Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, May 7th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-05-07 15:19:58 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!

My strategy finally worked last night. I stacked the first game (PHI/NY) and only had 1 player from the second game (MIN/SA). My thought process was simple: the Sixers were naturally going to play better than they did in Game 1, and the Spurs were going to play with much more urgency than they did in Game 1. I had a nice night of DFS, although it certainly could have been a lot better if I had targeted Karl-Anthony Towns over Jalen Brunson. I’m starting to think I’m too stubborn in the nightly debate between these two.

We have another set of Game 2s on tap this evening. The Cavaliers are looking to even their series against the Pistons, while the Lakers are searching for any signs of life in their series against the defending-champion Thunder. While I don’t feel as good about the stacking strategy, it’s certainly viable again. The CLE/DET game has a 3.5-point spread, while the LAL/OKC game has a 15.5-point spread.

Let’s dive into the team previews.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, May 7th

Slate Overview

• 2-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons
  - 9:30 pm ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder
• 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

Cleveland Cavaliers (at DET)

We kick off the slate with the Cavaliers, who nearly beat the Pistons on the road in Game 1. They got off to a slow start, but they made a nice run in the 2nd half. These teams had competitive games during the regular season and are evenly matched on paper, so I am expecting a long series. On paper, this is the worst matchup on the board, as Detroit is ranked 4th or better in rebounding rate, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. Cleveland’s team total is 14 points lower than their season average. Sam Merrill is questionable.

It felt like James Harden had a huge outing in Game 1, but the game log tells another story. He finished with 45 fantasy points, which has felt like his ceiling since joining the Cavaliers. Harden and Donovan Mitchell continue to eat into each other’s upside. I’m not itching to target either of them tonight, but they are interesting options if you are stacking this game and playing the blowout angle in the LAL/OKC game. I’ll give a slight edge to Harden if choosing between the two, as Mitchell has been held under 35 fantasy points in 6 straight games.

Max Strus came off the bench in Game 1, but he logged 27 minutes and scored 32 fantasy points. Once again, he’s one of the top cheap values on the slate. Dean Wade started in Game 1 and played 27 minutes, but he hasn’t scored more than 18 fantasy points in any game in the playoffs. Evan Mobley arguably has a higher ceiling than both Harden and Mitchell, yet he’s cheaper on both sites. He’s my favorite spend from the Cavaliers. Jarrett Allen got into foul trouble in Game 1 and ruined a lot of DFS lineups. After playing 33 minutes in each of the final 2 games of the first round, I’m tempted to go right back to the well tonight.

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