There are multiple teams in the Eastern Conference projected to compete for the best record in the conference off to a slow start early in the 2024-25 NBA season. But one team many didn't expect to be anywhere near the playoff picture is the Detroit Pistons. Not that 16 games define a season, but the Pistons are 7-9 and tied for the sixth-best record in the East after not winning their seventh game until Feb. 7 last season. The Pistons made notable offseason additions, like Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr., who have all been viable options in the NBA DFS player pool, alongside holdovers like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.
With only four games on Thursday, and the Pistons playing LaMelo Ball and the Hornets, should daily Fantasy basketball players build NBA DFS lineups and DFS stacks on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings around Detroit options? 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 Tuesday, McClure highlighted Nets guard Dennis Schroder as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Schroder had 14 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, two blocks and a steal, returning 45.8 points on DraftKings and 46 points on FanDuel for NBA DFS lineups. 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 Thursday, November 21
For Thursday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, who is listed at $7,100 on DraftKings and $7,500 on FanDuel. Markkanen had 25 points and eight rebounds in a 124-118 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. It was his second 25-point performance over his last three contests as the 27-year-old is averaging 23.8 points and 7.7 rebounds over his past three contests.
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft is averaging 18 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season. He's off to a slower start after averaging 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds last year and 25.6 points and 8.6 the season before, but he's also played some limited minutes and missed some time with an eye injury. These last three games better resemble his talent, and McClure expects that to continue on Thursday versus a Spurs team without Victor Wembanyama (knee).
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Magic guard Jalen Suggs ($6,800 on DraftKings and $6,700 on FanDuel). Suggs had 16 points on Wednesday against the Clippers, and he's averaging 15 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. The 23-year-old signed a five-year, $150.5 million extension this offseason as the Magic showed they have faith in the potential of the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Magic play the Lakers, who are allowing 116 points per game, which ranks 24th in the league. Los Angeles enters on a six-game winning streak, but it has allowed at least 115 points in three of its last four contests, so even its wins are often high-scoring affairs. Suggs has played at least 30 minutes in three of his last four games and McClure likes his value for Thursday NBA DFS lineups. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, November 21
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.
