NBA DFS Core Plays LIVE: Sunday, November 12th
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. On weekends, jack-of-all-trades Taylor Smith takes the reins. 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.
Sunday brings a hefty 11-game NBA schedule, though we’ll only have to worry about 7 of them on the main slate. Luckily, DraftKings and FanDuel have agreed on the same 7-game docket starting at the usual 7 PM ET. Here’s hoping we don’t get another post-lock scratch, as we’ve been burned by such shenanigans twice now in the last 3 nights.
We’ve also got several news situations to follow, with all of Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, and Jimmy Butler among those carrying questionable tags entering the day. As we saw yesterday, though, there’s always a chance some slate-shattering news pops up that none of us expected, so keep an eye on this article for updates all day long.
NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Sunday, November 12th
Slate Overview
- 7-game slate
- 7:00 PM ET – Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets
- 7:00 PM ET – Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs
- 7:00 PM ET – Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Pelicans
- 7:00 PM ET – Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls
- 8:00 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns
- 8:30 PM ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
- 10:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers
- Teams on the front end of a back-to-back: Bulls
- Teams on the back end of a back-to-back: Heat, Warriors
- NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
- Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays
News Updates
I’ll update this section to account for injury news leading up to lock.
Team Previews
Denver Nuggets (at HOU): The Nuggets are still without Jamal Murray, as they get set to face the Rockets in Houston. All Nikola Jokic has done in 149 minutes with Murray on the bench this season is post a 32.5% usage rate, 43% assist rate, and a 23% rebound rate on his way to an incredible 2 DK FP/min. The matchup against a slow-paced, much-improved Rockets side isn’t a great one, but Jokic still rates out as a positive value even at $12,000 on DraftKings. The Nuggets are otherwise priced efficiently, though $4,500 on FanDuel for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a fine try in GPPs.
Houston Rockets (vs. DEN): The Rockets have suddenly reeled off 5 wins in a row, and they’ll face their stiffest test yet with the champs in town. Alperen Sengun (1.31 FP/min) put up another stellar line on Friday night despite playing through a sprained ankle, while Fred VanVleet again played 40 minutes in a regulation game. I never mind Sengun as a flier in tournaments, but Houston does have a low total in this one (106.25) and Denver still ranks inside the top 10 in defensive efficiency. Barring some late injury news, there isn’t a whole lot that stands out about the Rockets here.
Miami Heat (at SAS): Miami was the value team du jour on Saturday with Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro out. Butler missed that game for personal reasons, so there’s no telling at this point whether he’ll be back tonight in San Antonio. Duncan Robinson has been starting in place of the injured Herro, while Jaime Jaquez made the leap into the starting group last night. Bam Adebayo predictably did just about everything for this team in their win over Atlanta, and tonight’s matchup against the struggling Spurs is even better on paper. Adebayo still rates out very well even with Butler currently projected in, and he’ll again be a core play if Jimmy remains sidelined. Kyle Lowry (33) and Dru Smith (28) logged big minutes in the backcourt, and they’ll be difficult fades again tonight if Butler sits.
San Antonio Spurs (vs. MIA): The Spurs haven’t been playing well at all lately, yet they’re only 2-point home underdogs against a shorthanded version of the Heat tonight. Miami won’t be as feisty defensively if they’re without Butler again, either. The main man for this team will always be Victor Wembanyama (1.36 FP/min), who’s been posting some monster scores of late in the games the Spurs have been able to keep close. The minutes have also been trending up, so I love the idea of getting to Wemby if we’re once again playing several Heat players. Zach Collins ($6,300 DK/FD) has also been productive even while sharing the floor with Wembanyama, though he has played 24 minutes or less in 3 straight games.
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