Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, April 2nd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-04-02 22:05:45 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 NBA DFS slates on DraftKings and FanDuel? 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 Thursday!

I hope everyone is having a great week. My boys are in different schools, so naturally, they have different weeks off for spring break. It would be great if they had the same week off and could keep each other entertained, but alas, that is not in the cards. Spring break as a parent isn’t quite as fun now as it was when I was a kid and in college.

We have a great size of slate on tap, as there are 6 games on the schedule. Surprisingly, most of the teams on the slate have something to play for. It’s really tough to predict player performance when most of the games on the slate have blowout potential, so tonight’s slate is refreshing.

For the second straight night, we have an NBA show back on the schedule. Crunch Time with Dean, TJ, and Kirkwood starts at 6:00 PM ET. They’ll break down the slate and answer any questions that you have with your lineups.

Let’s dive into the games!

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, April 2nd

Slate Overview

• 6-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Phoenix Suns at Charlotte Hornets
  - 7:00 pm ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Detroit Pistons
  - 9:30 pm ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder
  - 10:00 pm ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
  - 10:00 pm ET – New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers
  - 10:30 pm ET – San Antonio Spurs 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

Phoenix Suns (at CHA)

We kick off tonight’s 6-game slate with the Suns, who are likely going to finish as the 7th seed in the West, which would give them two chances to make their way out of the Play-In Tournament. They head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets, who are 26th in pace and 8th in points allowed per game. Phoenix’s team total is 108 points, which is 5 points lower than their season average. Haywood Highsmith is out, while Mark Williams is questionable.

There’s not a single player on the Suns with an RGValue that’s better than -5. They project as poorly as any team that I’ve seen in weeks. They are healthy and have one of the worst matchups on the board. I don’t see a need to be overweight on them in cash games, small-field tournaments, or large-field tournaments. Oso Ighodaro will draw another start if Williams is out again, but he’s priced appropriately on both FanDuel and DraftKings.

Charlotte Hornets (vs. PHO)

The Hornets are currently 8th in the East, but they could move up to 5th or 6th with a strong close to the season. They are small favorites against the Suns, who are 24th in pace and 6th in points allowed per game. This is one of the worst game environments on the slate. Charlotte’s team total is 114 points, which is 3 points lower than their season average. To make matters worse, all of their key players will be available.

The Hornets have more appeal than the Suns, but this still isn’t a situation that I want to get carried away with when it comes to my exposures. LaMelo Ball has a positive RGValue, but he has been held under 40 fantasy points in 5 straight games. Kon Knueppel also has a positive RGValue, but he’s failed to top 30 fantasy points in 5 of his last 6 games. I get that their price points have come down, but this is not a good matchup. Coby White, playing so well off the bench, has really cut into the upside of his teammates.

This should be a fun game to watch, but it’s an easy one to cross off our list of potential targets.

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