Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Saturday, November 15th

by Taylor Smith (tcsmith031) Last Updated 2025-11-15 22:54:12 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. On weekends, Taylor Smith takes the wheel. 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.

Hello, and welcome to College Football Saturday. It’s also National Basketball Association Saturday, as it turns out, as we’re looking at modest 4-gamers on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. I also see the Pelicans have decided to fire Willie Green amid their 2-10 start, and that James “The Goat” Borrego will take over as head coach on an interim basis. Good for him. Anyone who previously coached the Hornets surely deserves a second chance at a head coaching gig with a more competent franchise. Maybe he’ll get that opportunity someday.

This 4-game slate has a few moving parts, with a couple of teams on the second halves of back-to-backs. We also have an incredible amount of star power at the top, with Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all potentially in action. Jokic is carrying a Q tag into the day, while Luka and Giannis are both set for the 2nd halves of back-to-backs. There is a decent chance SGA will be the only stud left standing by the time lock rolls around, but we’ll see.

Let’s get into it.

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NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Saturday, November 15th

Slate Overview

• 4-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte Hornets
  - 7:00 pm ET – Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers
  - 8:00 pm ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Milwaukee Bucks
  - 8:00 pm ET – Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

Here’s where I’ll provide any and all news updates.

Team Previews

Oklahoma City Thunder (at CHA)

This matchup looks a little unfair, but the NBA’s scheduling gods aren’t in the business of showing mercy. The Thunder will head to Charlotte to face a Hornets team that played an OT game in Milwaukee just last night. The reigning champs are off to a stellar 12-1 start, which is a bit more impressive when you remember they’ve done all of this without Jalen Williams. J-Dub, Nikola Topic, Kenrich Williams, and Aaron Wiggins remain out tonight, while Lu Dort is questionable with a sore back. Oklahoma City is favored by 15.5 points in this one.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34.6% usage, 1.6 DK FP/minute) fills it up on a nightly basis, and he hasn’t even needed a full complement of minutes to show worthwhile DFS upside in recent games. I’m skeptical he’ll see full minutes tonight given the spread in this game. I like his chances to give you a nice 50ish fantasy points, but this tiny slate features an awful lot to like on the high end of the salary spectrum. My interest in Gilgeous-Alexander likely hinges on what happens with the other stars, but he’s always a solid play in his own right.

Chet Holmgren has dealt with a back injury this season. He’s cracked 30 minutes just once in his last 4 games, though blowouts have played a role. If you think this game stays close, he’s worth keeping in your player pool. We’ve also seen a wide range of outcomes from Isaiah Hartenstein (1.16 FP/minute). I like the matchup – especially if Ryan Kalkbrenner misses another game for Charlotte. Ajay Mitchell (1.14 FP/minute) looks like yet another draft steal for OKC, and he’d likely be in line for another start if Dort sits again. Mitchell won’t come cheap, though, and a starting role means he’s less likely to play deep into a blowout. One of the main cheapies on the Thunder side who could get blowout burn is Isaiah Joe, who’d have a clearer path to minutes if Dort remains out. If Dort suits up, I have minimal interest in OKC’s supporting cast.

Charlotte Hornets (vs. OKC)

The Hornets dropped a crucial Emirates NBA Cup matchup last night in Milwaukee, 147-134 in OT. LaMelo Ball returned from an ankle injury and played 27 minutes in that one, though he was on the sidelines for overtime. We’re calling Ball doubtful to suit up tonight, however, while Grant Williams, Brandon Miller, and Josh Green are still out. Ryan Kalkbrenner and Liam McNeeley – who both missed last night’s game – are tentatively questionable for tonight. Kalk missed the game for the birth of his child, while McNeeley was dealing with an illness. This is a brutal spot, and Charlotte’s 105.5 total at home is easily the lowest on the slate.

Despite the matchup, there could be some value here depending on how the news shakes out. If Kalkbrenner sits again, Moussa Diabate would start again at center. He logged a whopping 43 minutes last night with Mason Plumlee hardly factoring into the rotation at all. Diabate is a capable per-minute guy (1.1), but his low usage gives him an awfully low floor. Regardless, Diabate would grade out as a particularly strong value on DK ($4,600) if Kalk is out. You can certainly consider Kalkbrenner himself (0.95 FP/minute) at just $4,800 on DK if he suits up.

If Melo sits – like we’re projecting – Collin Sexton would presumably slide back in with the starters. Sexton hasn’t been great in that role, but he’d look decent enough for the expected minutes at $5,900 on FanDuel. Ball sitting would also clear extra usage for Miles Bridges (26.7%) and Kon Knueppel (23.7%). Knueppel continues to put up impressive numbers on a nightly basis, though a matchup against the NBA’s best point-of-attack defense could be a spot to fade. I don’t mind Bridges in GPPs, especially considering he’ll surely see single-digit ownership.

Toronto Raptors (at IND)

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