The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by 51 points in Game 1 in a contest where both teams emptied their benches late as they combined for just 36 points in the fourth quarter after averaging 58.3 points over the first three periods. One-sided affairs can make a significant difference for daily Fantasy basketball players with higher-priced players in the NBA DFS player pool not playing as many minutes. Meanwhile, it creates opportunities for end-of-bench options, largely just rostered to fill NBA DFS lineups so DFS players can use their resources on the expensive players to outperform their price points by a wide margin and provide incredible value.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC are 14.5-point favorites on Tuesday, so how should the Game 1 result and Game 2 spread affect how you form a Tuesday NBA DFS strategy? LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Lakers are favored by 5.5 points against Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, while Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers are 4.5-point favorites against Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks in Game 2. So, are those safer games to spend your funds on for NBA DFS lineups? Before making any 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 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Monday, McClure identified Pistons guard Dennis Schroder as one of his top NBA DFS picks on both sites. The result: Schroder had 20 points, two rebounds and three assists, returning 27.5 points on DraftKings and 24.9 points on FanDuel to return value at a cheaper price. Anybody who included him in their lineups could have been well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Tuesday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Tuesday, April 22
For Tuesday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Thunder point guard Gilgeous-Alexander, who is listed at $10,300 on DraftKings and $11,200 on FanDuel. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t needed to play his typical Superman role in Game 1 as he finished with 15 points over 23 minutes in a 51-point blowout. Although the Thunder are double-digit favorites, it’s unlikely the game will get that out of hand yet again, and with Gilgeous-Alexander rested after playing less than half the game on Sunday, he could be in line for major minutes on Tuesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA MVP this season, led the league in scoring at 32.7 points this season. He was also 14th in assists (6.4 per game) while adding five rebounds per contest as a do-it-all point guard in Oklahoma City. The 26-year-old averaged 36.3 points over four games against the Grizzlies during the regular season, and McClure expects another huge output on Tuesday.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam ($6,900 on DraftKings and $8,200 on FanDuel). Siakam had 25 points and seven rebounds in Game 1 on Saturday after averaging 20.2 points and 6.9 rebounds this season. He’s scored at least 25 points in three straight games against the Bucks and averaged 24.2 points and 8.2 rebounds over five games against Milwaukee this season, including Game 1.
The 31-year-old averaged 21.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists over 17 postseason games last year following his midseason trade to Indiana. The Pacers were seventh in the league in scoring (117.4 ppg) while playing at the seventh-fastest pace in the league this season. The Bucks and Pacers averaged 238 combined points over their four regular-season games, and with an over/under at 229 points on Tuesday, McClure expects another standout performance from Siakam. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Tuesday, April 22
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Tuesday 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 Tuesday? 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.