Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, April 24th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-04-24 17:44:53 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 Thursday!

We are inching closer and closer to the weekend. Once again, none of the 3 games on Wednesday night were decided by less than 9 points. The Heat did give the Cavaliers a bit of a scare early in the 4th quarter, but Cleveland was able to pull away late. The Celtics and Cavaliers hit the road with 2-0 leads, while the Rockets were able to even up their series against the Warriors. The big story from that game last night was the injury to Jimmy Butler. We’ll see if he’s able to suit up on Saturday.

As for tonight, we have 3 games on the schedule. The Pistons were able to steal Game 2 in New York and now have home-court advantage the rest of the way. They can knock off the Knicks if they don’t lose any of their home games. The Grizzlies are looking for any signs of life, as they have lost the first 2 games by 70 points combined. The Nuggets and Clippers feel like a series destined for a Game 7. They are tied at a game apiece heading into tonight’s Game 3.

Let’s dive into the team previews!

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NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, April 24th

• 3-game main slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons
  - 9:30 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 10:00 PM ET – Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

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

Team Previews

New York Knicks (at DET)

Tonight’s slate starts with the Knicks, who need to win 1 of the next 2 road games to even the series. Game 1 was a fast-paced affair where both offenses were firing on all cylinders, while Game 2 was a slow-paced game where both teams shot less than 45% from the field. The Knicks are listed as 1-point favorites and have a team total of 107.5 points, which is the 3rd lowest on the slate. Everyone should be available for the Knicks tonight.

Jalen Brunson picked up right where he left off last postseason, scoring 49 and 54 fantasy points in the first 2 games of this series. He’s firmly in play at $8,600 on both sites. After getting into foul trouble in Game 1, Mikal Bridges logged 38 minutes and scored 32 fantasy points in Game 2. He’s only $5,400 on DraftKings. OG Anunoby has averaged 43 minutes in this series and remains a strong midrange option.

Josh Hart can fill up the stat sheet, but his usage rate has been very low in the first 2 games. His rebounding rate has been down as well. I’m not sure what his ceiling looks like at this point. I prefer Bridges and Anunoby for tournaments. Karl-Anthony Towns put up 58 fantasy points in Game 1, but as I mentioned before Game 2, he ran incredibly hot given his 6 stocks and low usage rate. He came crashing back to earth in Game 2 and scored only 20 fantasy points.

In terms of priority, I am ranking the Knicks in the following order: Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, KAT, and then Hart.

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