Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, May 1st

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-05-01 22:31:24 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. So, who better to walk you through the madness of NBA DFS slates on DraftKings and FanDuel? Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best plays, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, you’ve come to the right place.

Happy Friday!

We had some surprises in the NBA last night. The Knicks put together one of the most dominant performances we have ever seen. At one point in the 1st half, they went on a 51-8 run against the Hawks. They have officially advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Celtics looked out of sorts all game against the Sixers and benched their starters for the entire 4th quarter. I’m not an NBA coach, but I’m not sure Game 6 of a playoff series is the time to prove a point to your players. The biggest surprise came in the late game. Despite playing without Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, and Ayo Dosunmu, the Wolves beat the Nuggets at home and won the series.

We have 3 games on the schedule tonight. The Pistons are looking to force a Game 7 against the Magic. While they haven’t looked great in this series, a win tonight would give them all of the momentum heading into the winner-take-all Game 7. The Raptors are hoping to stay alive in their series against the Cavaliers. The home team has won each of the first 5 games of that series. And finally, the Rockets are looking to make history and become the first team to ever come back from a 3-0 deficit and win the series. A win tonight at home would put all of the pressure on the Lakers in Game 7. Without a rooting interest, I’m cheering for my DFS lineup and for as many Game 7s as possible.

Depending on what happens tonight, this could be the last 3-game slate of the season. Let’s make it count.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, May 1st

Slate Overview

• 3-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic
  - 7:30 pm ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors
  - 9:30 pm ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets
• 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

Detroit Pistons (at ORL)

We kick off the slate with the Pistons, who were able to stave off elimination with a win at home in Game 5. These teams have been nearly identical in terms of net rating through the first 5 games, so we should see another competitive game tonight. During the regular season, the Magic ranked 14th in pace and 10th in points allowed per game. The Pistons have a team total of 106.5 points, which is the 3rd highest on the slate. Tobias Harris and Kevin Huerter are both listed as questionable.

Huerter’s injury doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things, but we definitely need to keep an eye on Harris. He has averaged 36 minutes and 36 fantasy points per game in the series. If active, he remains a strong option in all formats. If Harris is out, Isaiah Stewart, Javonte Green, and Caris LeVert should all pick up a few extra minutes. Ausar Thompson is an elite play regardless, as he’s logged at least 32 minutes in each of the last 3 games. He has averaged 1.03 DK / 1.11 FD points per minute this season, so it’s great to see him finally see some extended run in the playoffs.

Cade Cunningham is coming off his best game of the series. He scored 59 fantasy points despite having only 4 rebounds and 5 assists. He should see minutes in the low-40s tonight, and he’s yet to have a game with a usage rate lower than 33%. His price has slowly risen, but he’s still one of the top plays on the board. Duncan Robinson has been quiet in this series, but he should continue to see minutes in the high-20s. He can be included in your MME player pool. Jalen Duren is affordable, but he has yet to score over 30 fantasy points in any game in the series. I will note that he’s been in foul trouble in each of the last 3 games, so he does have a path to 32-34 minutes if he doesn’t get into foul trouble.

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