Donovan Mitchell has missed four of the last five games as he deals with a lingering groin injury, but he could be back in action when the Cavaliers play the second of back-to-back games on Friday against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. Should Mitchell play, NBA daily fantasy players should consider that he averaged just 17.7 points and hit just 28.6% of his 3-point attempts against OKC in three games last season. Otherwise, Cavs guard Darius Garland could be a more attractive option for NBA DFS lineups, after he has averaged 25.7 points, 9.8 assists and hit 42.9% of his threes over his last six starts.
OKC has lost two of its last three games and will be without forward Luguentz Dort (hamstring) for Friday. With Dort out, Aaron Wiggins could be a name to consider in the NBA DFS player pool, as he could be in line to make his eighth start this season. As a starter this year, Wiggins has shot 52.5% from the field, and he scored 17 points with six rebounds and two assists in his last start on January 3. Before you make your NBA DFS picks for Friday, 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 Thursday, he highlighted Nets guard Kyrie Irving as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Irving scored 40 points against the Pistons to go with six assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks to return 64.25 points on DraftKings and 63 points on FanDuel. Anyone who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, January 27
One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks for Friday is Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is listed at $11,500 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and made three steals in his last start on Wednesday against Denver. After he missed five games with a knee injury, he has scored 62 total points and shot 56.7% from the field in his two starts since.
On Friday, the Bucks take on the Indiana Pacers, who have only won one of their last nine games. Indiana is riddled with injuries and doesn’t have many options when it comes to trying to slow Antetokounmpo down. Indiana was one of the teams Milwaukee played during Antetokounmpo’s recent absence, but last season, he averaged 35.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in three starts against the Pacers.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Pacers guard TJ McConnell ($6,500 on DraftKings and $7,400 on FanDuel). McConnell scored 17 points and picked out eight assists in his last start on Wednesday against Orlando. With Tyrese Haliburton (elbow) out, McConnell has started the last three games for Indiana and has averaged 18.3 points, 10.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game in those opportunities.
In addition to Haliburton, Indiana could also be without center Myles Turner (ankle) and Andrew Nembhard (illness), so McConnell could find himself as one of the team’s top offensive options by default. One of McConnell’s most valuable attributes is his ability to drive and create shots at the rim. Over their last three games, the Bucks have allowed opponents to score 52.7 points in the paint, and during that stretch, they have allowed guards to get off the sixth-most attempts among all teams within five feet of the basket (19.5 per game) .
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, January 27
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday 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 Friday? 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.