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

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-11-21 22:38:06 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 an NBA DFS slate? 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!

It’s that time of year when the days are getting shorter and shorter. It gets dark at approximately 5:15 here, and it’s starting to get cold. I miss golfing and running. The only positive to it getting dark so early is that it’s easier to get the kids to bed at a reasonable hour. Those two hours after the kids go to sleep and before the adults go to sleep are cherished.

While I miss golfing and running, we luckily still have a ton of sports to watch and sweat. We are closing in on Thanksgiving, which might be my favorite DFS slate of the year. After that, we slide right into the Christmas season. The NBA Christmas slate is another favorite of mine.

We kick off the weekend with 9 NBA games. All 9 are included on FanDuel’s main slate, while only the first 7 games are included on DraftKings’ main slate.

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

Slate Overview

• Slate size – FanDuel: 9 games, DraftKings: 7 games
  - 7:00 pm ET – Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers
  - 7:30 pm ET – Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors
  - 7:30 pm ET – Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics
  - 8:00 pm ET – Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls
  - 8:30 pm ET – New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks
  - 9:00 pm ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns
  - 9:30 pm ET – Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets
  - 10:00 pm ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors
  - 10:00 pm ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz
• 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

Indiana Pacers (at CLE)

We kick off tonight’s slate with the Pacers, who travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers. This is a pace-up spot and a decent matchup, which is why the Pacers have a team total that is 3 points higher than their season average. Tyrese Haliburton, Quenton Jackson, Aaron Nesmith, and Obi Toppin are all out.

Bennedict Mathurin put up 33 fantasy points in 25 minutes in his first game back from injury, and then he put up 46 fantasy points in 34 minutes in his next game. We can safely assume that he’s not on a minute restriction, which makes him a strong tournament play against the Cavaliers. I prefer him over Andrew Nembhard, who has only averaged 20 fantasy points per game with Mathurin active this season. I’ll take a chance with a fade of Indiana’s bigs, as the Cavaliers have elite rebounders and frontcourt defenders.

Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. IND)

This game is projected to be played at a fast pace, and the Pacers are bottom 6 in both points allowed per game and defensive rating. The Cavaliers are 13.5-point favorites and have a team total that is 7 points higher than their season average. Sam Merrill and Max Strus are out, while Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen are questionable.

We’ll have to wait and see if Garland suits up, but Donovan Mitchell has actually averaged the same number of fantasy points per game with and without Garland over the last 2 seasons. It’s a sneaky spot for Mitchell in large-field tournaments, as he has topped 50 fantasy points in 5 of his last 9 games. On a per-dollar basis, De’Andre Hunter stands out as a nice option. He has quietly topped 34 fantasy points in 6 of his last 10 games. Evan Mobley’s price has come down, and this is one of his best matchups to date. He’s viable in all formats, especially if Allen ends up being out.

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