Previewing the Christmas slate and a Week 10 fantasy basketball lookahead

Welcome to The Christmas Playlist: That’s right, Christmas for fantasy basketball is coming early, and I’ll let you know who and what to play when it comes to the Christmas slate — and other things in my rotation for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.

Below is a compilation of the pickups you need to make, lineup notes (who’s in and out of rotations) and key takeaways on the schedule. And if you aren’t playing fantasy hoops, now is the perfect time to join in with fantasy football coming to an end.

Before we jump in, I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. After sharing my favorite holiday movies, we’re running it back with my favorite Christmas songs.

So press play and shuffle through the latest fantasy basketball info.

What’s in my Christmas rotation: matchups you have to watch and the players you need to play

Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks – 12:00 pm ET

The Knicks host the Bucks in Madison Square Garden to kick off the Christmas Day events. The Knicks will play their 55th game on Christmas Day (an NBA record), but the Bucks have their number this season, going 2-0, winning by a margin of 14.5 points across the two contests.

Must-see matchup: Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Julius Randle

• Both players are averaging 30+ points over their last two games on Christmas

• Both players averaged at least 28 points with eight rebounds and five assists against one another this season

The play: Donte DiVincenzo – SG/SF, New York Knicks (11% rostered)

• DiVincenzo is averaging 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 3.4 threes and 1.3 steals per game with 58/53/80 shooting splits in nine starts this season.

• In five games versus the Bucks, he’s averaging 13.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 3.2 threes and 1.4 steals per game.

• 77.7 true-shooting percentage in December ranks second-highest in the NBA for players who average at least 15 minutes per game and have played in multiple games.

Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets – 02:30 pm ET

The Warriors are struggling to find an identity, sitting 11th in the Western Conference on Thursday and below .500. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are eight games over .500 and 11-2 at home this year. Could it be a Murray Christmas? We shall see!

Must-see matchup: Stephen Curry vs. Jamal Murray

• Curry last played on Christmas in 2021, scoring 33 points, the most he’s ever scored on December 25th.

• Murray is averaging 24 points, five rebounds, and four assists in his last two games on Christmas.

The play (for DFS): Nikola Jokić – C, Denver Nuggets (whatever the salary is, pay up)

• The Joker put up a 41-15-15 triple-double last year on Christmas vs. the Suns.

• Who’s stopping him between Kevon Looney, rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis and Dario Šarić? It’ll take a Christmas miracle.

Streaming play: Peyton Watson – SG/SF, Denver Nuggets (2% rostered)

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers – 05:00 pm ET

The first matchup since 2008 between these two heated rivals on Christmas will be the one you won’t want to miss. The Celtics are amidst a four-game road trip, and LA will be their final stop on their West Coast tour. It’s been nothing short of greatness when these two teams play, with their last two contests needing extra time to determine the victor. And, hey, it’s LeBron James on Christmas — that alone is must-see TV. Arguably the GOAT, LeBron can set yet another record by becoming the winningest player on December 25th with a victory Monday. He already has the records for most points scored (460), and most games played (17) on his legendary resume.

Must-see matchup: Jayson Tatum vs. LeBron James

• In 17 Christmas Day games, James is averaging 27.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.6 threes and 2.2 stocks per game.

• Tatum is averaging 31.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.8 threes and 2.0 stocks with 47/46/82 shooting splits over his last five games versus the Lakers.

The play: Taurean Prince – SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers (14% rostered)

• The Lakers will be all hands on deck to defend against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

• Cam Reddish will be a factor, too, but I trust Prince to be the more productive fantasy stream.

• Prince ranks 81st in per-game value over his last five contests, shooting an efficient 47% from the field and making 3.6 threes per contest, along with posting 13.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.6 stocks over that span.

• The Lakers play four games in Week 10

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat – 08:00 pm ET

I always love a good Philly and Miami battle, especially with Joel Embiid playing like he wants to claim back-to-back MVP trophies. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo are back, so this should make for an entertaining contest between two playoff Eastern Conference contenders. And you know Jimmy Butler is always looking to stick it to Philly any chance he gets.

