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 Tuesday, everyone!

First of all, I want to give a shoutout to one of our RotoGrinders members. He read my story about the fireworks on New Year’s Eve and sent me this quote on Twitter:

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” – George Bernard Shaw

And you know what? I am going to take that advice to heart. Next year, I am going to keep my little man awake and watch the fireworks with him. This a great quote and one we can apply to many aspects of our lives. We might get up there in age, but we can always stay young at heart. And hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

When the sites first started taking the late games off the main slates, I was a little worried they would continue that for smaller slates. While I like the idea for large slates, I don’t like the idea of making small slates even smaller. Thankfully, the two late games this evening are featured on the main slates for both FanDuel and DraftKings.

NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Tuesday, January 2nd

Slate Overview

• 6-game slate
  • 7:00 PM ET – Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers
  • 8:00 PM ET – Boston Celtics at Oklahoma City Thunder
  • 8:00 PM ET – San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies
  • 8:00 PM ET – Brooklyn Nets at New Orleans Pelicans
  • 10:00 PM ET – Orlando Magic at Golden State Warriors
  • 10:00 PM ET – Charlotte Hornets at Sacramento Kings
• Teams on the front end of a back-to-back: Bulls, Grizzlies, Nets, Pelicans, Thunder, Magic, Kings
• Teams on the back end of a back-to-back: Hornets
• NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

6:50 PM ET – (NOP) has been ruled out. The Sixers will start , but he will remain on a minute restriction. Perhaps we should have more interest in in tournaments.

4:15 PM ET – In a turn of events, is now expected to suit up tonight. While this helps Charlotte’s chances of keeping this game competitive, it makes the slate a lot tougher when it comes to DFS. is no longer in play, which means we have a serious lack of value. I will work on an update to the tables now.

3:15 PM ET – Here’s the CourtIQ query with Melton, Korkmaz, and Covington off the floor this season:

2:10 PM ET – and have both been ruled out. With De’Anthony Melton also out, a lot of minutes are up for grabs in this rotation.

Team Previews

Chicago Bulls (at PHI): For whatever reason, the Bulls are a team that I want to see succeed. Perhaps it’s because they were such a great franchise at one point and have fallen to the depths of the Eastern Conference. Or perhaps I tend to be overweight on a lot of their players, so I find myself rooting for them often. They have won 6 of their last 10 games and are back in the playoff mix. Tonight, they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Sixers, who are top 10 in rebounding rate, points allowed, and defensive rating this season. , , and are all out again tonight. Here’s the CourtIQ query with those three off the floor this season:

The large spread here is a concern, but we should expect nice outings from , , and Andre Drummond if the Bulls keep this game close.

Philadelphia 76ers (vs. CHI): The Sixers have managed to stay competitive without their MVP in the lineup, but he will be back for this game. Tonight, they host the Bulls, who have played at the league’s slowest pace. They aren’t the best defensive team around, but the pace certainly hurts the overall game environment. The Sixers come into the game as large favorites, but their team total is 3.3 points below their season average. is back tonight, while De’Anthony Melton has been ruled out. We might see back in the starting lineup for this one. Embiid and are the only players that project well here.

Boston Celtics (at OKC): The Celtics had the best roster on paper before the season started. Through the first 32 games, they have been the best team in the NBA. We’ll see if the preseason favorites can make it to the championship. As for tonight, they travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, who are 6th in pace and 2nd in defensive rating. Despite the tough matchup, Boston is projected to score more points than their season average. A large part of that is because they will be at full strength for this game. I won’t be jamming in anyone from the Celtics in cash games or small-field tournaments, but and are both on my radar for large-field tournaments.

Oklahoma City Thunder (vs. BOS): The Thunder have won 4 games in a row and 8 of their last 10 outings. They have one of the best young collections of talent in the league, and we are already seeing it pay dividends. Tonight will be a big test, as they host the team with the best record in the NBA. The Celtics have been a tough matchup, ranking 4th or better in rebounding rate, points allowed, and defensive rating. The Thunder have a team total that is 3.1 points below their season average. It’s rare to have both teams in a game be at full strength, but that’s the case here with the Celtics and Thunder. From a DFS standpoint, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only Thunder player I have interest in.

