Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for Tuesday, Dec. 5 include LeBron James

Four of the marquee NBA franchises at the moment will be featured in Tuesday’s pair of quarterfinal games for the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament. The Milwaukee Bucks host the New York Knicks followed by the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers and Knicks are arguably the two most recognizable franchises in the league, while the Bucks and Suns are filled with some of the biggest stars in the sport like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, who are all part of the NBA DFS player pool.

However, star players will set your NBA DFS salary cap back quite a bit, so who are some values to target when making NBA DFS picks on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings? Knicks shooting guard/small forward Donte DiVincenzo made seven 3-pointers in scoring 21 points on Friday against the Raptors, and if he gets hot from the outside against his former team, DiVincenzo could be a valuable asset for NBA DFS lineups. 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 Monday, McClure highlighted Pelicans shooting guard/small forward Brandon Ingram as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Ingram had 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists, returning 51.5 points on DraftKings and 49.6 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 Tuesday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top NBA DFS picks for Tuesday, December 5
For Tuesday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Lakers forward LeBron James, who is listed at $9,600 on DraftKings and $9,900 on FanDuel. James is listed as questionable with a calf contusion, but he’s one of the most competitive players in the league with a close eye on legacy and NBA history. With this being the inaugural in-season tournament, it’s no surprise James has the Lakers playing with a different focus and intensity during these games. James wants to win and he could see a postseason-like increase in his minutes and usage on Tuesday, despite it being a regular-season game for the standings.

The Lakers defeated the Suns, 122-119, in their first meeting of the year, which also happened to be a part of the in-season tournament. James had 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists over 36 minutes. James reached 30 points in two of four in-season tournament games and is averaging 24.4 points per game overall this season. The four-time NBA MVP averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists over 38.7 minutes in 16 playoff games last year, and McClure expects a similar boost in production from James on Tuesday.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Suns center Jusuf Nurkic ($6,900 on DraftKings and $7,600 on FanDuel). The 29-year-old scored 31 points against the Nuggets on Friday, followed by 14 points and nine rebounds against the Grizzlies on Saturday. The Suns will need to play Nurkic often with the Lakers’ size of Anthony Davis and options off the bench. Nurkic had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against the Lakers in their first meeting.

Nurkic is averaging 10 rebounds over his last five games, and his size is vital for the Suns, who often play with smaller lineups. The Lakers are allowing the most offensive rebounds (8.2 per game) and the most second-chance points (16.8 per game) in the NBA this season, and Nurkic is a prime candidate to capitalize off those scoring opportunities following misses. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Tuesday, December 5
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Tuesday 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.