SportsLine's Mike McClure, a daily Fantasy pro with more than $2 million in winnings, gives optimal NBA DFS lineup advice for NBA playoff action on Tuesday, May 5
By Ross Kelly May 5, 2026 at 12:23 pm ET • 2 min read 
Imagn Images A pair of second-round Game 1s in the 2026 NBA playoffs comprise the Tuesday NBA schedule. Pistons vs. Cavaliers takes place at 7 p.m. ET, and Lakers vs. Thunder is at 8:30 p.m. ET, with these contests filled with stars available as NBA DFS picks. Cade Cunningham, Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have won many daily Fantasy basketball players NBA DFS contests, but they didn't do so alone. Players of this status come with lofty price tags on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, so you'll have to search for value elsewhere.
With Jalen Williams (hamstring) out for OKC, Ajay Mitchell dropped 22 points in his last game, marking his third straight with at least 14 points. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic is still sidelined with his own hamstring issue, and it will take a committee of Lakers to fill his void. Which are poised to provide the most bang for the buck in Tuesday's NBA lineups? Before making any 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 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
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, May 5
For Tuesday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Lakers SF/PF LeBron James, who is $9,300 on DraftKings and $9,400 on FanDuel. Having extended rest before Game 1 will do James good as over his last two games with at least three days of rest, James is averaging 22.5 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds. Additionally, while L.A. has struggled recently versus OKC, the four-time MVP has always shown up. James is averaging 21 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5 assists over his last three versus the Thunder, and he's poised to be even more aggressive on Tuesday with Doncic sidelined.
McClure is also building around Pistons center Jalen Duren ($6,900 on DraftKings, $6,800 on FanDuel), who is coming off a 15-point, 15-rebound outing in Game 7 versus Orlando. He's averaging a double-double over his postseason career with 11.2 points and 10 rebounds, while adding 1.5 blocks and converting 58.1% of his field-goal attempts. Duren had one of the best games of his career versus Cleveland in Feb. 2026 when he had 33 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists, and he then followed that up with 24 points and 14 boards against the Cavs in a March contest. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for May 5
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Tuesday because of an optimal 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 Tuesday? 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.
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