San Antonio Spurs (at MEM): The Spurs have been good at home, and they haven’t been good on the road. Basically, they haven’t been good. Tonight, they travel to Memphis to take on a Grizzlies team that is much better than their record suggests. This isn’t a particularly good or bad matchup on paper, but the Spurs are large underdogs once again. They come into the game with a team total that is identical to their season average. The Spurs will be without tonight, but we can expect them to still have a deep and balanced rotation. This is not a team that I have much confidence in at the moment.

Memphis Grizzlies (vs. SAS): The Grizzlies have lost 3 games in a row, but they have hope again now that is back in the lineup. They are only 6 games out of the playoff picture at the moment, and there is still plenty of time left in the season. They should be able to pick up a win tonight against the Spurs, who are 3rd in pace and 25th in defensive rating this season. The Grizzlies have a team total that is 16 points higher than their season average. Morant is the top target here, but I don’t mind looking to and in tournaments. and could provide decent value as well.

Brooklyn Nets (at NOP): The Nets have lost 3 games in a row and 8 of their last 10 outings. They are trending in the wrong direction. They will look to get back on track tonight against the Pelicans, who are 11th in pace and 7th in defensive rating. It’s not the worst matchup, but this game does have a large spread. The Nets have a team total that is 4.1 points below their season average. They will once again be without and . You can take a chance on , , and/or in tournaments, but I don’t expect to have much exposure to the Nets tonight.

New Orleans Pelicans (vs. BKN): The Pelicans have won 7 of their last 10 games and are now 5 games above .500 on the season. Tonight, they host the struggling Nets, who are 20th in pace and 23rd in defensive rating. The Pelicans have a team total that is 2 points higher than their season average. The only injury to monitor here is that is questionable. and Brandon Ingram are the preferred targets here.

Orlando Magic (at GSW): The Magic haven’t been in the best form, having lost 6 of their last 10 games, but they have still been a nice story this season. They are currently 19-13 with a point differential of +2.1 per game. Tonight, they travel to California to take on the Warriors, who are ranked around the league average in both pace and defensive rating. The Magic have a mediocre team total and will once again be without and . is listed as questionable. As usual, and are the two Magic players with positive RGValues.

Golden State Warriors (vs. ORL): It feels like the Warriors have hit rock-bottom. However, they are only 2 games below .500 on the season and have plenty of time to right the ship. Tonight, they host the Magic, who are 6th or better in rebounding rate, points allowed, and defensive rating. The Warriors surprisingly have a team total that is higher than their season average. With the exception of , the Warriors should have everyone available for this game. I’m always fine looking to in tournaments, but I have more interest in , who drew the start the other night. Despite playing limited minutes, he has scored at least 29 fantasy points in 5 of his last 7 games.

Charlotte Hornets (at SAC): The Hornets have been short-handed all season. They didn’t put up much of a fight against the Nugget last night and now have to turn around and face the Kings tonight. This is a good matchup on paper, but I do worry about the competitiveness of the game in general. The Hornets are expected to be without , , , and . drew the spot-start at point guard last night and ended up playing 29 minutes. He wasn’t great, but I’ll take my chances with him again if he’s going to see 25+ minutes. Most of the usage will flow through and Brandon Miller, who are intriguing tournament plays.

Sacramento Kings (vs. CHA): The Kings are looking for their 3rd win in a row and are 11-5 at home this season. They shouldn’t have too many issues with the Hornets, who are playing in the second half of a back-to-back and who are very short-handed. The Kings have a team total that is 6.3 points higher than their season average. They come into the game at full strength. and De’Aaron Fox project the best, but I don’t mind looking to a value like . He should play around 25 minutes in a competitive game and could see garbage time in a blowout.

NOTE: The closer it gets to the slate locking, the less likely it is that I will have the necessary time to update the tables below. For the most up-to-date information, make sure you are watching Crunch Time and monitoring LineupHQ for my Core Play tags and updates to our Premium NBA Projections.

NBA DFS Rankings & Core Plays

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