Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, December 27th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2024-12-27 23:08:52 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!

It’s been a great week of sports and spending time with loved ones. Unfortunately, a nasty stomach virus has made its way through the ranks of the families. My little one has been throwing up for 24 straight hours. We thought he was the only one sick, but now my sister’s family, her husband’s family, my dad’s family, and my girlfriend’s sister’s family have all come down with it over the last two days. I’m not sure where it started, but I’m hoping everyone can recover quickly.

We have an 8-game slate on tap tonight in the association. All 8 games are featured on the main slates for both FanDuel and DraftKings, which is always a nice surprise. We have six teams playing on the second half of a back-to-back (Pacers, Magic, Grizzlies, Nets, Rockets, Pelicans) and five teams playing on the front half of a back-to-back (Knicks, Nuggets, Mavericks, Suns, Warriors). We can expect a very busy day of injury news.

Cheers to the weekend. Let’s dive into the slate!

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, December 27th

• 8-game slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – New York Knicks at Orlando Magic
  - 7:30 PM ET – Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics
  - 7:30 PM ET – San Antonio Spurs at Brooklyn Nets
  - 8:00 PM ET – Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans
  - 8:00 PM ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets
  - 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Denver Nuggets
  - 9:00 PM ET – Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns
  - 10:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers
• Front end of a back-to-back: Knicks, Nuggets, Mavericks, Suns, Warriors
• Back end of a back-to-back: Pacers, Magic, Grizzlies, Nets, Rockets, Pelicans
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our PrizePicks promo code and Underdog Fantasy promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

News Updates

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

Team Previews

New York Knicks (at ORL)

The Knicks are expected to have everyone available against the Magic, who are 25th in pace, 5th in rebounding rate, and 2nd in points allowed per game this season. This is far from an ideal matchup, which is why the Knicks have a team total that is 7 points lower than their season average. I love the tight rotation that Tom Thibodeau employs, but I don’t love the Knicks in the context of the slate.

Orlando Magic (vs. NYK)

The Magic are playing in the second half of a back-to-back and have yet to submit an injury report for tonight’s game. We’ll see if they rest anyone else, but we do know they will be without Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Moe Wagner. Jalen Suggs has scored at least 34 fantasy points in 7 of his last 8 games, but he’s now priced at a premium and facing a Knicks team that is 28th in pace and 8th in rebounding rate. This is one of those games that’s easy to avoid in cash games and small-field tournaments.

Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers

Want to read more? Sign up for Premium!