Quinn Allen brings you his DraftKings Pick6 entry for tonight, highlighted by Scottie Barnes’ ability to support his teammates.
Photo by – Imagn Images.
After a huge meeting on Saturday, today’s schedule is very quiet across the association. In fact, we only have three games – the Houston Rockets vs. the Toronto Raptors, the Indiana Pacers vs. the Sacramento Kings, and the Denver Nuggets vs. the New Orleans Pelicans.
Below, we dive into our top NBA picks for DraftKings’ Pick6 on Sunday, December 22nd.
DraftKings NBA Pick6 picks for today
The first three picks are our favorite plays for a 3-player lineup. If you want to play a 6-player lineup, use all six stat predictions listed below.
Fred VanVleet Less than 15.5 points
RJ Barrett less than 23.5 points
Scottie Barnes More than 6.5 assists
Jalen Green less than 20.5 points
Gradey Dick More than 15.5 points
Jonathan Mogbo Less than 6.5 rebounds
Click on each selection to read the full analysis.
DraftKings NBA Pick6 fantasy basketball lineup for December 22nd
Fred VanVleet 15.5 points: LESS
Fred VanVleet signed a big contract with the Houston Rockets a few seasons ago, but he appears to have become their third option behind youngsters Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. VanVleet is averaging just 15.1 PPG with a usage rate of 19.6%.
Although he is still a very good playmaker, VanVleet has not been producing consistently good results, especially lately. He has scored fewer than 15.5 points in five straight appearances. While one might think that this is a revenge game for VanVleet, he only scored 10 points in his only game against his former squad, the Toronto Raptors. Things will stay quiet for the security guard.
RJ Barrett 23.5 points: LESS
RJ Barrett has truly found a home in Toronto. With a larger role, he’s putting up tremendous numbers, averaging a career-best 23.5 points per night. However, Barrett has scored fewer than 23.5 points in three of his last five games.
Additionally, Barrett has a lifetime average of just 18.1 PPG in seven contests against the Rockets. While the Canadian is averaging nearly 30 points per game on home court, I believe in Houston’s ability to slow him down tonight, especially with the Raps already six games under their belt.
Scottie Barnes 6.5 Assists: MORE
I think one of Scottie Barnes’ most underrated skills is his playmaking. The Raptors franchise cornerstone leads the team with 7.3 assists per night, also a career high. Barnes does a phenomenal job of engaging his teammates. He is selfless with the stone in his hands.
Although Barnes had less than 6.5 assists in consecutive games, he had more than 6.5 assists in eight straight games before that. He also averaged 7.3 assists at home in the 2024/25 season. I expect him to compete at a high level of basketball tonight.
Jalen Green 20.5 points: LESS
Jalen Green is developing into a very solid player for the Rockets. While he isn’t always particularly consistent, we’ve seen the guard have some great games this season that will see him reach the 30+ mark. But that won’t happen here.
First, he has scored under 20.5 points in three of his last five. Additionally, Green is averaging just 13.6 PPG in five career games against the Raptors. Don’t expect much from the former first-round pick tonight.
Gradey Dick 15.5 points: MORE
The Raptors are in a rebuild of sorts and Gradey Dick is proving to be an important part of it. He takes full advantage of the larger role as a sophomore, averaging 18.5 points in 32.4 minutes played per night. That’s exactly why you have to pay attention to more than 15.5 points here.
Dick has scored 19.27 and 22 points in his last three competitions. He’s on a hot streak at the moment and the former Kansas Jayhawk is also averaging 17.5 points per game at Scotiabank Arena. This entry is a no-brainer.
Jonathan Mogbo 6.5 rebounds: LESS
Jonathan Mogbo is definitely a role player off the bench for Toronto. He is best known for his ability to make his presence felt even down low, averaging 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds. But he has only had one game with double-digit scoring this season, and Mogbo has averaged fewer than 6.5 rebounds in four of his last seven.
Part of the reason I like this entry is because the Rockets are No. 1 in the league in rebounding. Mogbo will have a lot to do with the glass tonight.
Jon Metler’s DraftKings NBA Pick6 lineup for today
All we know is that Domantas Sabonis and Tyrese Haliburton will have extra equipment against their former teams, which is why both players are there @Pick6 align.
Myles Turner
Scottie Barnes https://t.co/3YWsP4g0so pic.twitter.com/APr7W5X93b
— Jon Metler (@JonMetler) December 22, 2024
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