It’s Friday, December 26. The National Basketball Association (NBA) heads into the final weekend of the 2025 calendar year, and we have a total of nine games on today’s NBA DFS slate. While FanDuel includes all nine games, DraftKings splits up the evening, with two games available in a late-window slate.
We have a Prime Video doubleheader, as the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls meet at 7:30 p.m. EST, while the LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers meet at 10 p.m. EST in the second end of the double dip.
Here are our top NBA DFS picks and advice for tonight’s slate.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
- DraftKings: $9,800
- FanDuel: $10,200
Tyrese Maxey gets a crack at the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Friday. The Bulls have an opponent rank (OPRK) of 19th, while Maxey is averaging 52.9 Fantasy Points Per Game (FPPG).
The last time Maxey faced the Bulls was Nov. 4 in Chicago, and he went for 39 points in 39 minutes, hitting 14-of-26 from the field and 6-of-10 from behind the 3-point line, while posting five rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a steal.
- DraftKings: $8,900
- FanDuel: $9,000
If you don’t trust Maxey for whatever reason, or you’re simply looking to save a little bit of salary, then Booker is a solid option against the Pelicans. New Orleans has an OPRK of 30th, with the Pellies allowing 112.8 PPG with a field-goal percentage of 48.9 percent, which ranks 28th in The Association, and 35.6 percent from behind the 3-point line.
Since an 11-point stinker against the Los Angeles Lakers to open the month, Booker has averaged 27.8 points (PPG), 6.3 assists (APG), 2.8 rebounds (RPG), and 1.8 steals (SPG) per game across the previous four outings. He went for 19 points on Nov. 10 against the Pels, hitting 8-of-13 from the field in 27 minutes in a rout.
- DraftKings: $10,000
- FanDuel: $11,000
Johnson has a favorable matchup against the Miami Heat on Friday. The Heat are allowing 117.6 PPG, which ranks 19th. However, be careful, as the Hawks allow just 45.2% from the field, ranking fourth in the NBA, and 34.5% from behind the 3-point line, ranking sixth.
In the past four games, Johnson has turned up the intensity on offense, averaging 30.0 PPG. He has nine of more rebounds in 11 consecutive outings, while hitting double-doubles in eight of those contests. He also has nine or more assists in seven of the past eight games, including four consecutive triple-doubles from Dec. 5-14.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
- DraftKings: $8,700
- FanDuel: $9,700
Banchero is a strong play against the skidding Charlotte Hornets, who have an OPRK of 17th. He is averaging 40.1 FPPG, which is a great dollar-to-point ratio for potential DFS players.
The power forward is coming off a poor showing in Portland. While the Magic scored a 110-106 win, it wasn’t much thanks to Banchero, who had just 12 points on 4-of-8 from the field, with six boards, three assists, and a turnover in 36 minutes. Prior to that, he averaged 23.8 PPG, while averaging 11.3 RPG and 7.3 APG in the previous four outings.
- DraftKings: $7,700
- FanDuel: $7,900
Bane was signed by the Magic for added 3-point shooting, and he has itched that scratch for Orlando. Last time out in Portland, Bane was good for 23 points (6-of-15 FG), hitting four 3-pointers on his seven attempts, while adding five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and three blocks.
Bane has averaged 34.1 FPPG, while facing a Hornets defense which has an OPRK of 19th. The last time he faced the Hornets, he scored just nine points, but he was good for seven assists and four rebounds in 28 minutes in a 16-point win.
- DraftKings: $7,000
- FanDuel: $7,400
PG13 has been struggling with his shot lately, hitting just 7-of-24 (29.2%) from the field in the past two games, averaging 13.0 PPG with 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.5 SPG, and 1.5 3PT with 1.0 BPG in the two-game skid.
George has been a little erratic lately, and he hasn’t faced the Bulls yet this season. Still, the Bulls have an OPRK of 29th, and despite the recent skid, he has 32.0 FPPG this season. Look for the Bulls to be the elixir to cure his scoring ills.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
- DraftKings: $6,600
- FanDuel: $6,900
Spencer is coming off a big game in Salt Lake City prior to the holiday break, going for 11 points, 13 assists, and three rebounds with two triples across 32 minutes on Tuesday in a 137-128 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Spencer has been a breath of fresh air for the Grizzlies, going for 17.6 PPG, 7.6 APG, and 3.3 RPG with 3.6 three-pointers across eight games in December. Spencer will be facing a Bucks team missing Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf), so he and his Memphis teammates should face little resistance.
- DraftKings: $6,400
- FanDuel: $6,600
Talk about consistency. Gillespie is a tremendous GPP target due to his scoring, going for exactly 16 points in each of the past three games, averaging 16.0 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.0 RPG, 2.7 SPG, and 2.3 3PT across the past three games.
While the stats were nice, he has struggled with his shot lately, hitting 44.4% of lower in six of the past seven games, and he has averaged 1.9 turnovers per game in eight outings the month of December, so tread lightly.
- DraftKings: $6,400
- FanDuel: $7,200
If you want to pick on the lowly Washington Wizards, Quickley is a strong point guard option on Friday. After an absolute stinker against Boston last Saturday, Quickley has bounced back with at least 17 points in each of his past two games.
Quickley is averaging 17.5 PPG, 8.5 APG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.0 3PT in the past two games, although he is still hitting 33.3% of worse in each of his past four outings, hitting just 25.9% (14-of-54 FG) in the span. The last time he faced the Wizards in NBA Group play, he went for 17 points and seven assists across 30 minutes with three triples in a 140-110 win on Nov. 21.
NBA DFS Value Plays
- DraftKings: $4,800
- FanDuel: $4,800
O’Neale brings his sharpshooting to New Orleans, looking to take advantage of the leaky defense of the Pelicans in the front end of a back-to-back situation. The sharpshooter had 12 points with four 3-pointers last time out against the Los Angeles Lakers, and he has buried 2.8 3PT per game across the past four contests. He is averaging 9.5 PPG in the four-game span.
- DraftKings: $5,500
- FanDuel: $6,100
Thompson is averaging 27.7 FPPG overall this season, but he has really picked up the pace in the past three outings. Thompson is averaging 17.0 PPG with 7.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.3 SPG across the past three outings.
The Jazz are expected to be giving, allowing a dismal 127.5 PPG, while teams are hitting 49.2% from the field against Utah, ranking 29th. The Jazz also rank 28th in the NBA in defensive 3-pointer percentage, as teams are hitting 38.1% against them.
- DraftKings: $4,300
- FanDuel: $4,100
Lopez is expected to slide into the starting five, as Ivica Zubac (ankle) suffered a Grade 2 left ankle sprain last time out. He and Kobe Brown should hold it down while Zubac is sidelined for at least the next three weeks.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
