NBA DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for Tuesday, Dec. 12 include Kawhi Leonard

The Los Angeles Lakers, the first-ever in-season tournament champions, return to the court on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers defeated the Pacers, 123-109, on Saturday night in Las Vegas behind 41 points and 20 rebounds by Anthony Davis and 24 points and 11 rebounds by LeBron James. Davis (hip) and James (calf) are both questionable for Tuesday, so daily Fantasy basketball players should keep an eye on their statuses when forming an NBA DFS strategy if the Lakers decide to rest them after playing extended minutes last week. Or, will these Lakers superstars carry that momentum against Dallas and finish as top NBA DFS picks?

The Tuesday NBA DFS player pool also features Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum. Which stars should you find ways to fit into NBA DFS lineups, and who are the cheaper options to provide value around a few stud players? 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 Grizzlies guard/forward Desmond Bane as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Bane had 28 points, three rebounds and eight assists, returning 44.75 points on DraftKings and 41.6 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 12

For Tuesday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, who is listed at $8,000 on DraftKings and $8,700 on FanDuel. Leonard had 34 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 132-27 win over Portland on Monday after scoring a season-high 41 points against the Jazz on Friday. He’s averaging 28.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and four assists over his last seven contests, including scoring at least 30 points in four games.

Leonard is shooting 50% or better from the field in each of his last six games. The Clippers, who are on a four-game winning streak, have started to find their chemistry alongside one another, and Leonard has found himself in high-percentage opportunities surrounded by options like Paul George and James Harden. The five-time All-Star has averaged at least 23 points in each of his previous seasons with the Clippers, and he is a safe option to continue his strong play for NBA DFS lineups on Tuesday.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes stacking Leonard with guard Harden ($7,800 on DraftKings and $8,000 on FanDuel). Harden is averaging 18.3 points, five rebounds and 8.8 assists over his last four games. He’s shooting far more efficiently as of late, making at least 50% of his field goals in three of his past four games after reaching that clip in just four of his first 13 games after being traded to Los Angeles from the 76ers.

Harden has at least seven assists in five straight games, and at this stage of his career, he’s often at his best when looking to set up others rather than creating his own shot. The 15th-year veteran led the NBA with 10.7 assists per game last season with the 76ers, and as he continues to learn how to better play with Leonard, George and other Clippers teammates, his assists numbers should rise. With the roll the Clippers are on lately, including scoring a season-high 132 points on Monday, Harden and Leonard are an appealing NBA DFS stack for Tuesday. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Tuesday, December 12

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.

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.