As we head towards Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET between the Bucks and the Hawks, Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) has been ruled out and Trae Young (foot) has been listed as questionable. With Antetokounmpo sitting and the possibility that Young could do the same, major adjustments will need to be made by each side. And adjustments will also have to be made as NBA daily Fantasy players on FanDuel and DraftKings set their NBA DFS lineups.
Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez all put up at least 20 points for Milwaukee in a Game 5 win where the Bucks largely implemented a seven-man rotation. The Hawks utilized nine players in their rotation and finding an NBA DFS strategy that maximizes your minutes exposure could be the recipe for success for this single-game slate. Before locking in any NBA DFS picks for Bucks vs. Hawks, be sure to see the NBA DFS advice, player rankings and top daily Fantasy basketball lineups 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.
And on Thursday, McClure included Middleton as one of his top NBA DFS picks. The result: Middleton went off for 26 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block, returning nearly 62 points on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Anybody who had him in their lineup was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to the Saturday, July 3 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 Saturday, July 3
One of McClure's top NBA DFS picks for Bucks vs. Hawks is Holiday. The 12th-year veteran has become an ideal complement to Milwaukee's two All-Stars, averaging 17.7 points and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from the 3-point line during the regular season.
In the postseason, he's been even more effective as a distributor, averaging 17.0 points and 8.4 assists per game. And in the Eastern Conference Finals, Holiday has elevated his game to average 21.0 points and 10.2 assists per contest. With Antetokounmpo out, Holiday had 25 points and 13 assists in Game 5 and he's likely to carry a larger scoring load again with Antetokounmpo sidelined.
Part of McClure's NBA DFS strategy also includes stacking Holiday with Middleton. Despite Antetokounmpo's general dominance on both ends of the floor, his struggles at the free-throw line have forced Middleton into taking on the closer's role late in games and it's something that the two-time NBA All-Star has excelled in.
And with Antetokounmpo out in Game 5, Middleton took on the responsibilities of the go-to guy for 45 minutes and put together a sensational performance both as a scorer and as a distributor. And as a 41.4 percent 3-point shooter this season who is shooting just 24.4 percent from deep in this series, there's significant upside as a scorer. With Antetokounmpo out, Middleton has 30-point upside and is a clear triple-double candidate as the primary option in Milwaukee's offense.
How to set NBA DFS lineups for Saturday, July 3
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Saturday 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 Saturday? 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.
