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The NBA features a loaded five-game slate on Christmas Day as the action tips with Knicks vs. Cavaliers at noon ET and wraps up at 10:30 p.m. ET with Nuggets vs. Timberwolves. LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis and Steph Curry are some of the big names available in the NBA DFS player pool. A lengthy injury list across the league, however, should lead to all daily Fantasy players double-checking statuses before tips. 

Finding players who can outperform their price tags on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings is key to that and to constructing a winning NBA DFS strategy, so who can you lean on in this Christmas Day slate for NBA DFS lineups? Before making any 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.

New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your initial $5 bet wins:

McClure is a DFS professional with more than $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 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.

McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Christmas Day 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, 2025

For Thursday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg. The Mavs have a lengthy injury list with several key players considered as day-to-day as the holiday slate approaches. Flagg, however, is in good standing from a health standpoint, and is in line to put up big numbers in his NBA Christmas debut. The -260 favorite to win Rookie of the Year, Flagg is averaging 19.2 points 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season. See McClure's other top NBA DFS picks at SportsLine.

 New users can also see the latest FanDuel promo code to get $250 in bonus bets at FanDuel if your $5 bet wins:

Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes building around Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Murray is averaging 25.1 points per game this year, around seven points higher than his career average, as he's taken on more of the scoring load in Denver with Michael Porter Jr. in Brooklyn this season. The Nuggets play the Timberwolves in what is projected to be one of the highest-scoring games of the day with an over/under of 238.5. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Christmas Day 2025

McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Christmas because of an optimal 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 Christmas Day? 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.