Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, March 28th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-03-28 22:42:51 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! I hope everyone is enjoying the sports overload at the moment. We have basketball, baseball, golf, hockey, and others all going on at the same time. We also have ever-increasing temperatures, which is much-needed in my part of the world. The baby shower is tomorrow, which should be a lot of fun for everyone. I’m planning to show up for the final 30 minutes, give a few hugs and smiles, and get out of there.

We have 7 games on the slate tonight, which is the perfect number of games. Let’s dive right into the team previews.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, March 28th

• 7-game main slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons
  - 7:30 PM ET – Los Angeles Clippers at Brooklyn Nets
  - 7:30 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Toronto Raptors
  - 8:00 PM ET – New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks
  - 8:00 PM ET – Phoenix Suns at Minnesota Timberwolves
  - 8:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans
  - 9:00 PM ET – Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets
• Front end of a back-to-back: Nets
• Back end of a back-to-back: Cavaliers, Jazz
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

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

News Updates

2:00 PM ET

Ty Jerome and Max Strus have been ruled out for the Cavaliers, while Evan Mobley will play. De’Andre Hunter is a sneaky value play.

Team Previews

Cleveland Cavaliers (at DET)

We kick the slate off with the Cavaliers, who draw a mediocre matchup on the road against the Pistons. They come into the game with a team total that is 3 points lower than their season average. This is a back-to-back for Cleveland, and they were without Evan Mobley and Ty Jerome last night. We’ll have to see who ends up on their initial injury report.

We are expecting Mobley to be active tonight, which does hurt the appeal of yesterday’s core play, Jarrett Allen. As it stands right now with everyone in the projections, there’s not a single player on the roster with a positive RGValue. If the Cavs happen to give Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell the night off, the other would become an elite play.

Detroit Pistons (vs. CLE)

The Pistons have a pace-up matchup at home against the Cavaliers, and it doesn’t hurt that Cleveland is playing in a back-to-back. The Pistons are 7-point underdogs and have a team total that is 3 points lower than their season average. Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey are both out.

Here’s who benefits the most with Cunningham and Ivey off the floor:

Tobias Harris sees major usage and FP/min boosts with Cunningham and Ivey off the floor. He doesn’t project all that well, so he could make for a strong tournament play. Dennis Schroder should start and dominate the ball-handling in the offense. He’s easily the top point-per-dollar option on Detroit.

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