After missing 11 games due to health and safety protocols, Bulls guard Zach LaVine intends to return to the lineup on Thursday vs. the Hornets. LaVine was having a career year before the absence as he made his first All-Star team and is averaging 27.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He is listed as probable, so you should feel comfortable inserting him into your NBA DFS lineups as the Bulls attempt to end their four-game losing streak. LaVine will cost you $9,100 on DraftKings and $9,400 on FanDuel, making him one of the most expensive NBA DFS picks at his position.

Thus, rostering him means you'll have to look for less costly options to help balance out your NBA DFS lineups. Perhaps LaVine's counterpart, Malik Monk ($4,600 on DraftKings, $4,700 on FanDuel), fits that bill with the Hornets missing multiple injured players? Before making any NBA DFS picks for Thursday's action, be sure to see the NBA DFS advice, player rankings and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Mike McClure.

McClure is a DFS professional with nearly $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.

And on Wednesday, McClure included Grizzlies guard Ja Morant as one of his top picks. The result: Morant went off for 37 points, 10 assists and four rebounds, returning 63 points on DraftKings, which is his third-highest total of the season. Anybody who had him in their lineup was well on the way to a profitable day.

Now, McClure has turned his attention to the Thursday, May 6 NBA DFS slate and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

One of McClure's top NBA DFS picks for Thursday is Pistons center Isaiah Stewart at $6,500 on DraftKings and $5,800 on FanDuel. The No. 16 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Stewart leads all rookies in rebounds per game (6.7), blocks per game (1.2), field-goal percentage (56.6) and double-doubles (eight).

He is Detroit's new starting center with the team resting Mason Plumlee, amongst many other players. Stewart has certainly impressed when getting the starting nod as he's averaging 12.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 11 starts this season. Plumlee is one of seven Pistons listed as out on Thursday vs. the Grizzlies, so Stewart will get all of the minutes and shots he can handle. He should easily exceed value on his listed prices, making him a great play for NBA DFS lineups.

Part of McClure's NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Nets forward Kevin Durant ($9,900 on DraftKings, $10,600 on FanDuel), who has two 42-point games over the last week. The four-time scoring champ is averaging 28.3 points per game this year, which would be his most since the 2013-14 season. Durant would be seventh in the NBA in scoring had he played in enough games to qualify for the leaderboard.

The Nets enter Thursday on a three-game losing streak which ties for the longest of the season, and Durant will make it his responsibility to end this slide. Look for him to seek his shot early and often against the Dallas Mavericks, especially with James Harden (hamstring) still out. Durant is coming off a 40-minute game on Tuesday, so there are no reservations with his playing time, and that alone makes Durant one of the top NBA DFS picks.

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.

So 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 almost $2 million in career winnings, and find out.