Apr 15, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) is hit by Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) in the third quarter during game one of the 2023 NBA playoffs at the Golden 1 Center.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets met in the Western Conference finals during the 2020 NBA playoffs in the bubble, and after a couple of seasons of failing to meet expectations, they'll match up again with a trip to the 2023 NBA Finals on the line. The series will begin on Tuesday with tipoff for Game 1 scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, and NBA daily Fantasy players will be scouring each roster looking for value. Anthony Davis has led the 2023 NBA playoffs in rebounds per game (14.1) and blocks per game (3.3), and he'll be a popular option for NBA DFS lineups on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Jamal Murray has found his scoring rhythm during this postseason, averaging 25.9 points per game while shooting 46.1% from the floor and 39.5% from the 3-point line. So, where else might you turn for a defensive presence and scoring in the NBA DFS player pool for Game 1, and how can you balance a roster that will need some star power in it? Before making your NBA DFS picks for Tuesday, 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 Sunday, McClure highlighted Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in his NBA DFS player pool. The result: Tatum scored an NBA record 51 points in Boston's Game 7 win over the Sixers with 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals to return 83.25 points on DraftKings and 80.1 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 NBA playoffs on Tuesday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
One part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Lakers wing Lonnie Walker IV. Walker signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract to join the Lakers this offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Spurs. He has made a significant impact both as a starter and a key reserve throughout the season.
Walker averaged 11.7 points per game over 23.2 minutes per game while shooting a career-best 44.8% from the floor. So far this postseason, his role has been scaled back slightly with the Lakers leaning on their stars. But he's shooting 52.3% from the floor and 39.1% from the 3-point line, and his scoring presence should be an asset against Denver.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. The two-time NBA MVP put together another enormous season, averaging 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game with 29 triple-doubles on the season.
This year's runner-up to Joel Embiid for MVP honors has had three triple-doubles in his last four games. He's averaging 36.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks over his last five postseason games and you'll want to ride the hot hand in Game 1. See the rest of McClure's picks here.
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.