NBA DFS Core Plays LIVE: Wednesday, January 24th
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.
Happy Wednesday!
For those that celebrate, happy Torrey Pines Day as well (this week’s PGA TOUR event starts today). Depending on what site you like to play on for NBA DFS, you are looking at a 6-game or 8-game slate for tonight. FanDuel decided to leave the last two games of the night off their main slate, while DraftKings decided to keep them on their main slate. This gives us options as DFS players, which is never a bad thing.
One of my friends from high school that I haven’t seen in forever sent me a meme the other day that said something to the effect of, “You know you are getting old when you turn into Frank the Tank from the movie Old School.” When I go and hang out with friends, everyone is ready to call it a night by 10 o’clock. As Frank the Tank says when kids ask him why he doesn’t want to drink, “Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we’re going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.”
Funny enough, one of my close friends got in trouble with his wife last weekend because they didn’t have an “efficient enough” Saturday. We all had a good laugh about that one. Perhaps it’s not that we are getting old but becoming more mature. That same group of friends has planned a trip to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl, and they are trying to talk me into going. All I can think about is being away from my little one for 5 days and how much money I would waste. I should probably go for the memories, but Vegas just doesn’t have the same allure as it did in my early 20s.
The moral of the story? I suppose that it’s a good thing to mature with age. On another note, I wonder how well the movie Old School holds up these days. Enough of my ramblings. Let’s dive into tonight’s NBA slate.
NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Wednesday, January 24th
Slate Overview
- 8-game slate
- 7:00 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons
- 7:00 PM ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Washington Wizards
- 7:30 PM ET – Memphis Grizzlies at Miami Heat
- 8:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets
- 8:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Milwaukee Bucks
- 8:30 PM ET – Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks
- 9:30 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
- 10:00 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Golden State Warriors
- Teams on the front end of a back-to-back: Wolves, Wizards, Heat, Warriors
- Teams on the back end of a back-to-back: Blazers, Thunder
- 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
Charlotte Hornets (at DET): We kick off tonight’s slate with the Hornets, who have played a little better with LaMelo Ball back in the lineup. They are still only 10-31 on the season, but they have won 3 of their last 10 games. Tonight they travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons, who are 6th in pace and 28th in defensive rating. The Hornets have an implied total that is 7.2 points higher than their season average. On the injury front, Mark Williams and Gordon Hayward are out, while Nick Richards and Cody Martin are questionable. LaMelo Ball is easily the top target here, as he has topped 47 fantasy points in all 5 games since returning from injury. More importantly, he logged 35 minutes the other night against the Wolves. The Pistons have allowed the 6th-highest 3-point percentage this season, so look for Ball to have a nice game from behind the arc. Miles Bridges might be more popular, as he’s affordable and has topped 37 fantasy points in 3 straight games. You can certainly look to pair these two together, given the elite matchup against Detroit.
Detroit Pistons (vs. CHA): The Pistons have lost 9 of their last 10 games and own the worst record in the NBA. It’s all about small wins at this point, and at least they have a better point differential than the Hornets on the season. This is a solid matchup on paper, as Charlotte is ranked dead last in defensive rating. The Pistons are small favorites and have a team total that is 6.6 points above their season average. The team is hoping to have Cade Cunningham back tonight, but he is listed as questionable. He hasn’t played in more than two weeks and is dealing with a knee injury, so he could play fewer minutes than usual if active. However, he’s only $7,800 on DraftKings and draws an elite matchup at home. If Cunningham is out again, the Pistons become more appealing as a whole. Jaden Ivey has averaged 1.11 DK / 1.07 FD points per minute with Cunningham off the floor this season. Jalen Duren is a strong play regardless, as his role won’t change whether Cunningham is active or out again.
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