Merry Christmas DFS aficionados, LineStar hopes the red, puffy-faced man was good to you and I don't mean your local senator because we all gave up on that miracle a long time ago.

The NBA and Christmas Day go together like eggnog and brandy, and today we've got a 5-game holiday slate. On a day like this you have to give a lean towards Khris(mas) Middleton, Marquese Chriss(mas), and of course, James Wiseman bringing the myrrh in the paint for Golden State. Let's see if that strategy plays out on what looks to be a wonderful day for sports...and I guess family too.

Today's NBA Matchups

Pelicans at Heat (-3.5), O/U 223.5, 12:00 PM ET

The Pelicans might have an improved defense this year, holding the Raptors to 99 points in the season opener. Miami is usually solid on that end of the court but gave up 113 to Orlando in falling to 0-1 on the year.

Warriors at Bucks (-10), O/U 231.5 2:30 PM ET

Golden State ranks 2nd in the NBA in pace after one game and is facing the team that was 3rd in that category a year ago. Good target tilt here.

Nets (-3) at Celtics, O/U 227 5:00 PM ET

The normally stout Boston defense served up 121 points to Milwaukee on Wednesday, albeit in a 1-point win. The C's get another huge test against a Nets team that won 125-99 over the Warriors in Steve Nash's coaching debut Tuesday.

Mavericks at Lakers (-6), O/U 227 8:00 PM ET

As expected the Lakers looked pretty flat following their ring ceremony on Tuesday, falling 116-109 to the Clippers. The Mavs really slowed the tempo down in their 106-102 loss to Phoenix to start the year.

Clippers (-2.5) at Nuggets, O/U 224.5 10:30 PM ET

The Clippers scored 116 in the season opener against what is normally a very good Lakers defense. L.A. is a target against a Denver squad that lost their opener to Sacramento, 124-122 (in OT).

Tonight's Point Guard / Shooting Guard Notables

JJ Redick DK $4.4k | FD $4.5k

JJ Redick took 11 three-pointers on Wednesday, en route to a 27 fp night. He gets Miami today, a team who gave up 19 real points to fellow 6th man Terrence Ross of the Magic in their opener.

Khris Middleton DK $7.4k | FD $7.4k

Khris Middleton is a gift card - not overly exciting but also steady and stable. He did shine in the Bucks opener though, taking 20 shots and grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing out 8 assists en route to a 54 fp night. Milwaukee has the fast paced Warriors today as well.

Kelly Oubre, Jr. DK $7.1k | FD $6.4k

There are some things to like about Kelly Oubre, Jr. after his Golden State debut, mainly that he took 14 shots and grabbed 7 rebounds. You don't like that he only made 3 of those shots, including going 0-6 from three. In an up tempo game against Milwaukee, Oubre will improve on his 23 fp night.

Dennis Schroder DK $6.3k | FD $5k

DraftKings has some real Grinch pricing today, but Dennis Shroder for $5k on FD is a bargain after he was 5-15 with 12 rebounds and 8 assists in his Lakers debut on Tuesday.

Lou Williams DK $5.2k | FD $5.3k

It's a bounce back game for Lou Williams, who had just 17 fp in the season opener. The Clippers play a Denver defense that just allowed a 15 real point night to Kings backup PG Cory Joseph.

Tonight's SF / PF Notables

Marquese Chriss DK $4.3 k | FD $4.4k

You have to go back to the Marquese Chriss well on "Chrissmas" Day. The Warriors PF took 10 shots in 12 minutes in the opener and grabbed 8 boards over that span. A fast paced, possible blowout against Milwaukee is the icing on the Little Christmas Tree cake.

Caris LeVert DK $7.2k | FD $5.8k

The Caris LeVert price got a little ridiculous on DK, but he's still a great play on FD after showing he's bound and determined to get his in this star-studded Nets lineup. LeVert took 17 shots in 24 minutes in the season opener, but also grabbed 9 boards and dished out 5 dimes (45fp) over that span.

Kawhi Leonard $9.8k | FD $9.5k

Kawhi Leonard is the PlayStation 5 of today's slate, as he gets a rematch with the Nuggets, who eliminated L.A. in the bubble. Leonard put up 36 fp in the opener despite having a pretty bad night, going 10-26 from the field and 1-8 from three. Denver gave up 124 to Sacramento in the opener.

Will Barton $6.3k | FD $5.2k

Will Barton isn't thrilled to be put into the back-up role behind Michael Porter, but the former may thrive in that spot after getting 16 shots in 33 minutes in Denver's loss to Sacramento. The Clippers have a better defense than the Kings, but that FD price is too good to pass up.

Nicolas Batum DK $4.5k | FD $3.5k

As many LineStar chat users have pointed out, you can't spell Batum without BUM. Nicolas Batum does offer great salary relief if you're going to roster Giannis, Luka, or any of the other big dogs today and he's up against a Denver defense that struggled against usually slow-paced Sacramento.

Tonight's Center Position Notables

Bam Adebayo DK $7.8k | FD $8.5k

Jimmy Butler is iffy with an ankle injury today, which gives Bam Adebayo a bit more value at this price after his 25/11/4 opening night line. The Pelicans gave up 11/9 to Aron Baynes in their opener.

James Wiseman DK $6.2k | FD $4.2k

You've gotta play the Wiseman on Christmas, especially with that frankincense type pricing on FD. The rookie James Wiseman had 19 points and 6 boards in his opener, which is impressive after 0 preseason games.

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You can follow me, Carl Taylor (@dailydogsports), on Twitter for more daily fantasy and sports betting talk and make sure to check out the LineStar chat.

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