NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for Thursday, Nov. 21 include Lauri Markkanen

The Lakers duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will certainly be an NBA DFS stack many daily Fantasy basketball players want to have for daily Fantasy basketball lineups with only four games on the Thursday NBA schedule. But if you go that route for your NBA DFS strategy, it will cost you, and with the Lakers going up against the No. 1 scoring defense with Orlando allowing just 102.3 points, is it a wise way to spend your capital on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings?

The Magic are 6-1 over their last seven games while holding teams below 100 points in each of the six victories. However, the Lakers have won six straight and have the No. 6 scoring offense (117.3 ppg) in the league, so which strength should you expect to prevail when forming a Thursday NBA DFS strategy? 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 Tuesday, McClure highlighted Nets guard Dennis Schroder as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Schroder had 14 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, two blocks and a steal, returning 45.8 points on DraftKings and 46 points on FanDuel for NBA DFS lineups. Anybody who included him in their lineups was 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 Thursday, November 21

For Thursday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, who is listed at $7,100 on DraftKings and $7,500 on FanDuel. The 27-year-old is returning to playing his usual allotment of minutes after he missed three games with an eye injury in early November. Markkanen has played at least 35 minutes in three straight, which is the first time he’s done that this season. He’s shot at least 50% from the field in five straight contests and is averaging 23.8 points and 7.7 rebounds over his past three games after averaging more than 23 points and eight rebounds in back-to-back seasons.

He had 25 points and eight rebounds against the Lakers on Tuesday heading into a matchup against the Spurs tonight. San Antonio will be without Victor Wembanyama, and for the 7-foot Markkanen, who likely would have been guarded by Wembanyama the majority of the game, this is a huge relief. Wembanyama’s absence significantly weakens San Antonio’s defense and rebounding potential, so McClure expects Markkanen to take advantage of that on Thursday.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Magic guard Jalen Suggs ($6,800 on DraftKings and $6,700 on FanDuel). Suggs had 16 points on Wednesday against the Clippers, and he’s averaging 15 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. The 23-year-old signed a five-year, $150.5 million extension this offseason as the Magic showed they have faith in the potential of the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

On Thursday, the Magic play the Lakers, who are allowing 116 points per game, which ranks 24th in the league. Los Angeles enters on a six-game winning streak, but it has allowed at least 115 points in three of its last four contests, so even its wins are often high-scoring affairs. Suggs has played at least 30 minutes in three of his last four games and McClure likes his value for Thursday NBA DFS lineups. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, November 21

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.