The start of February marks the fifth month of the NBA season, and with every passing month, each contest carries a little more importance. February is exciting as well with All-Star Weekend, which although it doesn't fall on the exact midway point of the season, it marks the turn toward the postseason. Seven of the eight teams playing on Thursday are in the top 10 of their conference, with five of the eight teams in the top six of the East. This means although the schedule is light, the Thursday NBA DFS player pool is filled with top options such as Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Injuries are always an important part of forming an NBA DFS strategy on a daily basis, and on Thursday, many of the most popular NBA DFS picks have an injury designation. Joel Embiid (knee), Anthony Davis (Achilles/hip) and LeBron James (ankle) are all out, while Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) and Tyrese Maxey (ankle) are questionable. How should you go about forming NBA DFS lineups with unknowns around certain star players? Before making 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 more than $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 Tuesday, McClure highlighted Knicks guard/forward Donte DiVincenzo as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: DiVincenzo had 33 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block, returning 59.75 points on DraftKings and 60 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
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 1
For Thursday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who is listed at $9,600 on DraftKings and $9,900 on FanDuel. Brunson had 29 points and nine assists in a 118-103 win over the Jazz on Tuesday and has career-highs in points (26.8) and assists (6.5) per game this season. The Knicks face the Pacers, who play at the second-fastest pace in the NBA, and Indiana has allowed at least 120 points in three of its last four games.
The Knicks will be without Julius Randle (shoulder) and possibly OG Anunoby (elbow), who is questionable. Brunson is averaging 30.5 points and eight assists over the last two games without Randle and Anunoby in the lineup. Even if Anunoby returns Thursday, Brunson will still need to assume a huge offensive role without Randle on the floor. Brunson, who was snubbed as an All-Star starter, constantly plays with a chip on his shoulder as a second-round pick, and that chip seems to grow bigger on a nightly basis, so McClure loves this matchup for Brunson on Thursday.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes stacking Brunson with G/F DiVincenzo ($6,800 on DraftKings and $7,200 on FanDuel). The 27-year-old has received a huge lift over the last two games with Randle (shoulder) sidelined for multiple weeks and Anunoby missing the last two contests with an elbow injury. DiVincenzo is averaging 30.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists over 40.5 minutes without the two of them on the floor over the last two contests. Even if Anunoby suits up tonight, DiVincenzo remains in line for ample playing time with his recent success and the Knicks needing scoring with Randle out.
The Knicks signed DiVincenzo to a four-year, $46.87 million contract this offseason to provide depth and outside shooting. New York will be relying on that during this stretch, and DiVincenzo led the NBA in made 3-pointers (56) in January. Indiana ranks 20th in 3-point defense, and opponents are converting at 42.7% from deep over its last three contests, the fourth-highest percentage in the NBA over that stretch. DiVincenzo still doesn't come at a huge price for daily Fantasy basketball players despite his significant increase in usage, and McClure sees him as another valuable addition on Thursday. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, February 1
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.
