS (hip): QUESTIONABLE
Andrew Wiggins, GSW (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
Jordan Poole, GSW (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
Kevin Huerter, ATL (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
Derrick Rose, NYK (ankle): OUT
Kyrie Irving, BRO (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
LaMarcus Aldridge, BRO (COVID-19 protocols): GTD
Tim Hardaway, Jr., DAL (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
Cam Reddish, ATL (ankle/calf): GTD
Delon Wright, ATL (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
There are seven players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to be active on Saturday's slate – Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,400), Stephen Curry ($11,200), LeBron James ($10,800), James Harden ($10,700), Jayson Tatum ($10,400), Julius Randle ($10,200) and Russell Westbrook ($10,000).
As mentioned earlier, Antetokounmpo's status will have to be monitored carefully prior to tip-off. If he does suit up, he could be on a minutes limit of some sort against a Celtics team he scored 34.5 DK points minutes in 33 minutes against during his only prior meeting with this season.
Curry should have an even bigger role than usual with Poole and Wiggins still out of action and is coming off a 60-plus DK-point tally against the Grizzlies in his last game.
James has scored over 60 DK points in two of his last three and boasts a 30.8 percent usage rate without AD on the floor.
Harden is averaging 49.4 DK points per game and sports a 34.7 percent usage rate without Durant on the floor, a condition he'll be playing under Saturday.
Tatum has shot under 40 percent in three straight games but is currently taking on even more responsibility than usual due to the multiple COVID absences on the Celtics. He's also averaged an outstanding 55.5 DK points over his first two games against the Bucks this season.
Randle scored just 27.3 DK points on 21.4 percent shooting in his first game against the Hawks this season but is averaging 42.1 DK points per contest for the campaign. He'll also be facing a significant depleted Atlanta first unit.
Westbrook has scored 44.8 to 49 DK points in four of his last five games and owns a 30.0 percent usage rate without Davis on the floor this season. He also has averaged an impressive 29.9 points, 9.9 assists, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest in the 28 games he's faced Harden in during his career.
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players just mentioned in the prior section, other likely chalk plays include:
Donovan Mitchell, UTA ($9,600)
The Jazz are at full health in the starting five but Mitchell has scored over 44 DK points in three of his last four and has been a virtual lock for at 40 in recent games.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($9,400)
Like Tatum, Brown is staking on a particularly hefty workload at the moment and checks in having scored 40 to 51 DK points in his last three. He also scored 37.5 DK points in 29.6 minutes in his one prior meeting with the Bucks.
Jrue Holiday, MIL ($9,300)
Holiday has scored 48.8 to 56.3 DK points in his last four games with Antetokounmpo out, and even if Giannis returns Saturday, the veteran point guard should still be on plenty of rosters.
Rudy Gobert, UTA ($9,200)
Gobert has been as steady as they come while averaging 42.4 DK points per contest and comes in having scored over 50 DK points in three of the last five contests.
Jalen Brunson, DAL ($7,600)
Brunson has scored 36 to 48 DK points in his last four games while filling in for Doncic and should be in for another night of elevated usage Saturday, albeit in a tough matchup against the Jazz.
Key Values
Kemba Walker, NYK vs. ATL ($6,100)
Walker has been outstanding since reentering the Knicks rotation out of necessity, exploding for 41 to 70.8 DK points in his first three games back. The veteran should continue to enjoy a sizable role off the bench while Derrick Rose (ankle) faces an extended absence, and he could see elevated usage due to the likely ongoing absence of RJ Barrett (COVID-19) as well Saturday. The Hawks, as mentioned earlier, are working with a depleted backcourt and already check in allowing Eastern Conference-high 50.6 percent offensive efficiency to backcourt players while also ranking just outside the bottom 10 of the league in that category against second-unit players (41.3 percent).
DeMarcus Cousins, MIL vs. BOS ($4,900)
Cousins has turned back the clock while filling in for Bobby Portis at center over the last three games, scoring 33.5 to 42 DK points while playing at least 27 minutes in that sample. The versatile big man hasn't had too much success with his three-point shot yet (28.6 percent) during that stretch, he's offered a well-balanced line of 17.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block and should still enjoy a solid role Saturday despite Portis' projected return to action from COVID-19 protocols. Portis hasn't taken the floor since Dec. 15, so there could be some sort of minutes restriction for him, and Cousins could also thrive in more limited time against a thin Boston frontcourt that is expected to be down multiple players.
Gary Payton, GSW at PHO ($4,300)
Payton has done a solid job helping fill in minutes in the backcourt during the ongoing absence of Jordan Poole, scoring 25.5 to 30 DK points in his last three contests. The young veteran has seen between 18 and 33 minutes in those games, and his efficiency has been through the roof thus far as evidenced by a 64.1 percent success rate from the floor. While that number is naturally unsustainable over the long term, Payton has drained an impressive 55.6 percent of his attempts while putting up 12 per contest in the aforementioned three-game sample, and he could be even busier Saturday considering Damion Lee also entered COVID-19 protocols Wednesday and will sit out Saturday.
ALSO CONSIDER: Dorian Finney-Smith, DAL at UTA ($5,700); Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL at NYK ($4,700)
