Not long ago, the New Orleans Pelicans were in first place in the Western Conference, but after a 3-7 run over their last 10 games, they sit at fourth ahead of their game with the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon. Although the results have been frustrating, New Orleans center Jonas Valanciunas has averaged 23.3 points and 12.3 rebounds over his last four games. Should he be included in your NBA DFS lineups on Sunday?
Another team battling to stay afloat in the West is the Phoenix Suns, who are also 3-7 in their last 10 games, but winners of their last two. They take on one of the league's hottest teams in the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Suns guard Damion Lee could be a sneaky option in the NBA DFS player pool, as he's averaged 17.3 points per game and hit 51.7% of his 3-point attempts amid the Suns' recent myriad of injuries. 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 Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Edwards scored 44 points to go with six rebounds, three steals and three blocks to return 71 points on DraftKings and 70.2 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 22
One of McClure's top NBA DFS picks for Sunday is Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is listed at $10,000 on DraftKings and $9,600 on FanDuel. Irving scored a season-high 48 points to go with 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals in his last start on Friday against Utah. Over his last five starts, Irving has averaged 29.2 points, 6.2 assists and 2.2 steals.
On Sunday, the Nets are back in action in a high-profile matchup with the Golden State Warriors. Irving sat out of Brooklyn's last meeting with the Warriors on Dec. 21 (calf), but the Nets still won by 30 points. Last season, Irving played once against the Warriors and scored 32 points to go with eight boards and seven assists. Lock him in your NBA DFS lineups and look for a big return against Golden State.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. ($5,600 on DraftKings and $6,000 on FanDuel). Porter scored 19 points and snagged eight rebounds in his last start on Friday against Indiana. Even with a poor showing against the Timberwolves last Wednesday where Porter made just 1-of-6 shots, he has averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and shot 52.4% from the field over his last five games.
The Nuggets host Oklahoma City for the third time this season, and Porter played in two of those previous meetings. In those games, he averaged 16.5 points and six rebounds, while shooting 50% from beyond the 3-point line. Porter has had a steal in each of his last two starts, and the Thunder have allowed the second-most steals to opposing small forwards this season (1.78 per game).
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Sunday, January 22
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.
