Norman Powell has been a revelation over his last seven games for both the Los Angeles Clippers and daily Fantasy basketball owners. But after averaging 22.1 points per game during that run, he won't be available (knee) in the NBA DFS player pool on Thursday when the Clips play the Suns. Los Angeles was active at the trade deadline, however, and should have some other options that could replace his production. Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland each made their team debuts on Tuesday, but can you count on them receiving an expanded workload on Thursday?
Between the two, Hyland could be the better option for NBA DFS lineups after he's averaged 12 points and 2.5 assists in two previous games against the Suns this season while in Denver. Hyland did a little bit of everything in his Clippers debut, with six points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal, and he could see more time with Terance Mann pulled to other positions in lieu of Powell. 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 Hornets guard LaMelo Ball as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Ball put up a triple-double with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in Charlotte's win over San Antonio to return 65 points on DraftKings and 56.4 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, February 16
One of McClure's top NBA DFS picks for Thursday is Bulls G/F Zach LaVine, who is listed at $8,700 on DraftKings and $8,200 on FanDuel. LaVine scored 35 points to go with 11 rebounds and seven assists on Wednesday against Indiana. Since a 36-point game against Portland on February 4, he has averaged 28.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while shooting 51.9% from the field.
In the second games of back-to-backs this season, LaVine has averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Those numbers are about what he has come away with in two previous games against Milwaukee this year. LaVine has also hit 38.9% of his 3-point attempts against the Bucks and he likes to get to the rim, where Milwaukee has allowed opposing guards to hit 64.8% of their shots over the last five games.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Suns point guard Chris Paul ($8,000 on DraftKings and $8,500 on FanDuel). Paul scored 17 points and had 19 assists with two steals in his last start on Tuesday against Sacramento. Even though Kevin Durant has yet to play for Phoenix, Paul has been rejuvenated since the team traded for him, and he's averaged 17 points, 12 assists and four rebounds over his last three starts.
Paul takes on his former team, the Clippers on Thursday, and he's given them fits already this season. In two previous meetings this year, he's averaged 11 points, 12 assists and 7.5 rebounds against the Clippers. Paul should find some extra Fantasy value with his defense on Thursday as well, as Los Angeles has allowed opposing point guards to make 1.94 steals per game this season, which is the sixth-highest mark in the league.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, February 16
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.
