Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Tuesday, May 5th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-05-05 12:35:23 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 Tuesday!

I played the blowout angle on last night’s slate and stacked one of the games, but I unfortunately stacked the wrong one. I went with a PHI/NY stack, but that game was essentially over by halftime. The Knicks have now won their last 2 games by 90 points combined. They are a force to be reckoned with, at least at home. The Spurs were not much of a force at home last night, as they lost the series opener to the Wolves.

We have another 2-game slate on tap this evening. The Cavaliers head to Detroit to take on the Pistons in what should be a very competitive series. The Lakers played better than most expected in the first round, but they have a much tougher draw in the Western Conference Semifinals. They have to face the defending champs, and they have to do it without Luka Doncic (at least for the start of the series).

Let’s dive into the games.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Tuesday, May 5th

Slate Overview

• 2-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons
  - 8:30 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 start tonight’s slate with the Cavaliers, who were dominant at home in the first round. They didn’t win any games on the road though, so that will have to change in the Eastern Conference Semifinals now that they don’t have home-court advantage. They have a brutal matchup on paper against the Pistons, who are 4th or better in rebounding rate, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. The Cavaliers’ team total is 14 points lower than their season average.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it a thousand times: James Harden and Donovan Mitchell really hurt each other’s upside when they are on the floor together. In 7 games against the Raptors, Harden averaged 41 fantasy points, while Mitchell averaged 36 fantasy points. They have an even worse matchup this round, so I will be fading both once again. Max Strus has been starting the last couple of games and put up 35 fantasy points in Game 7 against the Raptors. He’s a strong value play on this small slate.

I’m not going to prioritize Evan Mobley in this matchup, but he’s at least shown some upside while playing alongside Harden and Mitchell. He’s worth a look in tournaments. Jarrett Allen is the safest cash game option on the Cavaliers, although his playing time in the playoffs has been frustrating. With that said, he played 33 minutes in both Game 6 and Game 7, so perhaps he’s earned himself a bigger role moving forward. Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, and Dennis Schroder are decent lineup fillers in MME.

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