Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, December 15th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-12-15 23:45:28 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 Monday!

I hope everyone had a solid weekend. I had a solid NFL slate and didn’t play any NBA DFS, so I’m refreshed and ready to get back at it. We took the boys to a birthday party that was at an outdoor skating rink. The boys had never been before, and apparently, there was a high school dance that day. The place was packed with high school kids, so I was a little worried. I couldn’t help but think of the boys falling and getting their hands run over by someone who wasn’t paying attention.

Luckily, all fingers and toes came home with us. I was super proud of how quickly they picked it up. I’ve only been ice skating once, and it was not pretty. I’m good at a lot of things, but skating isn’t one of them. We also went to the mall for some last-minute Christmas shopping. Call me crazy (plenty of people do), but I love a good Christmas crowd.

For the hoops tonight, we have 5 games on the schedule. All 5 games are featured on FanDuel’s main slate, while only the first 4 games are featured on DraftKings’ main slate.

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, December 15th

Slate Overview

• Slate size – DraftKings: 4 games, FanDuel: 5 games
  - 7:00 pm ET – Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics
  - 7:30 pm ET – Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat
  - 9:00 pm ET – Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz
  - 9:30 pm ET – Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
  - 10:30 pm ET – Memphis Grizzlies 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

Detroit Pistons (at BOS)

We kick off tonight’s slate with the Pistons, who have a tough matchup on the road. The Celtics are dead last in pace of play and 3rd in points allowed per game this season. The Pistons are 1.5-point underdogs and have a team total that is 6 points lower than their season average. Everyone is expected to be available for Detroit.

Cade Cunningham is priced at a premium and has been held under 55 fantasy points in 6 straight games. This doesn’t mean he’s not capable of a ceiling performance, but I’m not sure I want to bank on it in a tough matchup against the slowest-paced team in the league. The Celtics aren’t great at defending the 3-point line, but Duncan Robinson is only viable in large-field tournaments. After having a consistent role earlier in the season, Ausar Thompson has played fewer than 28 minutes in 4 straight games.

Tobias Harris is not a player that I roster often, but he’s only $4,800 on DraftKings and has topped 20 fantasy points in 4 of his last 5 games. Jalen Duren has scored fewer than 30 fantasy points in 3 of his 4 games and is still priced at a premium. While this is a small slate, I don’t trust anyone on Detroit’s bench. I plan to have very little (if any) exposure to the Pistons.

Boston Celtics (vs. DET)

The Celtics have a tough matchup against the Pistons, who are 6th or better in rebounding rate, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. The Celtics are small favorites, but they have a team total that is lower than their season average. Outside of Jayson Tatum, everyone should be available for Boston.

Payton Pritchard has had a lot of slightly underwhelming performances. He’ll have the occasional 45+ fantasy point outing, but he has been held under 30 fantasy points far too often for my liking. Derrick White has more upside than Pritchard, as he has topped 42 fantasy points in 4 of his last 8 games. I’ll side with White over Pritchard in tournaments, but I’m not prioritizing either of them. Anfernee Simons is a sneaky value play, as he offers 25+ fantasy point upside off the bench.

Jaylen Brown is the only player on the roster with a positive RGValue. He has scored at least 50 fantasy points in 7 of his last 8 games and is still priced under $10,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Jordan Walsh has quietly been playing well, topping 30 fantasy points in 4 of his last 6 games. It’s not my favorite game environment, but he’s worth a look in large-field tournaments. Neemias Queta has been hit or miss all season, but he could see a few extra minutes in this matchup if he can stay out of foul trouble.

Want to read more? Sign up for NBA Premium!

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