NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for February 9 include Nikola Jokic

After a flurry of blockbuster trades this week, daily Fantasy basketball players may have to get creative with their NBA DFS lineups on Thursday. The Brooklyn Nets completed their deconstruction of the Kevin Durant-era Big 3, when they sent him to Phoenix for three players and four first round picks. However, until the likes of Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges are ready to go, who can help out Cameron Thomas for the Nets when they host Chicago?

Center Nicolas Claxton has arguably been the most consistent player for the Nets overall this season, and comes in on a three-game double-double streak in which he’s averaged 15.7 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. However, the other center in the matchup, Nikola Vucevic, could be a solid option as well, after he had 21 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks the last time the Bulls and Nets played. 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 Warriors guard Jordan Poole as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Poole broke out for a 38-point, seven-assist performance in which he also hit 7-of-12 3-pointers to return 52.25 points on DraftKings and 47.7 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, February 9

One of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks for Thursday is Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who is listed at $11,000 on DraftKings and $11,700 on FanDuel. Jokic came back from a night off to rest a sore hamstring to put up his 20th double-double of the season on 20 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds against the Timberwolves on Tuesday. Over his last five games, he has averaged 21.2 points, 14 rebounds, 13.2 assists and hit 42.9% of his 3-pointers.

On Thursday, the Nuggets visit the Orlando Magic, who he notched another triple-double against the first time he played them this season. In two games against Orlando last year, he scored 44 total points with 30 rebounds. Jokic is fourth in the NBA in defensive boards this season, and through the month of January, the Magic boxed out opposing centers at the fifth-lowest rate in the league (59.5%), so he should be able to pad his stats with ease on Thursday.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie ($8,100 on DraftKings, $7,900 on FanDuel). Dinwiddie is available to play for the Nets on Thursday following his trade from Dallas earlier in the week. Prior to the move, he had averaged 25.8 points, 5.4 assists and four rebounds over his last five games with the Mavericks.

Dinwiddie’s last full season in Brooklyn was also the best of his career. In 2019-20, Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game, both of which were career-highs. When he faced Chicago on December 10 while still with the Mavericks, he scored 27 points, had eight assists and drained 3-of-6 3-point attempts. Dinwiddie figures to get a major share of the workload on Thursday and should have the green light to attack the basket as he pleases until head coach Jacque Vaughn has the chance to recalibrate the team.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, February 9

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.