PrizePicks for December 29

We’re back for another slate of PrizePicks NBA plays. If you’ve been playing along you know that we managed to squeak out a .500 record on the Christmas picks, but the favorite combos (0-3) and long-shot parlay didn’t quite get there for us. LeBron James missing the over by less than a point was a gut shot.

If you found some success with the “5-minute Christmas” flash sale (25% off a player’s prop for 5 minutes) plays that PrizePicks sent out periodically throughout the day, you are not alone. The LeBron and Nikola Jokic discounts allowed players to make up for some close calls that may not have gone their way early in the day, and I for one greatly appreciated the flash sales and took advantage. We have 10 games Tuesday night to look forward to, so let’s check out the board.

If you’re new here though, you may be wondering just what the heck is PrizePicks? There’s no shortage of outlets to look for different kinds of fantasy action as we begin the new season, and after being introduced to PrizePicks a few months ago, it has quickly become a part of my DFS routine This season, I will be stopping by every week to discuss what’s on the board on the app that is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots to get some hoops action.

PrizePicks is a creative new way to parlay picks based on expected fantasy point production.

The format is simple. PrizePicks will set fantasy point lines for select players and then you choose between two and five players to go over or under their given projection. Naturally, the more players you put into your parlay, the larger the payout! You can enter a “Power Play,” where you must get every pick in your parlay correct to get paid out. Another option is a “Flex Play,” where your payout changes depending on the number of picks you got correct.

• Two player “Power Play” entry pays 3x and “Flex Play” pays 2x for both correct and 0.5x for one correct
• Three player “Power Play” entry pays 5x and “Flex Play” pays 2.25x for three correct and 1.25x for two correct
• Four player “Power Play” entry pays 10x and “Flex Pay” pays 5x for four correct and 1.5x for three correct
• Five player entries are only eligible for “Flex Plays” and pay out 10x for five correct, 2x for four correct and 0.4x for three correct

Tuesday’s first game locks at 7 p.m. ET on PrizePicks. Note that these lines can shift throughout the day leading up to lock just like a spread or money line on a game. Tag me in the PrizePicks Discord channel up until lock if you want a second pair of eyes on a parlay you’re considering or for help on lines that may have changed since this writing.

Scoring breakdown for PrizePicks contests can be found here.

My 2020-21 PrizePicks record

Picks overall: 18-9
Favorite combos: 3-3
Longshot 5-way parlays: 1-2

PrizePicks Dec. 29

NBA

• Julius Randle (42.0 points) — UNDER
• Collin Sexton (32.0 points) — OVER
• Derrick Rose (30.0 points) — UNDER
• Jaylen Brown (35.8 points) — OVER
• Malcolm Brogdon (37.0 points) — UNDER
• Russell Westbrook (50.0 points) — OVER
• Lauri Markkanen (29.8 points) — UNDER
• Goran Dragic (30.0 points) — OVER
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (42.0 points) — OVER
• Zion Williamson (46.0 points) — UNDER
• Michael Porter (32.0 points) — UNDER

Favorite combinations

• Jaylen Brown (o35.8), Zion Williamson (u46.0)
• Jaylen Brown (o35.8), Russell Westbrook (o50.0)
• Goran Dragic (o30.0), Michael Porter (u32.0)

Power play payout: 3x

Flex play payout: 2x for two correct, 0.5x for one correct

Favorite longshot five-way flex play of the day

I’m not a huge fan of doing the largest offering of a five-way parlay on a daily basis, but if I was to run one out there Tuesday on PrizePicks, here’s what I would throw in.

• Jaylen Brown (o35.8), Zion Williamson (u46.0), Russell Westbrook (o50.0), Goran Dragic (o30.0), Michael Porter (u32.0)
  • Flex play payout: 10x for five correct, 2x for four correct, 0.4x for three correct