Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Sunday, December 22nd

by Taylor Smith (tcsmith031) Last Updated 2024-12-22 22:37:54 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.

The NBA’s schedule has been whiplash-inducing all week, and we’re whiplashed again today with a mere 3 games on the board on the heels of yesterday’s 11-gamer. Tomorrow, we’ve got just about everybody in action before Tuesday’s blank Christmas Eve slate.

Today’s wee slate tips off an hour earlier than usual at 6 PM ET. With that, let’s get into it.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Sunday, December 22nd

• 3-game slate
  - 6:00 PM ET – Houston Rockets at Toronto Raptors
  - 6:00 PM ET – Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings
  - 7:00 PM ET – Denver Nuggets at New Orleans Pelicans
• Front end of a back-to-back: Rockets, Pacers, Raptors, Nuggets
• Back end of a back-to-back: Pelicans, Kings
• 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

Here’s where I’ll provide news updates.

Team Previews

Houston Rockets (at TOR)

The Rockets have only played once since last Saturday, so they’re rested heading into tonight’s game in Toronto. Houston is an 8-point favorite with Tari Eason missing from the lineup for injury management. The Rockets’ starters other than Jalen Green typically have safe minutes floors, while Amen Thompson figures to see a few more minutes trickle his way with Eason out. I have no qualms with getting to Green, Alperen Sengun, or Fred VanVleet on the high end, while I don’t mind the spot for Jabari Smith Jr. with his primary backup sidelined. Sengun is the standout against a Raptors frontcourt missing Jakob Poeltl. You can certainly make strong cases for Thompson and Dillon Brooks as value options too.

Toronto Raptors (vs. HOU)

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