The Milwaukee Bucks have some concern about Khris Middleton’s’s status for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Pacers on Friday. While speaking to reporters after practice on Thursday, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said that Middleton didn’t practice after spraining his ankle during Milwaukee’s 125-108 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

When asked if there was concern about Middleton’s status for Game 3, Rivers said “yeah, a little,” while also saying, “It’s another holding our breath situation, so honestly, I don’t know.”

Middleton exited Tuesday’s game in the first quarter after rolling his right ankle trying to plant his foot while trying to get past Pacers forward Pascal Siakam. He walked back to the locker room, but soon returned back to Milwaukee’s bench and proceeded to play the rest of the game.

Khris Middleton went to the locker room momentarily after an apparent ankle injury, per the Bucks.

He’s back on the bench but has yet to return to the game. pic.twitter.com/2ZZEIf0yyQ

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 24, 2024
After the game, Middleton said “I’ll be all right,” in regards to his ankle, but despite playing for the rest of the game on Tuesday, it appears as though the injury has worsened. With Middleton’s status suddenly in question for Friday, it delivers another blow for the Bucks who are still without star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Rivers said on Thursday that Giannis — who injured his calf earlier this month — did the most work that he’s seen since being out, including shooting and moving around, however he didn’t participate in any live drills. That doesn’t sound like he’ll be ready to return in Game 3, and adding in Middleton’s status that means the Bucks could find themselves extremely short staffed against a Pacers team that had no difficulty scoring in Game 2.

Without Antetokounmpo and potentially Middleton, that means more responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Damian Lillard, who has had two solid back-to-back performances for Milwaukee. It will also mean the Bucks will need to lean a bit more on Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis to score in the starting unit, and will require guys like Jae Crowder and Pat Connaughton to knock down some shots. Perhaps Middleton will be able to play in Game 3 and this is just all precautionary, but from the sounds of Rivers comments, his status is something to monitor before Game 3.

Several options in Thursday’s NBA DFS player pool, who are off to inauspicious starts to the 2024 NBA playoffs, will get another shot at redemption tonight. Tobias Harris, OG Anunoby, Austin Reaves and Jalen Suggs are all averaging 11 points or fewer in the postseason, thus disappointing both their teams and those daily Fantasy basketball players that rostered them in NBA DFS lineups. Harris has been the biggest disappointment as he came into this year with a 17.1 ppg postseason average but is putting up just 8.5 ppg so far on 39% shooting.

His price tags on NBA DFS sites like FanDuel and DraftKings have dropped, which means he could be a value pick for Thursday. However, it would be beneficial to your NBA daily Fantasy strategy to know that Harris was locked down by the Knicks in the regular season, averaging just 6.3 points across four games. What other trends should you be aware of before setting your daily Fantasy basketball lineups for Thursday? 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 Wednesday, McClure highlighted Heat forward Nikola Jovic as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Jovic had 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block, returning 38.25 points on DraftKings and 37.8 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 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, April 24
For Thursday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is rostering Lakers forward LeBron James who is listed at $9,500 on DraftKings and $10,500 on FanDuel. The Lakers being in a 2-0 hole isn’t the fault of James, who is averaging 26.5 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in the series. Despite L.A. suffering 10 straight defeats to Denver, James has still scored at least 21 points in each of his last 11 games against the Nuggets, with five double-doubles over that stretch.

James gets a two-day rest between Games 2 and 3, and he’s been at his best this season when having two days off. James averages his most points (27.1), rebounds (8.4) and assists (9.1) with two days of rest compared to any other rest interval. He’s also been on an incredibly efficient shooting run as of late as over his last nine games, counting both the regular and postseason, James is converting on 61.1% of his field goal attempts and 52.5% of his 3-point attempts.

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Magic forward Jonathan Isaac ($4,800 on DraftKings and $5,700 on FanDuel). In part due to injuries, Isaac started just two regular season games over the last four years. However, he started in each of the first two games of Orlando’s series versus Cleveland, getting the nod ahead of Wendell Carter Jr. and Moe Wagner at center.

Isaac is a defensive ace who contributes across the board, doing so on a very affordable NBA DFS price point. Over his last six games versus Cleveland, he’s averaging 8.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals. Like many young players, Isaac performs notably better at home as the series shifts to Orlando for Game 3 tonight. He averaged more points, rebounds, assists and blocks at home than on the road this season, while also shooting better percentages from the floor, the free throw line and from beyond the arc. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, April 25
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.

The series has shifted over to the Sunshine State as the No. 5 seed Orlando Magic are hosting the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. These teams split the season series 2-2 but that hasn’t been the case in this series. On Monday, the Cavaliers outlasted the Magic 96-86 to go up 2-0 in this 2024 NBA playoffs series. Orlando plays better at home, logging a 29-12 record at Kia Center during the regular season.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at the Kia Center in Orlando, Fla. The Magic are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Cavaliers vs. Magic odds, while the over/under for total points is 201.5. Before making any Magic vs. Cavaliers picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters the second week of the 2024 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 90-58 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,800. Anyone following the model has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Cavaliers vs. Magic and just locked in its picks and Game 3 predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Magic vs. Cavaliers:

Cavaliers vs. Magic spread: Orlando -2.5
Cavaliers vs. Magic over/under: 201.5 points
Cavaliers vs. Magic money line: Orlando -141, Cleveland +119
CLE: The Cavs are 4-2 ATS in their last six games
ORL: The Magic are 1-5 ATS in their past six games
Cavaliers vs. Magic picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Cavaliers can cover
Forward Evan Mobley joins Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt and makes a serious impact. Mobley is an agile big man who has the skill to handle the rock if needed. The USC product plays with good timing as a shot blocker and is always crashing the boards. Mobley averaged 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the regular season. In Game 1, the 22-year-old had 16 points, 11 boards, and three blocks.

Guard Darius Garland is a shifty playmaker who has a quick release with a knack for hitting shots off the dribble. The Vanderbilt product also owns a nice floater in the lane. He put up 18 points and 6.5 assists per contest in 2023-24. In his last outing, Garland notched 15 points, four assists, and went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. See which team to pick here.

Why the Magic can cover
Forward Paolo Banchero continues to be the Magic’s best player on the floor. Banchero is an all-around threat due to his playmaking and scoring ability. The Duke product gets into the lane consistently and has the vision to get his teammates good looks. Through the first two contests, Banchero leads the team in points (22.5) with five boards and four assists per game. He had 21 points, three assists, and three rebounds in his last outing.

Forward Franz Wagner gives the Magic another capable ball handler and scorer. Wagner plays with good instincts and has a smooth jumper to space out the floor. In the regular season, the Michigan product averaged 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. In the Game 1 loss, Wagner racked up 18 points, seven boards, and three steals. See which team to pick here.

How to make Magic vs. Cavaliers picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 206 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can see the picks only at SportsLine.

So who wins Cavaliers vs. Magic, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Magic vs. Cavaliers spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 90-58 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.