Perhaps the biggest story in the NBA on Sunday is the return of Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson. After a two-year absence following significant injuries, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that he could see up to 15 minutes on the court against the Cavaliers. That amount of time on the floor isn’t likely to be enough of an opportunity to make a huge impact in NBA DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, but daily Fantasy basketball players should keep an eye on his debut to see how he fits with this Golden State team.
Cleveland has allowed opponents to hit 40.4 percent of their 3-point attempts over their last three games, so there is a chance that Thompson comes out and knocks down a few quick jumpers from downtown. Thompson’s minutes and production as the season continues should be more of a concern than his play in his first game back after such a long layoff, but is there value in taking a chance on him Sunday night? Before locking in your 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 nearly $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, McClure included Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of his top NBA DFS picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Antetokounmpo had 43 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks to return 70 points on DraftKings and 67.9 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 the Sunday, January 9 NBA DFS slate 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 9
One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks for Sunday is Lakers forward LeBron James at $11,600 on DraftKings and $11,500 on FanDuel. James is always expected to perform, but he has been especially strong over his last 10 starts. He’s scored at least 30 points in each game during that stretch and has shot 55.3 percent from the field. In his last start against Atlanta on Friday, he made just one of his six 3-point attempts, but otherwise finished with 32 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
On Sunday, James takes on Memphis, who beat Los Angeles in their last matchup on December 29. That was the second game of a road back-to-back for the Lakers, but James still finished with 37 points and 13 rebounds, and made eight of his 14 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, Memphis could be without top scorers Ja Morant (thigh) and Dillon Brooks (ankle) and will definitely be without top rim protector Steven Adams (protocols).
Another key in McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Grizzlies guard De’Anthony Melton ($4,600 on DraftKings and $6,200 on FanDuel). The Grizzlies are looking a bit thin heading into their matchup against the Lakers on Sunday night, with Morant and Brooks potentially out of the lineup. In addition, players like John Konchar (protocols) and Yves Pons (ankle) are also likely to be unavailable, leaving Melton in line for a big workload.
Melton has been getting back into form after missing six games (protocols) between the end of December and beginning of January, but before that stretch, he scored 20 points and had nine rebounds against the Warriors on Dec. 23. Melton has had mixed results as a starter, but in those games this season, he’s averaged 11.2 points with 4.4 rebounds.
How to set NBA DFS lineups for Sunday, January 9
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.
So 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 almost $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
