NBA DFS Core Plays LIVE: Monday, January 1st
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 Noto will mix it up in all different types of contests. 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 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, you’ve come to the right place.
Happy New Year!
I was never a big fan of the holiday in my 20s, but I have learned to love it again over the last few years. We get together with a bunch of friends and have all kinds of activities for the kids. Last night there was painting, pizza making, a car game where the kids could win prizes or money, a Nerf gun contest, and sparklers. The adults had a room for drinking. There was something for everyone. The best part is that we are on Mountain Time but celebrate the Eastern Time ball drop. We were all home and in bed by 11:00 PM.
I’m not going to lie, I have never felt more old than I did last night. I was able to get my little one to sleep, I got the NBA First Look up, and I was ready to head to bed. I was about ready to fall asleep when the fireworks started. It was midnight. I thought it was cool for a bit and even watched them out my window since my neighbor buys the biggest and loudest fireworks known to mankind. However, they lasted a full 30 minutes. I was losing my mind. Turns out, I am officially old.
We have 10 games on the schedule tonight, but they are not all featured on the main slate. We have one early game and one late game that have both been left off the main slates for FanDuel and DraftKings. We’ll still do the team previews for those games but will focus most of our attention on the 6-game slate that starts at 7:30 PM ET.
Cheers to 2024 — the year of the dragon.
NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, January 1st
Slate Overview
- 8-game slate
- 3:00 PM ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks
- 7:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors
- 8:00 PM ET – Detroit Pistons at Houston Rockets
- 8:00 PM ET – Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks
- 9:00 PM ET – Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz
- 9:00 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Denver Nuggets
- 9:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns
- 10:30 PM ET – Miami Heat at Los Angeles Clippers
- Teams on the front end of a back-to-back: Hornets
- Teams on the back end of a back-to-back: Suns
- NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
- 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
Minnesota Timberwolves (at NYK): The Wolves are not featured on the main slate, as they travel to New York for the early game on the schedule. The Wolves own the best record in the Western Conference. The matchup is far from ideal though, as the Knicks are 25th in pace and 20th in defensive rating. This should be one of the slowest games on the schedule. Minnesota’s team total is nearly identical to their season average. The Wolves come into the game at full strength.
New York Knicks (vs. MIN): The Knicks have been up and down all season and currently sit at 17-15 in the standings. They made a big trade over the weekend to bring in OG Anunoby, who is expected to make his team debut. Today they host the Wolves, who are 1st in both points allowed per game and defensive rating. The Knicks have a team total that is 4.1 points below their season average. Jericho Sims is technically back from injury, although he didn’t crack the rotation on Saturday. I’m not playing this showdown slate myself, as I’ll save my sweat for the main slate.
Cleveland Cavaliers (at TOR): We kick off the main slate with the Cavaliers, who are 18-14 on the season. They have a winning record on the road and at home. Tonight they travel to Toronto to take on the Cavaliers, who are close to the league average in pace and defensive rating. The Cavaliers are still without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. They come into the game with a team total that is only a point below their season average. Here’s the CourtIQ query with those two off the floor this season:
From a projections standpoint, Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen both have positive RGValues.
Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers
Want to read more? Sign up for Premium!
