NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, December 20

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, December 20

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview

UTA at CLE: Jazz 2-12 on road; Cavs on two-game win streak

CHA at IND: Hornets on five-game slide; Pacers on four-game slide

MIA at ORL: Heat 8-6 on road; Magic have dropped two in a row but are 11-2 at home

MIN at PHI: Timberwolves on three-game win streak; 76ers 10-4 at home

NYK at BKN: Nets on a three-game slide

DEN at TOR: Nuggets 7-8 on road; Raptors 8-7 at home

LAL at CHI: Lakers on two-game slide; Bulls 6-4 at home

ATL at HOU: Hawks 3-7 in last 10 games; Rockets on two-game slide but are 11-1 at home

LAC at DAL: Clippers on eight-game win streak; Mavs 7-5 at home

BOS at SAC: Celtics 8-2 in last 10 games; Kings on three-game win streak and are 10-3 at home

For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.

Injuries to Monitor  

For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report       

UTA - Jordan Clarkson (thigh), Keyonte George (foot), Omer Yurtseven (illness): OUT
Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker have to step up in place of Clarkson and George.    

CLE - Donovan Mitchell (illness): Questionable; Darius Garland (jaw), Evan Mobley (knee): OUT
Caris LeVert must step up in the backcourt. Dean Wade is expected to start in place of Mobley. Georges Niang should also see a boost.  

CHA - Gordon Hayward (illness): Probable; Mark Williams (back): Doubtful; LaMelo Ball (ankle): OUT
Nick Richards would be up for another start in place of Williams. Brandon Miller and Ish Smith continue to get a boost.

IND - Myles Turner (hamstring), Jalen Smith (heel): Questionable; Andrew Nembhard (knee): OUT
Bennedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin remain in line for bigger roles. 

MIA - Jimmy Butler (calf), Kevin Love (illness): OUT
Caleb Martin and Josh Richardson should get more opportunities.  

ORL - Markelle Fultz (knee), Joe Ingles (ankle): OUT
Cole Anthony and Anthony Black would continue to get a boost in the backcourt.

PHI - Robert Covington (illness), Marcus Morris (illness): Questionable; Nicolas Batum (hamstring): OUT
Kelly Oubre could be up for a bigger role. 

NYK - Josh Hart (knee): Questionable; Mitchell Robinson (ankle), Jericho Sims (ankle): OUT
Quentin Grimes gets a boost if Hart is out. Isaiah Hartenstein is up for major responsibility.    

BKN - Dennis Smith (back), Lonnie Walker (hamstring), Ben Simmons (back): OUT
Cam Thomas and Royce O'Neale remain up for more playing time.        

DEN - Aaron Gordon (heel): Probable

LAL - Gabe Vincent (knee), Jarred Vanderbilt (back): Probable; Anthony Davis (ankle), LeBron James (calf): Questionable 
Rui Hachimura would be first up for a boost.  

CHI - Alex Caruso (ankle), Patrick Williams (calf): Probable; Torrey Craig (heel), Zach LaVine (foot): OUT
Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter are up for a boost in the absence of LaVine.  

ATL - Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle): Questionable; AJ Griffin (personal), Jalen Johnson (wrist): OUT
Saddiq Bey and Onyeka Okongwu remain up for more responsibility.      

HOU - Amen Thompson (illness), Jae'Sean Tate (illness), Tari Eason (leg): Questionable 
Jeff Green could pick up additional minutes.   

LAC - Paul George (illness), Bones Hyland (knee), Norman Powell (illness): Questionable
Amir Coffey could be up for more opportunity.  

DAL - Maxi Kleber (toe), Josh Green (elbow), Kyrie Irving (heel), Dereck Lively (ankle): OUT
Dante Exum will continue to pick up more playing time. Jaden Hardy and Dwight Powell are also up for more responsibility.    

BOS - Kristaps Porzingis (calf): Questionable; Luke Kornet (thigh), Jayson Tatum (ankle): OUT
Al Horford could be up for a major role. Jaylen Brown must lead the offense. Sam Hauser is also up for more playing time. 

