With the entire NBA having off on Wednesday and only the Bucks and Thunder playing on Tuesday as Milwaukee won the 2024 NBA Cup, Thursday is filled with options for daily Fantasy basketball players to consider for NBA DFS lineups. With 13 games on the Thursday NBA schedule, the NBA DFS player pool has elite players, including some who are extremely rested and haven't played since Sunday like Jalen Brunson, Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis. Should the additional time off lead to increased minutes for veteran superstars, which could make them top options as NBA DFS picks?
The Celtics vs. Bulls matchup has the highest over/under of the 13 games at 241 points, five points clear of any other game, so is this the matchup to target for NBA DFS stacks on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings? Boston's Payton Pritchard has played an increased role lately, averaging 20.1 points over his last eight games, so he could be a value play to consider for your daily Fantasy basketball strategy. Before making any NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He's also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Monday (when McClure last made NBA DFS picks), McClure highlighted Heat center Bam Adebayo as one of his top NBA DFS picks from the NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Adebayo had 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists, returning 31.5 points on DraftKings and 31.1 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Thursday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks Thursday, December 19
For Thursday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham, who is listed at $9,800 on DraftKings and $9,600 on FanDuel. The fourth-year guard is averaging career-highs in nearly every category, including points (23.5), rebounds (7.5) and assists (9.7). He's also shooting a career-best 45.1% from the field and 38.6% on 3-pointers. Cunningham is coming off his second triple-double in the last three games as he had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 18 assists in a 125-124 overtime victory over the Heat on Monday.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is averaging 23.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 12.2 assists, with 42.4% on 3-pointers, over five December games. He's currently playing some of the best basketball of his career as he's emerging into the superstar the Pistons craved when they selected him with the top pick. The Pistons play the Jazz, who have lost eight of their last nine games and are coming off a 144-107 loss to the Clippers on Monday.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Mavericks guard/forward Klay Thompson ($4,900 on DraftKings and $5,000 on FanDuel). The five-time All-Star had 29 points, five rebounds and four assists against his old squad in the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. He's averaging 22.7 points over his last three games, and he may need to take on a more aggressive scoring role with Luka Doncic (foot) out.
Thompson is shooting 50% from the field and 47.4% on 3-pointers over five December games. The 34-year-old signed a three-year, $50 million deal with Dallas this offseason after spending his first 11 years in Golden State. He remains one of those most dangerous shooters in the sport as the Mavs prepare to face the Clippers, who Thompson averaged 20.3 points against in four games last season. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, December 19
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Thursday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Thursday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
