NBA DFS Core Plays LIVE: Thursday, January 11th
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 and this random Thursday, 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.
Hey folks! Noto is off on NFL duty today ahead of a big playoff weekend, so you’re stuck with me to guide you through Core Plays on this fine Thursday. We’re only dealing with 8 teams on this 4-game NBA slate. There’s also a game between the Nets and Cavs tipping off at 2 PM ET over in Paris if you’re looking for a nice mid-afternoon Showdown sweat, but we’ll only be concerning ourselves with the evening docket in this space today.
So, let’s see what’s shaking in the NBA streets ahead of tonight’s 4-gamer.
NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, January 11th
Slate Overview
- 4-game slate
- 7:30 PM ET – Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
- 8:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Oklahoma City Thunder
- 8:30 PM ET – New York Knicks at Dallas Mavericks
- 10:00 PM ET – Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers
- Teams on the front end of a back-to-back: Blazers
- Teams on the back end of a back-to-back: Celtics, Thunder
- NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
- Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays
News Updates
Here’s where I’ll update for news throughout the day.
Team Previews
Boston Celtics (at MIL): The first game of the night looks like the best real-life game on the slate. The Celtics outlasted the T-Wolves in an OT thriller last night, and tonight, they’ll head to Milwaukee for a clash with the more well-rested Bucks. We’re expecting Al Horford to sit the second half of the back-to-back, while Kristaps Porzingis should return after sitting last night. There’s always a chance more names pop up on the injury report once we get it later. For now, Boston is a 4.5-point road underdog, and this team looks efficiently priced on DraftKings and FanDuel. Jayson Tatum is pretty matchup-proof these days, but he’s 1 of 4 Celtics who topped 40 minutes just last night. Porzingis and Jaylen Brown are reasonable enough targets in the mid-$8,000 range on both sites, but hardly cornerstones. Maybe some injury news will open up some value here.
Milwaukee Bucks (vs. BOS): The Bucks have a full roster ahead of this Eastern Conference showdown, and their 123.5 implied team total is the second-highest of the 8 teams in action tonight. We’re paying full price for Giannis Antetokounmpo here at above $12,000 on both sites, while Khris Middleton looks like a better value on FanDuel ($7,200) than he is on DraftKings ($7,800). Damian Lillard gets a tough draw against the Celtics’ stingy backcourt, yet he’s still projecting for decent ownership in the mid-$8,000s. Brook Lopez (0.91 FP/minute) isn’t really popping in projections at his salaries, either.
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