After exploding for 21 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2, optimism for Kevon Looney to be a major producer for NBA DFS lineups in the 2022 Western Conference Finals has subsided. He had another 12 rebounds in Game 3, but scored just 12 points over the last two playoff games for Golden State. Without a consistently dominant big man in the series, who could be the best frontcourt option in the NBA DFS player pool for Game 5 on Thursday night?
Dallas’ Dorian Finney-Smith could be that option after he erupted for 23 points in Game 4. While his production has been similar to Looney’s, he has the added element of three-point shooting in his repertoire and has made 47.6 percent of his attempts in the series. Before you make any NBA DFS picks for Thursday night’s Game 5 between Dallas and Golden State, 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 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 Wednesday, McClure listed Celtics forward Jayson Tatum as one of his top NBA DFS picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Tatum finished as the top overall Fantasy producer and scored 22 points with 12 rebounds and nine assists to return 50.5 points on DraftKings and 44.9 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 Mavericks vs. Warriors Game 5 and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Thursday, May 26
One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Warriors guard Stephen Curry. Curry had nearly an identical performance to Game 1 when he went 7-for-16 from the field and scored 20 points in Tuesday’s Game 4. The difference has been that his rebounding numbers have been on the decline since the start of the series. Of course, Fantasy players aren’t adding Curry to lineups for his rebounding and will expect him to show up big at home to put the Mavs away and move on to the Finals.
In Game 5s throughout his career, Curry has averaged 24.4 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. Curry only played 25 minutes in the Warriors’ last Game 5 against Memphis, but in the previous series against Denver, he played 38 minutes and scored 30 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. In home playoff games this season, he’s averaged 28 points and 5.1 assists.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Mavericks G/F Reggie Bullock. The Dallas swingman is having the best postseason of his career, and is coming off of an 18-point performance in Game 4. He was ice cold in Game 3, and didn’t put in one of the 10 shots he took, but that followed a career playoff-high 21 points in Game 2.
Besides Game 3, Bullock has managed to be productive despite not holding an offensive usage rate of higher than 15.5 percent in any game in the series. During the 2022 NBA playoffs, Bullock has shot 39.4 percent from three-point range, and he made 6-of-10 from downtown in Game 4. In elimination games this postseason, Bullock has made 48.2 percent of his shots and averaged nearly 37 minutes per game, which could signal that he’ll have another opportunity for a big scoring night on Thursday.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, May 26
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.
So 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 almost $2 million in career winnings, and find out.