Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, December 19th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2024-12-19 23:50:14 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 have a lot to cover, so I’m going to lean on ChatGPT for an intro of the slate:

“Tis the season to be jolly… and to completely ignore your family while you obsessively refresh your NBA DFS lineup! Christmas is coming, and while you’re trying to figure out if you should’ve asked Santa for a PS5 or just more flex spots, we’ve got you covered with some picks that’ll make your holiday season a little more merry—and a lot less broke. Forget fruitcake and socks—this year, the only thing you’ll be unwrapping is a winning GPP lineup and maybe a couple of extra zeros in your bank account (take that, Aunt Linda!). And hey, if you happen to win big, you can always blame the rake for why you’re not really making as much as you’d hoped—because at this point, DFS sites charge more for a contest than your Aunt Betty charges for her mystery meat casserole. So let’s dive into the games, sprinkle in some holiday cheer, and hope the DFS gods bless you with a win that’s at least enough to cover that pesky rake!”

Well done, ChatGPT, well done. We have an 11-game slate tonight on DraftKings and a 13-game slate tonight on FanDuel. Let’s dive into the team previews.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, December 19th

• 13-game slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Utah Jazz at Detroit Pistons
  - 7:00 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Orlando Magic
  - 7:00 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Washington Wizards
  - 7:30 PM ET – Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics
  - 7:30 PM ET – Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors
  - 8:00 PM ET – New Orleans Pelicans at Houston Rockets
  - 8:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 8:00 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio Spurs
  - 8:30 PM ET – Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas Mavericks
  - 9:00 PM ET – Indiana Pacers at Phoenix Suns
  - 9:30 PM ET – New York Knicks at Minnesota Timberwolves
  - 10:00 PM ET – Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers
  - 10:00 PM ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings
• Front end of a back-to-back: Hornets, Thunder
• Back end of a back-to-back: None
• 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 PrizePicks promo code and Underdog Fantasy promo code, two of the best DFS sites available today.

News Updates

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

Team Previews

Utah Jazz (at DET)

The Jazz are still without Kyle Filipowski and Cody Williams, but they should have everyone else available. This has been a fairly easy team to avoid on large slates this season. It doesn’t help that they are facing the Pistons, who are 22nd in pace and 4th in rebounding rate this season. Keyonte George is the only player with a positive RGValue and a fairly high Opto%. While I don’t hate looking his way in large-field tournaments, he doesn’t offer a high floor. He’s been held under 28 fantasy points in 4 of his last 7 games.

Detroit Pistons (vs. UTA)

The Pistons draw an excellent matchup at home against the Jazz (dead last in defensive rating) and are expected to be without Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart. Let’s take a quick look at who benefits the most with Ivey off the floor:

Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers

Want to read more? Sign up for Premium!