Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks play in the second of back-to-back games on Sunday against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since sitting out a game on Tuesday, Gilgeous-Alexander has recorded 63 points, eight assists and seven rebounds over his last two games. He's also scored 80 total points in two games against the Mavericks already this season, so should you lock him into your NBA DFS lineups?
A less obvious NBA DFS value pick from that matchup is Dallas' Tim Hardaway Jr., who is coming off of an 18-point performance on Saturday against New Orleans. Hardaway scored just eight points in a lopsided loss to Boston on Thursday, but in his five games before that, he averaged 18 points, 4.2 rebounds and shot 38.8% from 3-point range. Before you make your NBA DFS picks for Sunday, 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 over $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 and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Saturday, he highlighted Kings center Domantas Sabonis in his NBA DFS player pool for DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Sabonis scored 25 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists to return 52 points on DraftKings and 48.9 points on FanDuel. Anybody that included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Sunday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Sunday, January 8
One of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Mavericks F/C Christian Wood, who is listed at $8,000 on DraftKings and $8,100 on FanDuel. Wood scored 28 points and had six rebounds with two blocks against the Pelicans on Saturday. In seven games played since Christmas, he has averaged 22.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
In Dallas' two prior games against Oklahoma City this season, Wood scored just 19 total points with 12 rebounds, but did so coming off the bench. Wood has been an everyday starter for Dallas since December 17, and will face an Oklahoma City frontcourt that has been decimated by injuries. The majority of Wood's shots have come at the rim or from 3-point range this season, and the Thunder have allowed opposing centers to hit 65% of their shots within five feet of the basket and 35% of their 3-pointers over the last five games.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Memphis G/F Desmond Bane ($6,700 on DraftKings and $6,600 on FanDuel). Bane missed the team's last game against Orlando with a toe injury, but he started on Wednesday against Charlotte. Against the Hornets, he made 8-of-16 shots, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
On Sunday, the Grizzlies take on the Utah Jazz, and point guard Ja Morant could be hobbled as he is listed as questionable with a thigh injury. Bane has only played in one of the two games Memphis has had against the Jazz this season, but in that meeting, he scored 32 points to go with six rebounds, a steal and a block. The Jazz have now lost six of their last seven games, and are playing in the second of a back-to-back as part of a three-game road trip, so circumstances favor Bane stepping up on Sunday.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Sunday, January 8
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Sunday 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 Sunday? 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.
