A three-game NBA schedule on Thursday offers limited options for daily fantasy sports players, with the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks matchup featuring Donovan Mitchell and C.J. McCollum among the highlighted games.
Notable players available for DFS lineups include James Harden, Darius Acuff Jr., Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Ty Jerome, Dyson Daniels, Jrue Holiday, Evan Mobley, Zion Williamson, and Jarrett Allen. Jerome carries the highest salary on both DraftKings and FanDuel for the Grizzlies-Trail Blazers game.
DFS professional Mike McClure, who has amassed over $2 million in career winnings and works as a predictive data engineer, has released his top picks for Thursday. McClure's model simulates each game 10,000 times to identify value.
One of McClure's top selections is Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine, priced at $6,600 on DraftKings and $6,300 on FanDuel. The former 13th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft has averaged 27.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and one steal through four games this season, including a 37-point, five-assist, two-rebound performance in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
McClure pairs LaVine with Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. ($7,100 DK, $6,500 FD), the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Acuff has averaged 21.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in four games, highlighted by a 33-point, four-assist, two-rebound outing in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
McClure also identifies an additional player with a favorable matchup capable of producing a high score, which he says could be the difference in tournament and cash-game success.
