Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, January 29th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-01-29 23:21:07 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!

It’s hard to believe January is almost over. While I don’t love the cold, I do like the snow. Unfortunately, we’ve had next to no snow in Utah this winter. It’s been cold and dark, which is not my favorite combination. It’s like a timeshare at running back in the NFL – it’s not fun for anyone. Luckily, we are officially through the darkest part of the year. It will get a little lighter every day until we get into the warm summer months. My goal over the next few months is to make enough in DFS to afford a nice vacation once the playoffs start. Maybe we could all go on a nice run and meet up in Hawaii or Cabo with our families. An official RG community vacation sounds like a blast.

We have 8 games on the schedule tonight. All 8 games are included on the main slates for both FanDuel and DraftKings.

Let’s dive into the games.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, January 29th

Slate Overview

• 8-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Sacramento Kings at Philadelphia 76ers
  - 7:00 pm ET – Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards
  - 8:00 pm ET – Houston Rockets at Atlanta Hawks
  - 8:00 pm ET – Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls
  - 8:30 pm ET – Charlotte Hornets at Dallas Mavericks
  - 9:00 pm ET – Detroit Pistons at Phoenix Suns
  - 9:00 pm ET – Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets
  - 9:30 pm ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

1:30 PM ET

Gary Harris has been ruled out for the Bucks.

Onyeka Okongwu has been ruled out for the Hawks. Mouhamed Gueye will likely draw a spot start, while Jalen Johnson should see a small boost as well.

Alperen Sengun is questionable for the Rockets. If he’s out, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., and Clint Capela would all likely see sizable boosts.

Team Previews

Sacramento Kings (at PHI)

We kick off tonight’s 8-game slate with the Kings, who have a mediocre matchup on the road against the Sixers. They enter the game with a team total that is 2 points lower than their season average. Keegan Murray is out, while Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk are questionable.

Even if Westbrook and Monk are out, I doubt I’ll have any shares of the Kings in small-field and single-entry tournaments. They are 12-point underdogs on the road and are starting to roll out a deep, balanced rotation. If Westbrook and Monk are both active, the full fade becomes even easier.

The Sixers have an excellent matchup at home against the Kings, who are bottom 5 in rebounding rate, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. Philly’s team total is 4 points higher than their season average. Quentin Grimes is questionable, but the rest of their key players are expected to be available.

Tyrese Maxey has cooled off over the last couple of weeks, largely due to the breakout of Joel Embiid. There’s only so much usage to go around in this offense, and Embiid has had a usage rate of at least 30% in 10 of the last 11 games. I much prefer Embiid over Maxey tonight. He has the best rebounding matchup on the slate and has averaged over 60 fantasy points in his last 3 games. Paul George and VJ Edgecombe could see small boosts if Grimes is out, but they are best suited as large-field tournament plays.

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