The 2025 NBA playoffs continue on Thursday with a trio of games moving to new sites with Game 3 action and the lower seeds now playing in front of their home crowds. A shift in home court can drastically change a team’s performance, especially in the playoffs, and that should alter how daily Fantasy basketball players form an NBA DFS strategy as well. The Detroit Pistons (vs. New York Knicks) and Los Angeles Clippers (vs. Denver Nuggets) both won road games, and their stars from the NBA DFS player pool like Cade Cunningham, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard will look to capitalize on a return home for NBA DFS lineups.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by an average of 35 points in Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies failed to reach 100 points in either contest, but will a return to Memphis bring a stronger performance from players like Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. for Thursday 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.
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 Heat power forward/center Bam Adebayo as one of his top NBA DFS picks on both sites. The result: Adebayo had a near triple-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, returning 45 points on DraftKings and 42.3 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.
Top NBA DFS picks for Thursday, April 24
For Thursday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Grizzlies point guard Morant, who is listed at $7,600 on DraftKings and $8,000 on FanDuel. Morant has struggled over the first two games, averaging 20 points, 2.5 rebounds and five assists over the first two contests after posting 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists during the regular season. Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is one of the most talented players in the league, and McClure expects a return home to bring out that version of the 25-year-old superstar.
The Grizzlies face what basically equates to a must-win on Thursday as it’s extremely unlikely they’ll be able to rally from a 3-0 deficit against a Thunder team that went 68-14 this season. Morant will be crucial to any Memphis upset possibility, and after facing more criticism this year from off-the-court events and on-court celebrations, Morant won’t want people questioning his postseason ability as well. Morant isn’t as expensive for NBA DFS lineups off his recent results, and McClure sees value in him for Thursday.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes Pistons center Jalen Duren ($6,300 on DraftKings and $6,800 on FanDuel). Duren had 12 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocks in an all-around performance for NBA DFS lineups in Game 2. The Pistons return to Detroit for Game 3, and the 21-year-old averaged 12.6 points and 11.2 rebounds at home, both higher than his road averages this season.
Duren had 18 points and 13 rebounds in Detroit against the Knicks on April 10. He was a perfect 9 of 9 from the field after making all four of his field goal attempts in the prior regular-season contest against the Knicks. His 6-foot-10 size is a tough matchup for New York, which often plays a smaller lineup, and after shooting 75% from the field in each of the first two playoff games and averaging 9.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest, McClure sees a path for stronger production in Detroit. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, April 24
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.
