Only two games are on Thursday’s NBA schedule, starting with the San Antonio Spurs at the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs have won just 10 games this season but have taken victories in four of their last six games. Devin Vassell went off for 26 points against the Houston Rockets on Monday, but can he deliver again for NBA DFS lineups on Thursday?Meanwhile, the Pelicans have lost their last four games, but Jonas Valanciunas is coming off of a season-high 37-point performance against Milwaukee. With Zion Williamson (protocols) and Brandon Ingram (toe) out tonight, Valanciunas could be a top pick in the NBA DFS player pool once again after he’s averaged 21.5 points with 10.5 rebounds in two games against the Spurs this season. Before you make your NBA DFS picks for Thursday, 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 Wednesday, he highlighted Lakers superstar LeBron James as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: James finished with 31 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to return 59.5 points on DraftKings and 58.7 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 Thursday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.Top NBA DFS picks for Thursday, December 22One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks for Thursday is Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, who is listed at $7,500 on DraftKings and $8,500 on FanDuel. McCollum scored a season-high 31 points to go with nine assists and eight rebounds against Milwaukee on Monday. Over his last five starts, McCollum has scored 25.8 points with 5.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds.
McCollum’s only start against the Spurs this season came in his first game back from a four-game absence while complying with the league’s health and safety protocols. He shot just 18.2% from the field in that game and was in a funk for the next two, but he’s since played his way out of it. In four games against the Spurs last season, McCollum averaged 26 points with 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists.Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes stacking McCollum with New Orleans G/F Herbert Jones ($4,200 on DraftKings and $5,100 on FanDuel). Jones scored nine points with five steals in his last start on Monday against the Bucks. Since coming back from an ankle injury that kept him out of action for five games, Jones has averaged 8.8 points, 1.5 steals and nearly three rebounds over his last four starts.In Jones’ only game against San Antonio this season, he scored nine points with a couple of rebounds, but that preceded a run of three games where he averaged 12.3 points, four boards and 1.7 blocks prior to his ankle injury. He should be poised for a bigger night this time around, as he has taken 11 three-pointers over the last two games, and the Spurs have allowed opponents to hit a league-high 38.9% of their shots from downtown. San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson has also been playing through a hurt back, so that could give Jones a little bit of an edge in his primary defensive matchup as well.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, December 22McClure 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.