Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, April 11th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-04-11 22:17:04 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career and has long been one of the top NBA DFS minds in the industry. On weekends, Taylor Smith takes the reins. Their Core Plays LIVE article will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best NBA DFS picks, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, Core Plays LIVE has everything you need for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

Happy Friday!

Every team in the NBA has 2 games left on their regular season schedule. All 30 teams play tonight, and all 30 teams play again on Sunday. I am going to approach the Core Plays article a little differently today, as this is not a typical slate. Rather than focusing on matchups, I am going to give a quick preview of the motivations and injuries for each team. I’m sure there will be a ton of news throughout the day, so that will be the main focus. I’ll cover what I can here, but make sure to keep a close eye on the Situation Room and the NBA lineups page.

As far as the slate sizes, FanDuel has an 11-game main slate, and DraftKings has a 10-game main slate. I’ll be on Crunch Time tonight breaking down the slate right before lock. I’ll post the link to the show before I hop on.

Let’s get right to it. The playoffs are only a few short days away.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, April 11th

• 11-game main slate on FD, 10-game main slate on DK
  - 7:00 PM ET – Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons
  - 7:00 PM ET – Orlando Magic at Indiana Pacers
  - 7:00 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers
  - 7:30 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Boston Celtics
  - 7:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
  - 8:00 PM ET – Washington Wizards at Chicago Bulls
  - 8:00 PM ET – Miami Heat at New Orleans Pelicans
  - 8:30 PM ET – Toronto Raptors at Dallas Mavericks
  - 9:00 PM ET – Brooklyn Nets at Minnesota Timberwolves
  - 9:00 PM ET – Memphis Grizzlies at Denver Nuggets
  - 9:30 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz
• Front end of a back-to-back: None
• Back end of a back-to-back: Knicks, Pistons, Cavaliers, Pacers, Hawks, Nets, Pelicans, Bucks, Wolves, Grizzlies
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

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News Updates

12:35 PM ET

Paolo Banchero, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Wendell Carter, and Franz Wagner are all out for the Magic. Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns are all questionable for the Knicks.

Team Previews

Milwaukee Bucks (at DET)

The Bucks are essentially locked into the 5th seed in the East and are playing on the second half of a back-to-back. They are 5.5-point underdogs tonight against the Pistons, which suggests they could rest some key players. At the very least, Damian Lillard will be out.

Detroit Pistons (vs. MIL)

The Pistons are essentially locked into the 6th seed in the East, although they could tie the Bucks if they win out and the Bucks lose out. Much like Milwaukee, they are playing on the second half of a back-to-back. At the very least, we know Jaden Ivey will be out.

Orlando Magic (at IND)

The Magic are headed to the Play-In Tournament, but they have secured home-court advantage. They are listed as 8-point underdogs tonight, so the market is expecting them to rest or limit players. Jalen Suggs and Moe Wagner are out, while Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter, Franz Wagner, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are listed as questionable.

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