Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Sunday, January 12th

by Taylor Smith (tcsmith031) Last Updated 2025-01-12 22:31:57 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 Sunday! Prize pools around the NBA streets aren’t all that impressive on yet another NFL Sunday, but we’re just a few weeks away from hoops taking center stage once again. Regardless, I’m still here up until lock to help guide you through said streets and into the winner’s circle.

We’re looking at 6 games tonight with the slate tipping off a little earlier than usual at 6 PM ET. Let’s get right into it.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Sunday, January 12th

• 6-game main slate
  - 6:00 PM ET – New Orleans Pelicans at Boston Celtics
  - 6:00 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Washington Wizards
  - 6:00 PM ET – Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic
  - 6:00 PM ET – Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers
  - 8:00 PM ET – Brooklyn Nets at Utah Jazz
  - 9:00 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Phoenix Suns
• Front end of a back-to-back: Wizards
• Back end of a back-to-back: Jazz, Suns
• 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 Underdog Fantasy promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

News Updates

Here’s where I’ll provide news updates.

Team Previews

New Orleans Pelicans (at BOS)

Zion Williamson is due back for the Pelicans tonight in Boston after the team suspended him for Friday’s game in Philadelphia. Trey Murphy is also expected back, while Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones remain out. Dejounte Murray is questionable again, but he’s played through this same Q tag all week. The matchup is brutal, and New Orleans is a 14.5-point underdog as a result. Dejounte sitting would potentially open up more usage for Zion, Murphy, and CJ McCollum, while Jose Alvarado could play a bigger role. I’m still not too geeked about targeting the Pels in this spot, of course. Zion is productive enough to offer payoff potential in his 30ish minutes, but we’re already paying close to his full asking price even though he’s likely on a minutes limit.

Boston Celtics (vs. NOP)

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