Five games are on the NBA schedule for Christmas Day, and with the number of star players in action FanDuel participants won't lack for quality roster options. The marquee game of the day is Golden State visiting Cleveland in the teams' first meeting since Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. While many of the biggest names are the same with regards to this budding rivalry, one isn't: Kevin Durant ($9,500). Durant joined the Warriors in July, and his addition gave Golden State another offensive weapon but changed the way in which they defend. With a consistent interior defender in Andrew Bogut moving on, the defensive effort of the other players on the floor was of even greater importance.
Golden State is ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating, with Durant leading the team in blocked shots and combining with Draymond Green to make up a front court tandem that leads the Warriors in a total of five statistical categories. Now comes Durant's first matchup with LeBron James ($10,100) as a member of the Warriors, with James holding the advantage. They've met 16 times in the regular season, with James' teams winning 13 of those meetings, and his individual numbers have been better as well. Per Basketball Reference, James is averaging 29.3 points, 7.1 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game against Durant. As for KD, he's averaging 28.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Now with different teammates, how much will that impact Durant's performances against LeBron? Sunday will provide the first answer to that question.
Here are our roster picks for Sunday's games, working with a $60,000 salary cap with nine roster spots. (Getty)
PG: Isaiah Thomas, Boston
Opponent: at New York
Price: $8,400
Since returning from a groin injury that sidelined him for four games, Thomas has scored 23 points or more in five consecutive games. FanDuel-wise the all-star point guard has accounted for 31.4 points or more in all five games, with the last three outings all producing FanDuel totals of 42.7 points or more. While New York's starting point guard, Derrick Rose, has been playing well of late it's been incredibly tough for opponents to slow down Thomas. And with this being a big game at Madison Square Garden, it wouldn't be a surprise if Thomas put forth an outstanding performance. (Getty)
PG: Ricky Rubio, Minnesota
Opponent: at Oklahoma City
Price: $5,800
Rubio faces the unenviable task of trying to slow down a point guard in Russell Westbrook who has already tallied 14 triple-doubles on the season. Averaging 23.9 FanDuel points per game on the season, Rubio's accounted for 26 points or more in each of his last five games (four of 30 FanDuel points or more). Minnesota and Oklahoma City haven't played since the season opener, with Rubio missing that matchup. Rubio isn't a scorer, but his production on the boards and as a passer and defender have led to him posting some quality FanDuel totals in recent games. (Getty)
SG: Klay Thompson, Golden State
Opponent: at Cleveland
Price: $6,200
There will be a lot of star power on the court at Quicken Loans Arena Sunday afternoon, but thanks to the FanDuel salary cap you can't take everyone. Thompson would be a good player to consider given his comparatively low price tag. However, it should be noted that in seven of the ten games Thompson's played since he scored 60 against the Pacers he's scored 17 points or fewer. Wth J.R. Smith out, Thompson will see more of DeAndre Liggins and Iman Shumpert as his primary defenders. Liggins is a defensive stopper so that matchup won't be easy, but Thompson is in a spot where he'll have plenty of chances to make things happen offensively. (Getty)
SG: Lou Williams, Los Angeles Lakers
Opponent: vs. LA Clippers
Price: $5,700
Averaging 27.7 FanDuel points pr game, Williams has accounted for 29 points or more in three of his last five games. And against the Clippers' second unit, which doesn't have a high-level defender, this is a game where picking Williams would be a good idea. Williams finished Friday's game against the Magic with just 20.9 FanDuel points, his lowest mark since scoring 20.2 points against the Kings on December 12. It was also the fourth time in 13 games this month that he's shot below 30 percent from the field. Look for Williams to rebound from Friday's effort in Orlando as the Lakers return home after playing seven consecutive games away from home. (Getty)
SF: LeBron James, Cleveland
Opponent: vs. Golden State
Price: $10,100
As noted in the first slide, James has enjoyed a great deal of success in his matchups with Durant. Given the skill level of both players, neither should struggle to produce quality numbers Sunday afternoon. But we're taking James here, as he's scored 48 FanDuel points or more in three of his last four games. And in the one game James didn't reach that mark, Friday against Brooklyn, he only played 27 minutes because Cleveland was up by so much. He'll play his usual minutes against the Warriors, and given the stage that could result in LeBron posting a very good stat line. (Getty)
SF: Jae Crowder, Boston
Opponent: at New York
Price: $5,300
Crowder had a rough outing against the Thunder Friday night, tallying just 13.3 FanDuel points (three points, four rebound). That was the first time since November 21 that Crowder failed to score at least 20 FanDuel points, so don't expect performances like the one turned in Friday to become the norm. He should be better offensively, and defensively Crowder will likely be the man responsible for defending Carmelo Anthony. (Getty)
PF: Draymond Green, Golden State
Opponent: vs. Detroit
Price: $7,800
Green did not shoot the ball well against Detroit on December 23, making just one of his eight field goal attempts which included an 0-for-6 night from three. However, he did contribute 12 assists, ten rebounds and two steals on that night as the Warriors won by six. Even if his shots aren't falling Green has the talent to impact games in other areas, which is why he's being selected for tonight's lineup. Green's shooting just under 45 percent from the field on the season, so look for him to be closer to that number than he was in the first meeting with the Pistons. (Getty)
PF: Taj Gibson, Chicago
Opponent: at San Antonio
Price: $4,900
Gibson's had some issues of late for the Bulls when it comes to consistency, as he's tallied fewer than 20 FanDuel points on two of his last four games. But he's still averaging 24.9 points per night, and in the first meeting of the season between the Bulls and Spurs Gibson finished with 12 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. On the season Gibson's averaging 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and even with the improved play of reserve Nikola Mirotić he still gets quality opportunities as part of the Bulls' starting lineup. (Getty)
C: Steven Adams, Oklahoma City
Opponent: vs. Minnesota
Price: $5,200
Averaging 24.4 FanDuel points per game, Adams has accounted for 24 points or more in six of Oklahoma City's last nine games. He'll have a tough matchup in Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns on Sunday, but the importance of that matchup should result in increased productivity from Adams as well. Averaging 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game on the season, Adams is shooting 58.4 percent from the field and also averaging a career-best 1.3 steals per contest. With his cap number being what it is, taking Adams while spending some extra money on other roster spots wouldn't be a bad strategy to go with. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for December 25