Elite Players

Guards

James Harden, Clippers ($8,800) at Mavericks 

Harden is looking more like his old self, averaging 20.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks over the last 10 games, including three with more than 50 DK points and a high of 71.3. He was limited to just 29 DK points in his last meeting with the Clippers, but he should do better this time, as they remain shorthanded in the backcourt and give up the league's fourth-most points per game to opposing point guards. 

Terry Rozier, Hornets ($8,900) at Pacers 

After leaving the previous game with a thumb injury, Rozier returned to action and racked up 43.8 DK points in his last outing. Rozier was also averaging 27.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.6 steals in the five games leading up to his minor injury. He is likely to keep the momentum going against the Pacers, who give up a league-high 127.0 points per game, while allowing opponents to shoot 51.1 percent from the field. 

Forwards/Centers

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers ($8,700) at Mavericks 

Leonard continues to help lead his squad, averaging 29.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals over the last 10 games, including four with more than 50 DK points. He has delivered a couple of relatively modest performances against the Mavs already this season, but he should be up for a solid outing, as they are shorthanded in the frontcourt and also give up the league's fifth-most points per game to opposing power forwards.

Lauri Markkanen, Jazz ($8,300) at Cavaliers 

Markkanen has reached the 30 DK-point mark in all three games played since returning from a two-week absence, including a high of 41.5 DK points in the last game. The big man has a good chance to keep rolling against the Cavaliers, who are shorthanded in the frontcourt. Markkanen must also look to step up his scoring for his own shorthanded squad. 

Alperen Sengun, Rockets ($8,600) vs. Hawks 

Sengun topped 40 DK points in each of the last two games and is averaging 19.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 10 steals and 1.1 blocks over the last 10 games. He has a good opportunity to continue to shine against the Hawks, who give up the league's seventh-most points and sixth-highest field-goal percentage to opposing centers. Additionally, the Hawks are shorthanded in the frontcourt. 

Expected Chalk 

Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers ($10,900) vs. Hornets

Haliburton was relatively quiet, with 25.5 DK points in his last game, which marked the return from a one-game absence. Nonetheless, he is averaging 25.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 11.8 assists over his last 10 appearances, including four games with more than 60 DK points and a high of 73. Haliburton is likely to thrive against the Hornets, who give up the league's sixth-most points and fourth-highest field-goal percentage per game. 

Mid-Range Money 

Caris LeVert, Cavaliers ($6,200) vs. Jazz

LeVert must continue to step up in the absence of Darius Garland, but he could be up for a much more significant role if Donovan Mitchell is also sidelined. LeVert topped 30 DK points in two of his last three outings, including a high 46.3, while averaging 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals over that stretch. He also faces a favorable matchup at home against the Jazz, who are shorthanded in the backcourt.  

Jabari Smith, Rockets ($6,100) vs. Hawks 

Smith was quiet with just 13.3 DK points in the last game, but he is averaging 11.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 blocks over his last 10 outings, including a high of 40.5 DK points. He should also do well against the Hawks, who give up the league's second-most points per game to opposing power forwards.

Value Picks

Reggie Jackson, Nuggets ($5,000) at Raptors

Despite having Jamal Murray back in the lineup, Jackson has kept his momentum going and is averaging 15.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists over the last five games, including a high of 38 DK points. Jackson could also find opportunity to pad his stats against the Raptors, who give up the league's fifth-most assists per game to opposing point guards.  

Ochai Agbaji, Jazz ($4,200) at Cavaliers 

Agbaji is averaging 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals over the last 10 games, including four with more than 20 DK points and a high of 34, in a game where he started. Agbaji is likely to pick up extra playing time while the Jazz are shorthanded, and he also faces a favorable matchup against the Cavaliers' shorthanded frontcourt. 

Precious Achiuwa, Raptors ($4,800) vs. Nuggets 

Achiuwa delivered 24.3 DK points in the last game and is averaging 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists across the last 10 outings. He faces a tough matchup against the Nuggets' frontcourt but will need to step up together with his teammates to rise to the challenge on their home floor. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dan Bruno plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: duelingdan.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Bruno
Dan has been writing all things NBA for RotoWire since 2014. He is an active fantasy sports player, with a love for DFS. Dan is a certified Coach with the Ontario Basketball Association and is a recreation professional in his home city.
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