Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, November 21st

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2024-11-21 23:41:23 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!

It’s pretty incredible what ChatGPT can do. I asked it to write me a quick preview of tonight’s NBA DFS slate. Here’s what it came up with in less than 10 seconds:

Tonight’s NBA slate is packed with exciting matchups that promise plenty of action. Key games to watch include:

Lakers vs. Celtics – A classic rivalry, this matchup features elite talent on both sides, including LeBron James and Jayson Tatum. With both teams looking to assert themselves in the playoff race, expect a high-intensity, back-and-forth battle.

Warriors vs. Mavericks – Steph Curry and Luka Dončić square off in a star-studded showdown. Both teams are offensively potent, and this game could feature plenty of scoring, making it a prime opportunity for DFS players to target high-volume shooters and playmakers.

Bucks vs. Heat – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler will lead their teams into a crucial game with playoff implications. Expect a gritty contest where star power and defense could make the difference.

Nuggets vs. Hornets – The reigning champions look to extend their dominance with MVP Nikola Jokić leading the way. Charlotte will have a tough time containing the Nuggets’ offense, but a few surprising performances could keep this one competitive.

With plenty of stars and intriguing matchups, tonight’s slate offers a mix of high-scoring games and intense battles. Be sure to keep an eye on injuries and starting lineups to maximize your DFS lineup!

It’s a tad generic, and the Nuggets aren’t the reigning champions, but it’s so impressive what it can cook up in a matter of seconds. If you haven’t played around with it, I highly recommend it. As for my preview of the slate, we only have 4 games on the schedule. It was too easy to build lineups last night, but it should be a more difficult task, given the lack of options. With that said, there are currently 8 players listed as questionable, so we’ll have to keep an eye on the news leading up to lineup lock.

We are officially 7 days away from Thanksgiving. As my all too energetic friend likes to say, “Let’s go! Full send!”

Let’s full send right into tonight’s slate.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, November 21st

• 4-game slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Detroit Pistons at Charlotte Hornets
  - 7:30 PM ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Toronto Raptors
  - 8:00 PM ET – Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs
  - 10:30 PM ET – Orlando Magic at Los Angeles Lakers
• Front end of a back-to-back: None
• Back end of a back-to-back: Magic
• 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 apps available today.

News Updates

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

Team Previews

Detroit Pistons (at CHA) The Pistons are missing a handful of players, but none have a major role in the rotation. Ausar Thompson is getting close to making his season debut, but he is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Hornets. This is a mediocre matchup if I’ve ever seen one, as the Hornets are close to the league average in pace, points allowed per game and defensive rating. Cade Cunningham (1.37 DK / 1.28 FD) leads the team in usage and can fill up the stat sheet. He draws a nice individual matchup against LaMelo Ball and is still priced under $10,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.

This is the perfect slate to finally target Tobias Harris in DFS. He’s usually not on my radar given his lack of upside, but his high floor makes him a solid option on a small slate. He’s scored between 30 and 35 fantasy points in 6 of his last 8 games. Targeting bigs against Charlotte used to be a thing, but they are 8th in efficiency against centers and 5th in rebounding rate this season. That doesn’t mean Jalen Duren can’t get there, but it’s not as good of a matchup as you might expect. Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley, and Tim Hardaway are best suited as large-field tournament fliers.

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