Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Tuesday, December 9th

by Taylor Smith (tcsmith031) Last Updated 2025-12-09 22:33:46 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. On weekends, Taylor Smith takes over. 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 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.

Folks, the day has finally arrived. I don’t know about you, but I could hardly sleep last night in anticipation of today’s quarterfinal round of the Emirates NBA Cup. The 4 Eastern Conference teams left standing will battle it out, while we’ll get the Western Conference quarters tomorrow. The winners of these games will advance to Las Vegas for the semis and – if they’re lucky – the NBA Cup championship in a few days.

As a result, we’ve got a wee 2-game slate on tap. Note this one tips off a bit earlier than usual at 6:00 PM ET. It doesn’t look like we’ll have much injury news to monitor, though Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) and Immanuel Quickley (illness) are carrying a questionable tag into the later game.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Tuesday, December 9th

Slate Overview

• 2-game main slate
  - 6:00 pm ET – Miami Heat at Orlando Magic
  - 8:30 pm ET – New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

Here’s where I’ll provide news updates.

Team Previews

Miami Heat (at ORL)

The first quarterfinal matchup pits the Florida rivals against one another in Orlando. Miami is still running at the NBA’s fastest pace, while Orlando is up to 11th after finishing 28th a season ago. Both teams are still ranked inside the top 10 in defensive efficiency, however. Tonight, the Heat are 1.5-point road underdogs, though their 117 total is the 2nd-highest of the slate. Dru Smith is questionable for Miami here with a hip injury, while Terry Rozier remains out.

Orlando has a very tough rim defense, while they’re also allowing the fewest catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts. The Magic also generally stifle transition, which is what Miami’s offense does best. The first meeting of the season between the teams was a 125-121 shootout on opening night, while last week’s rematch was more of a slog, with Orlando winning, 106-105.

Tyler Herro missed both previous meetings against the Magic, though he’s expected to suit up here after missing the Heat’s loss over the weekend with a toe injury. Herro has been solid (1.18 FP/minute, 25.5% usage) when healthy, and we’re projecting a pretty full minutes allotment for this Cup game. I think he’s a decent sub-$8,000 play, as Miami will need some shot creation off-the-dribble in this matchup. Norman Powell (28.2%) is still Miami’s overall usage leader, though that number is down to around 23% in the minutes he’s played alongside Herro. A decent midrange salary and G/F eligibility make Powell playable, albeit at what looks like significant ownership early in the day.

Davion Mitchell is back here after missing Saturday’s game, which will send Smith back to the bench if he plays. Mitchell’s ceiling has been elusive, but the minutes are generally safe, and he’s a solid enough value option. Bam Adebayo really popped off in this matchup last week, and he still looks a tad underpriced around the industry, even with Herro back. Herro’s return should also send Kel’el Ware back to the bench, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. has a much lower minutes floor. Ware and Jaquez have high enough ceilings to warrant GPP consideration on such a small slate, even in reserve roles.

Orlando Magic (vs. MIA)

Want to read more? Sign up for NBA Premium!

Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers