Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, April 25th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-04-25 17:36:05 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!

We have officially made it to the weekend. We had some fun games on the schedule last night. The Knicks were able to steal back home-court advantage from the Pistons, the Thunder made a huge 4th-quarter comeback to take a commanding 3-0 lead against the Grizzlies, and the Clippers ran away with their game against the Nuggets to claim a 2-1 lead in that series.

Once again, we have 3 games on the schedule this evening. The Magic and Bucks are looking forward to some home cooking. They will try to get their first win of their respective series. The Wolves were able to steal a game in Los Angeles and will now look to hold serve in Minnesota.

As always, thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, April 25th

• 3-game main slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic
  - 8:00 PM ET – Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks
  - 9:30 PM ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

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News Updates

This section will be updated as injury news is released throughout the day.

Team Previews

Boston Celtics (at ORL)

We kick off tonight’s 3-game slate with the Celtics, who have made quick work of the Magic in the first 2 games of the series. They have held their opponent to 92 points per game, but now the series shifts to Orlando. The Magic were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA during the regular season and will now have their home crowd on their side. The Celtics are listed as 4.5-point favorites, but their team total is a whopping 15 points lower than their season average. Jayson Tatum is listed as doubtful, while Jrue Holiday is listed as questionable.

With Tatum out in Game 2, Jaylen Brown put up 61 fantasy points in 40 minutes of action. His usage rate spiked to 26%, and he grabbed 10 rebounds. While we shouldn’t expect a repeat performance in Game 3, he did see a 4% usage boost and a 0.10 FP/min boost with Tatum off the floor this season. Derrick White has averaged 40 fantasy points in the first 2 games of the series and also sees a hefty usage boost with Tatum off the floor. Based on how everything played out in Game 2, White should be lower owned than Brown.

The big injury to monitor here is Holiday. If he’s ruled out, Payton Pritchard would likely draw the start and become an excellent option in all formats. He logged 33 minutes in Game 2 and has averaged just under a fantasy point per minute this season. Sam Hauser could also see an uptick in playing time if Holiday is out. Al Horford drew the spot start for Tatum on Wednesday and scored 25 fantasy points in 32 minutes of action. He’s a strong value play once again. Kristaps Porzingis posted a double-double and put up 42 fantasy points with Tatum out. He’s viable once again.

Don’t be shy with your Boston exposure tonight, especially if Holiday is out.

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