NBA DFS Core Plays LIVE: Tuesday, December 5th
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.
Other than tagging Al Horford as a core play, I thought we were on the right track with last night’s plays. Unfortunately, Horford was enough to keep my main lineup from cashing in tournaments. The basketball was incredible though. The atmosphere in both Indiana and Sacramento certainly felt like the playoffs. I was skeptical, but Adam Silver delivered something great with the In-Season Tournament. The Pacers and Kings now await their opponents for the semifinals that take place on December 7th.
The final two semifinal spots are up for grabs tonight, as the Bucks host the Knicks, and the Lakers host the Suns. While a 2-game slate isn’t usually something we look forward to when it comes to DFS, I can’t wait to see how these games play out. This tournament clearly means a lot to the players and to the fans. There likely won’t be many updates today, as LeBron James is really the only key injury to monitor, and his questionable tag is something that he’s had all season. I would consider him probable for tonight.
Let’s dive into the games!
NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Tuesday, December 5th
Slate Overview
- 2-game slate
- 7:30 PM ET – New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks
- 10:00 PM ET – Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers
- Teams on the front end of a back-to-back: None
- Teams on the back end 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
New York Knicks (at MIL): Wouldn’t it be the most Knicks thing ever to win the first ever In-Season Tournament? They might have a hard time getting past the Celtics and Sixers in the playoffs, but perhaps they could take down this tournament for their fans. The Knicks have won 3 games in a row and are 12-7 on the season. From a fantasy standpoint, this is actually the best matchup of the slate, as the Bucks are 5th in pace and 21st in defensive rating.
The offense is going to flow through Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. The two have combined for a 55% usage rate on the season, and they should play as many minutes as they can handle tonight. The projections slightly prefer Randle, but the matchup sets up better for Brunson. I view them as comparable plays. Mitchell Robinson is always a good bet for double-digit rebounds and has now played at least 31 minutes in 4 straight games.
Outside of those three, we are really just hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. RJ Barrett has been quiet since returning from injury, while Quentin Grimes has been held under 10 fantasy points in 6 straight games. Immanuel Quickley could play anywhere from 20-30 minutes, giving him one of the widest ranges of potential outcomes. Josh Hart should see around 30 minutes off the bench and might be New York’s best chance of slowing down Giannis.
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