The Toronto Raptors are gradually getting starters back into their lineup, but they aren’t easing them into things. On Tuesday, Gary Trent Jr. played 41 minutes and took 24 shots to score 19 points against the 76ers. Pascal Siakam fared better in his return to action, and scored 28 points with eight assists against Philly. Several role players are still unavailable for the Raptors on Friday when they host the Clippers, but does the likely volume Trent Jr. and Siakam should get warrant starting them in your NBA DFS lineups?
The Clippers have been a strong defensive side this season, but Siakam played well in his single meeting against them last year. He scored 24 points with seven rebounds and three steals in a losing effort. Trent missed 14 games last season, two of which were against Los Angeles, but in his only start against the Clippers, he scored just nine points and only hit 3-of-16 shots. Before making your NBA DFS picks for Friday on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, be sure to check out 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 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.
On Thursday, McClure included Nets superstar James Harden as one of his top NBA DFS picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Harden rose to the occasion in a premier matchup with Philadelphia and scored 33 points to go with 14 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. His performance returned 71.5 points on DraftKings and 64.8 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 the Friday, December 31 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 Friday, December 31
One of McClure’s top Friday NBA DFS picks is Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard ($10,900 on DraftKings and $9,100 FanDuel). The Portland playmaker has been on a torrid run of play over his last five games and averaged 34.4 points and 5.8 assists in those starts. Against a tough Utah defense on Wednesday, he scored 32 points with six rebounds and four assists.
The Trail Blazers take on the Lakers on Friday, who Lillard played well against when the two teams last met on November 6. Lillard scored 25 points and had six assists in the matchup, and while his team continues to battle through several injuries and players out due to health and safety protocols, he can be counted on to keep shooting on New Year’s Eve. The Lakers have lost six of their last seven games and just watched Memphis’ Ja Morant drop 41 points on them in their last game on Wednesday.
Another key in McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Heat swingman Tyler Herro ($7,200 on DraftKings and $6,700 on FanDuel). Tyler Herro was ejected from the Heat’s post-Christmas matchup against Orlando, but in his other three appearances since a three-game absence (quadriceps), he’s been on fire. In those games, he’s made 13-of-20 three-point attempts and has scored no fewer than 26 points in a single contest, including 32 points in his most recent game against Washington on Tuesday.
The shorthanded Heat are in Houston to face the Rockets on Friday, who have lost nine of their last 11 games. Four of Houston’s last five games were losses by double-figures, and Rockets opponents have averaged 15 made three-pointers over their last three games. The same could be said about the Heat, so Herro could be in a situation where he is forced to match Houston shot-for-shot from beyond the arc.
How to set NBA DFS lineups for Friday, December 31
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.
So 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 almost $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
