The Memphis Grizzlies were the last team to wrap up their first round series in the 2022 NBA playoffs, and they barely had a chance to enjoy the win before beginning their Western Conference semifinals matchup against Golden State on Sunday. One player Memphis hopes can step up and make an impact against the Warriors in Game 1 is Jaren Jackson Jr., who is coming off of his best playoff game this season in Game 6 against Minnesota. Jackson finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds to help close out the Timberwolves on Friday, but can he deliver that sort of production again on Sunday for NBA DFS lineups?
Jackson was solid for Memphis in its three games against Golden State during the regular season, averaging 16 points, eight rebounds and 1.6 blocks against the Warriors. Should Jackson be included in your NBA DFS lineups, or should you look elsewhere for value? 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 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 Friday, McClure listed Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant as one of his core NBA DFS picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Morant scored 17 points to go with 11 assists, eight rebounds, a steal and a block to return 46.5 points on DraftKings and 44.1 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, May 1, 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, May 1
For Sunday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson, who is listed at $7,100 on DraftKings and $6,500 on FanDuel. Thompson wrapped up Golden State's first round series win with just 15 points in Game 5, but also finished with individual series-bests in rebounds (nine), steals (four) and assists (three). For the series, Thompson made 50.6 percent of his shots and 45.8 percent of his 3-pointers.
Golden State begins its Western Conference semifinals series against Memphis, which just closed out its first round series against Minnesota on Friday. Thompson only played one game against the Grizzlies during the regular season, scoring 14 points with three rebounds and three assists. The Grizzlies survived their first round series against Minnesota despite allowing the Timberwolves to shoot 38.8 percent from 3-point range, so Thompson should come in a confident shooter on Sunday afternoon.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Boston guard Marcus Smart ($6,200 on DraftKings and $6,300 on FanDuel). Smart was a steady player for the Celtics throughout the first round, but is coming off of his best playoff game this season following the Celtics' first round win against Brooklyn. Smart scored 20 points to go with 11 assists and five rebounds in Boston's Game 4 win to complete its sweep of the Nets.
During the regular season, Smart averaged his third-highest points per game against Milwaukee relative to all other opponents. In four starts against the Bucks, he averaged 17.3 points, 7.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds. In the first round against Brooklyn, Smart averaged 16.5 points, seven assists and 1.3 steals.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Sunday, May 1
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.
