Once the Charlotte Hornets gave LaMelo Ball a significant role in the offense last season, they instantly became one of the more entertaining teams in the Eastern Conference. This season, they are off to a 3-0 start and have two of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers early on with Ball and Miles Bridges. The latter actually took a step back when it came to his scoring output last season from 2019-20, but through his first three games this year, he’s averaging 25 points and eight rebounds per game.
On Monday night, Charlotte looks to extend its unbeaten streak against Boston, who is tied with Cleveland and Sacramento for giving up the most points per game so far in 2021, with 116.7. Ball has also gotten off to an impressive start, and has made 9-of-18 3-point attempts, while averaging 22 points and six assists per game. Should you include him in your NBA DFS lineups? And which other players should you target on the Monday evening slate? Before making any NBA DFS picks Monday on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, 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 nearly $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 Sunday, McClure listed Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander among his top NBA DFS picks. The result: Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds against Philadelphia to finish with 52 points on DraftKings and 52.2 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 the Monday, Oct. 25 NBA DFS slate and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Monday, October 25
One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks for Monday is Brooklyn guard James Harden at $9,500 on DraftKings and $10,500 on FanDuel. A case shouldn’t need to be made for banking on Harden to produce on any given night, but he is in a better than usual spot on Monday.
Last year, Harden impressed with his evolution into a facilitator for Brooklyn rather than a pure scorer. The Nets face the Wizards on Monday, who Harden only played once last year during the regular season. But in that game he had 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Bradley Beal is probable to return for the Wizards tonight after starting the season with a hip injury, but his return may push all Nets scorers to keep their foot on the gas while on offense.
Part of McClure’s NBA DFS strategy also includes rostering Milwaukee Bucks forward Jordan Nwora ($4,200 on DraftKings and $4,500 on FanDuel). The second-year player out of Louisville has seen an expanded role with the defending NBA champs this season and is averaging 11 points in just over 24 minutes played per game so far this season.
Nwora started the year with a 15-point performance against Brooklyn, and has carved out a role as a spot-up shooter for the Bucks. Milwaukee plays Indiana on Monday, who is tied with Boston and Brooklyn for most made 3-pointers. The Pacers have also allowed the 12th-most made field goals when the closest defender has been more than six feet away, and Nwora should get more open looks at the basket as the game wears on, as a 46-percent second half shooter.
How to set NBA DFS lineups for Monday, October 25
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Monday 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.
So who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Monday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has almost $2 million in career winnings, and find out.