NBA DFS Core Plays LIVE: Thursday, February 22nd
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.
After a full 7 days with no NBA games, we are back!
I made some progress on my cold plunge room during the break. I didn’t realize how much stuff I had put in my spare bedroom over the last couple of years. It was essentially a storage space up until last week. I was able to clear it all out. I shampooed the carpets, I painted the ceilings, and I am working on painting the walls now. The tub was delivered yesterday, and the delivery guy said he was told to leave it curbside, so he was no help getting it up my stairs. This tub is absolutely massive, and it weighs 375 pounds (without water), so now it’s just sitting in my garage. At least it gives me more time to finish the room, I suppose. This is one of those projects that went differently in my head than in actuality.
DraftKings sent out a survey yesterday and asked mostly about thoughts on the removal of the late games from slates. They also asked about the potential removal of late swap. I am 100% here for it. Is there a worse feeling than having a player in your lineup get scratched after lock? Probably not, but those who argue for late swap have to realize that those late scratches even out over time. More importantly, late swap is actually most beneficial to players who are consistently updating their projections and lineups. Doing away with late swaps helps the casual DFS player, as it reduces some of the edge that the sharp and high-volume players have. I would love to be able to grind my lineups right up until lock and then not worry about having to make swaps the rest of the night. Perhaps I am biased because I have my little one in far too many after-school activities, but at least there’s hope for us non-late swappers.
As for this evening, there are 12 games on the schedule. DraftKings and FanDuel are both rolling out a 10-game main slate, which means the Lakers-Warriors and Spurs-Kings will only be available to those who play the late or Showdown slates. I hope everyone had a great break. Let’s dive into this monstrous slate!
NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, February 22nd
Slate Overview
- 12-game slate
- 7:00 PM ET – Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors
- 7:00 PM ET – Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers
- 7:00 PM ET – Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers
- 7:00 PM ET – New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers
- 7:30 PM ET – Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks
- 8:00 PM ET – Houston Rockets at New Orleans Pelicans
- 8:00 PM ET – Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls
- 8:00 PM ET – Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City Thunder
- 9:00 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Utah Jazz
- 9:00 PM ET – Washington Wizards at Denver Nuggets
- 10:00 PM ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
- 10:00 PM ET – San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings
- Teams on the front end of a back-to-back: Cavaliers, Sixers, Raptors, Suns, Rockets, Pelicans, Clippers, Thunder, Wizards, Nuggets, Hornets, Lakers, Warriors, Spurs
- Teams in the second half of a back-to-back: None
- 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
Brooklyn Nets (at TOR): We kick off the slate with the Nets, who are 21-33 on the season. Their point differential (-2.2) suggests some positive regression, but this doesn’t seem like a team that is invested in winning this season. Tonight they travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors, who are 14th in pace and 24th in defensive rating. The Nets’ total is slightly higher than their season average. The Nets should be at full strength for this game, which isn’t exactly a positive when it comes to DFS. There’s not a single player on the roster with a positive RGValue, and nobody is garnering more than a 5% ownership projection.
Toronto Raptors (vs. BKN): The Raptors are in a similar boat as the Nets. They were sellers before the trade deadline and are now looking to rebuild. They are currently 7 games below .500 on the season and have no plans of making the playoffs. A matchup against Brooklyn is a mediocre one, but the Raptors come into the game with a total that is 3.1 points higher than their season average. The Raptors don’t have anyone listed on their injury report, so they should have everyone available tonight. There’s not a lot that stands out here, but Gary Trent is $4,000 on DraftKings and has a path to 30 minutes.
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