Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder have won five of their last seven games and look to keep things going on Sunday against a Brooklyn Nets team that is without star forward Kevin Durant (knee). Thunder guard Josh Giddey matched his season-high of 25 points in his last start on Friday against the Chicago Bulls, but can he replicate that kind of performance for NBA DFS lineups? Giddey has scored at least 20 points in three of his last five starts, while averaging eight rebounds and 7.6 assists during that stretch.
Meanwhile, as Brooklyn searches for answers about how to win without Durant, Joe Smith got his first start since Dec. 21 against Boston on Thursday. He could be an option worth considering in the NBA DFS player pool after he scored a season-high 18 points in that game to go with five rebounds and two steals. 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 Pacers PF/C Isaiah Jackson as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Jackson had 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks to return 31.75 points on DraftKings and 35.9 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 15
One of McClure's top NBA DFS picks for Sunday is Kyrie Irving, who is listed at $9,200 on DraftKings and $9,300 on FanDuel. Irving scored 24 points and had six assists in his last start against Boston on Thursday. Since missing a game against the Warriors on December 21 (calf), Irving has averaged 25.6 points and5.4 rebounds, while shooting 41.4% from beyond the 3-point line over eight starts.
Irving hasn't played the Thunder since the 2020-21 season, but there is plenty of reason to believe he's poised for a big performance on Sunday. This season, the Thunder have allowed opposing guards to take eighth-most 3-point attempts per game where the nearest defender is no closer than four feet away. Irving has also been on top of his game defensively in recent starts, recording five steals and four blocks over his last five outings.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox ($9,100 on DraftKings and $8,500 on FanDuel). Fox has scored 24 points in each of his last two starts, and he also had five rebounds, five assists and a steal in his most recent game against Houston on Friday. He has been particularly strong over his last six contests, averaging 25.8 points while shooting 53.2% from the field during that stretch.
On Sunday, the Kings face the San Antonio Spurs, who have lost seven of their last eight games and are coming off of a 144-113 thrashing by the Golden State Warriors. When the Kings played the Spurs earlier this season, Fox scored 28 points and had eight assists in an 18-point win on Nov. 17. Fox has made 55.6% of his 3-pointers over his last two starts, and the Spurs have allowed opponents to hit 44.8% of their 3-point attempts over their last three games.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Sunday, January 15
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.
