NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for January 26 include Kyrie Irving

The Dallas Mavericks have won just one of their last six games and face a Phoenix Suns team on Thursday that has found a way to win its last four despite playing through a number of key injuries. Mavs center Christian Wood has missed the last three games due to a fractured thumb, and Suns center Deandre Ayton has also missed his last three starts due to illness, but how could their statuses impact your NBA DFS lineups on Thursday? Ayton is reportedly ready to make his return and has averaged 19 points, nine rebounds and 1.5 blocks in two previous games against Dallas this season, thus putting a spotlight on him for Thursday’s NBA DFS player pool.

Meanwhile, Dwight Powell has received an expanded role with the Mavs in Wood’s absence and is coming off a season-high 22-point performance on Tuesday against Washington. Cameron Payne (foot) and Devin Booker (groin) remain out for the Suns, so Chris Paul should once again be considered a top option in the NBA DFS player pool after he has averaged 18 points, 11 assists and 5.5 rebounds in two games since returning from a recent hip injury. Before you make your NBA DFS picks for Thursday, 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 Wednesday, he highlighted Rockets center Alperen Sengun as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Sengun hung a triple-double on Washington with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in addition to three steals and two blocks to return 62.75 points on DraftKings and 61.2 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 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, January 26

One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks for Thursday is Nets point guard Kyrie Irving who is listed at $10,300 on DraftKings and $10,100 on FanDuel. Irving scored 30 points and had 10 assists with two steals in his last start on Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. He has been in a groove since taking a night off to rest a sore calf last Tuesday and has averaged 36.5 points, eight assists and 6.8 rebounds over his last four starts. 

On Thursday, the Nets host Detroit, who Irving torched in his last start against it earlier this season. In that matchup, he hit 56.5% of his shots and went 5-for-10 from downtown to score 38 points in addition to his six rebounds and three assists. This season, the Pistons have allowed opposing point guards to average the fifth-most assists (9.25) and steals (1.99) per game.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes stacking Irving with Brooklyn guard Seth Curry ($5,000 on DraftKings and $4,900 on FanDuel). Curry is coming off a season-high 32-point performance against the 76ers on Wednesday. He has been especially sharp over his last six games and has averaged 18.2 points while shooting 52.6% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the 3-point line during that stretch.

Curry only played for nine-and-a-half minutes in the Nets’ previous meeting with the Pistons this season, but he should be given a more significant opportunity on Thursday after he’s averaged 31.7 minutes played over his last five appearances. Over their last four games, the Pistons have seen opposing guards shoot 25.6% of their shots at least six feet away from the closest defender. During that stretch, the Pistons have also allowed guards to hit 40.6% of their 3-point attempts, which could be lethal against Curry, who has hit 43.3% of his threes this season.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, January 26

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.