Must-see matchup: Joel Embiid vs Bam Adebayo

• Embiid has 12 consecutive games of at least 30 points with 10 rebounds as of Thursday.

• Adebayo has largely been held in check when playing against the Sixers — only going over 20 points in one of his previous five matchups and averaging a mere 13.8 points, 7.4 rebounds with 1.0 assists and 1.8 stocks per game.

The play: There is no play here outside of the usual suspects

Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns – 10:30 pm ET

Unfortunately for fans and fantasy managers, this star-studded Christmas could be missing two critical elements, with Kyrie Irving (heel) and Bradley Beal (ankle) dealing with injuries. That said, Luka Dončić is doing what he does best — everything, while Kevin Durant and Devin Booker try to keep the Suns in contention within a deep Western Conference. Losing to the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night certainly doesn’t help your cause.

Must-see matchup: Luka Dončić vs. Devin Booker

• I’m not sure how much these two will actually matchup, but they’re both going to have extremely high usage rates and will likely lead their team in assists in this game.

• Dončić has scored at least 33 points in four of his last five matchups versus Phoenix.

• Booker dropped 36 points with five rebounds and 10 assists in his last outing against the Mavs and has scored 28 or more points in three of his last five games versus Dallas.

The play(part I): Grayson Allen – SG/SF, Phoenix Suns (35% rostered)

The play(part II): Dante Exum – PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks (39% rostered)

• Assuming Kyrie Irving doesn’t suit up, Exum should continue to be a valuable stream in fantasy basketball.

• He’s available in 61% of Yahoo leagues and ranks in the top 50 in fantasy over the past two weeks.

• His value is propped up by his wild efficiency — 64/58/80 shooting splits with a 77% true shooting percentage in December (seven games).

Week 10 Lookahead

Pickups I’d hold/stream through Week 10:

Shallow leagues

• Jalen Suggs – PG/SG, Orlando Magic (56% rostered)

• Isaiah Hartenstein – C, New York Knicks (53% rostered)

• Talen Horton-Tucker – PG/SG/SF, Utah Jazz (47% rostered)

• Dante Exum – PG, Dallas Mavericks (39% rostered)

• Grayson Allen – SG/SF, Phoenix Suns (35% rostered)

Deep leagues

• Malaki Branham – PG/SG/SF, San Antonio Spurs (12% rostered)

• Taurean Prince – SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers (14% rostered)

• Donte DiVincenzo – SG/SF, New York Knicks (11% rostered)

• Derrick Jones, Jr. SF, Dallas Mavericks (12% rostered)

• Vince Williams, Jr. – SG, Memphis Grizzlies (6% rostered)

• Peyton Watson – SG/SF, Denver Nuggets (2% rostered)

Daily Games Played:

• Monday: 5

• Tuesday: 9

• Wednesday: 6

• Thursday: 8

• Friday: 10

• Saturday: 6

• Sunday: 6

Streaming notes:

• The best streaming days are Monday (5 games), Wednesday (6 games), Saturday (6 games), Sunday (6 games)

• Cavaliers don’t play until Wednesday — drop fringe assets like Isaac Okoro after Saturday

• Teams who play on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday: Suns

• Teams who play on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday: 76ers, Knicks, Mavericks

• Teams who play on Monday, Saturday and Sunday: Lakers

12 teams play four games: 76ers, Celtics, Grizzlies, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Spurs, Suns, Thunder and Wizards

16 teams play three games: Bucks, Bulls, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Kings, Nuggets, Pacers, Pelicans, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers and Warriors

Two teams play two games: Cavaliers and Clippers

Teams with back-to-backs:

• Tuesday/Wednesday: Magic, Nets, Thunder and Wizards

• Wednesday/Thursday: Mavericks

• Thursday/Friday: Celtics, Grizzlies, Hornets, Nuggets, Spurs and Trail Blazers

• Friday/Saturday: 76ers, Knicks and Raptors

• Saturday/Sunday: Lakers

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