Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, January 3rd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-01-05 19:11:04 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 everyone!

I feel much better than yesterday, but better is a relative term. I’ve spent more time in the bathroom than I care to admit over the last 36 hours. The good news is that I have more energy today. The bad news is that my girlfriend’s son now has it and has been throwing up this morning. This has been a 2-week battle of sicknesses for my little family. For tonight in the association, we have 9 games on tap. Only the first 7 games are included on the DraftKings slate, while all 9 games are included on the FanDuel slate.

We have 3 teams playing on the second half of a back-to-back (Celtics, Thunder, Lakers) and 6 teams playing on the first half of a back-to-back (Pistons, Knicks, Spurs, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Hawks). I get the feeling this is going to be a busy day on the injury front. Before we dive into the team previews, I want to say thanks to everyone who reached out about my exciting news. It meant the world to me.

Cheers to the weekend. Let’s jump to the slate breakdown.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, January 3rd

• 9-game main slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons
  - 7:30 PM ET – Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors
  - 8:00 PM ET – Boston Celtics at Houston Rockets
  - 8:00 PM ET – Washington Wizards at New Orleans Pelicans
  - 8:00 PM ET – New York Knicks at Oklahoma City Thunder
  - 8:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Dallas Mavericks
  - 9:00 PM ET – San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets
  - 10:00 PM ET – Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings
  - 10:30 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Los Angeles Lakers
• Front end of a back-to-back: Pistons, Knicks, Spurs, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Hawks
• Back end of a back-to-back: Celtics, Thunder, Lakers
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
• 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

Charlotte Hornets (at DET)

Tre Mann and Grant Williams have both been ruled out, while LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Cody Martin are all listed as questionable. We’ll have to keep an eye on their availability as we get closer to lineup lock. A matchup against the Pistons is getting better by the day, as they are now 21st in points allowed per game and 19th in defensive rating. Miles Bridges could become a core play depending on the availability of Ball and Miller. Mark Williams put up a season-high 49 fantasy points in his last game.

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