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The NBA has become a part of the Christmas Day tradition in the sports world. Despite COVID-19 concerns, the association has managed to put together another loaded slate of games. The 2021 NBA Christmas Day schedule will include evening contests like Warriors vs. Suns, Nets vs. Lakers and Jazz vs. Mavericks. Despite some notable absences, several superstars are still taking the floor in these three games. But who in the NBA DFS player pool should daily Fantasy players be targeting with big money on the line on FanDuel and DraftKings?

LeBron James is averaging 33.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in his last three contests, and he'll have to shoulder a heavy lead against the East-leading Nets, who will be without Kevin Durant after he tested positive for COVID-19. So should you be putting James in your NBA DFS lineups without Durant to match up with him? Before setting your Christmas Day NBA DFS strategy, 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 nearly $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, McClure included Knicks guard Kemba Walker as one of his top NBA DFS picks on FanDuel and DraftKings. The result: Walker went off for a season-high of 44 points to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists to return 70.75 points on DraftKings and 66.8 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 the Christmas Day NBA DFS slate 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

One of McClure's top Christmas Day NBA DFS picks is James at $10,800 on DraftKings and $10,900 on FanDuel. Despite his team not living up to expectations, James is still putting up MVP-worthy numbers. His 26.8 points per game are his most in three years and he's also chipping in 6.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.

James has scored at least 31 points in three straight games, which marks the first time he's accomplished that feat this year. He will get to face a depleted Nets team that will be without a host of regulars due to protocols, including Durant. James also has some additional motivation to put on a show on Christmas as he's closing in on Kobe Bryant's record for most points on Christmas Day. James is just 13 points from passing Bryant and he'll want his record-breaking game to be a memorable one.

Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Nets guard James Harden at $10,700 on DraftKings and $10,200 on FanDuel. Without Durant in the lineup and with Kyrie Irving also testing positive as he attempted to return to the team in a part-time capacity, it'll be Harden's show on Saturday, and he's proven throughout his career that he's more than capable of carrying an offense.

Harden has been playing the role of primary ball-handler and distributor since joining the Nets last season. But he's also a three-time scoring champion who will be more than comfortable as the primary scorer. Harden is averaging 30.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game without Durant (two games) in the lineup this season and he's a good bet to put up huge numbers in Christmas Day NBA DFS.

How to set NBA DFS lineups for Christmas Day

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

So 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 almost $2 million in career winnings, and find out.