NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for Thursday, March 14 include Kyrie Irving

SportsLine's Mike McClure, a daily Fantasy pro with more than $2 million in winnings, gives optimal NBA DFS lineup advice

Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring at 34.3 points per game, is out with a hamstring injury on Thursday, and that will have a huge impact on the NBA DFS player pool and in forming an NBA DFS strategy. Kyrie Irving is the star in Dallas that will receive a significant boost, but are there cheaper players who could become assets for NBA DFS lineups? Shooting guard Josh Green scored 11 points over 24 minutes in a Wednesday win over the Warriors, so could he be in a position to thrive without Doncic dominating the offense?

The Mavs play the Thunder, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the NBA in scoring at 31.3 ppg. Without the option to use Doncic in NBA DFS picks, should you spend up for Gilgeous-Alexander? Meanwhile, 76ers scorers will be happy to no longer face the Knicks after being held to fewer than 80 points in back-to-back contests, so can daily Fantasy basketball players feel more confident in using options like Tobias Harris or Kelly Oubre Jr. in NBA DFS lineups against the Bucks? Before making your 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 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 Wizards forward/center Kyle Kuzma as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Kuzma had 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists, returning 40.75 points on DraftKings and 38.9 points on FanDuel. 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 for Thursday, March 14

For Thursday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Mavericks guard Irving, who is listed at $8,400 on DraftKings and $8,900 on FanDuel. Irving had 23 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in a 109-99 win over the Warriors on Wednesday. The eight-time All-Star is averaging 25.2 ppg this season and has averaged 23.5 ppg over his 13-year career. Irving has scored at least 23 points in three of his last five games entering Thursday.

The Mavs play OKC in one of the marquee matchups of Thursday's six-game schedule. The Thunder are coming off a Tuesday loss to the Pacers, and Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton had 18 points and 12 assists in the contest. Irving had 25 points, six rebounds and eight assists against the Thunder in their first meeting of the season as he's scored at least 25 points in three of his last four games against Oklahoma City. Irving also averaged 39.7 points over a three-game stretch in mid-January in which Doncic was sidelined, with the eight-time All-Star going over 40 points twice.

Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes stacking Irving with forward/center PJ Washington ($5,100 on DraftKings and $5,400 on FanDuel). Washington had 11 points and seven rebounds over 34 minutes versus Golden State on Wednesday. It's been a slower statistical start for Washington in Dallas since being acquired from the Hornets at the trade deadline as he's averaging 11.4 points and 5.4 rebounds over his first 13 games.

McClure expects Doncic's absence to open up opportunities for Washington on Thursday though. The Mavericks will need him to be more aggressive both scoring and rebounding against a Thunder team with the second-best record in the West. Washington is averaging 16 ppg over his last four games against OKC, and he's a prime candidate for a breakout performance at a lower price point on Thursday with Doncic out. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, March 14

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.