After a heavy 12-game slate on Wednesday, the NBA returns with two games on Thursday. The action opens with the Indiana Pacers hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 p.m. ET, and wraps up with the Golden State Warriors hosting the Denver Nuggets at 10 p.m. ET. The NBA DFS player pool for Thursday is headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Pascal Siakam, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray. All of them will likely be popular NBA DFS picks, but finding players who can outperform their price tags on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings is key to that and to constructing a winning NBA DFS strategy.
Potential NBA DFS sleeper picks to consider for Thursday include Bennedict Mathurin, Alex Caruso, Christian Braun and Al Horford. Should you include any of them in your 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.
New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets if your initial $5 bet wins + 3 months of NBA League Pass:
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 Wednesday, McClure identified Mavericks PF/C Anthony Davis as one of his top NBA DFS picks on both sites. The result: Davis had 22 points, 13 rebounds, and two steals, returning 48.25 points on DraftKings and 48.1 points on FanDuel. 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 Thursday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
New users can also target the latest Underdog promo code, which may include a play $5, get $100 offer:
Top NBA DFS picks for Thursday, October 23
For Thursday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Thunder center Chet Holmgren who is listed at $7,500 on DraftKings and $7,400 on FanDuel. The former Gonzaga standout is now in his third NBA season and continues to establish himself as one of the league’s most versatile young big men. During the 2024-25 campaign, he averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting close to 49% from the field and 38% from three-point range.
Across his career, Holmgren has averaged 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.3 blocks through more than 140 regular-season appearances. His unique combination of size, rim protection, and perimeter shooting has made him a cornerstone of Oklahoma City’s rise in the Western Conference. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
New users can see the latest FanDuel promo code to get $300 in bonus bets at FanDuel if your $5 bet wins:
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes stacking Holmgren with guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,500 on both DraftKings and $11,300 on FanDuel). The reigning NBA MVP has firmly established himself as one of the league’s elite players. In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 51.9% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range.
Over his career, spanning more than 460 regular-season games, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 24.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per contest. His growth as both a scorer and facilitator has been instrumental in Oklahoma City’s rise to NBA champions and perennial contender status in the Western Conference. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, October 23
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.
