Happy New Year! The second NBA DFS main slate of 2025 consists of six games on DraftKings and FanDuel, starting at 7:30pm ET.

This slate is an interesting one, with Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis among the big names on the injury report in the two latest games. Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and James Harden are key pieces of injury news we will need in the earlier window. 

Let's break down some of the top plays to target for this Thursday main slate. 

 

 

Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.

  • News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
  • Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
  • Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
  • NBA DFS Projections
  • Lineup Generator
  • NBA Ownership

NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, New Years Day

Be sure to like and subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel!

 

 

Pre-Lock Update

This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock. 

Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.

UPDATE 4:00 PM ET

UPDATE 4:50 PM ET

UPDATE 5:45 PM ET

UPDATE 6:40 PM ET

  • James Harden - OUT
    • Only sat one game this season so we don't have much sample. Norman Powell (33%) and Kevin Porter (31%) lead the team in usage with Harden off the court. Usage bump for Zubac as well
    • KPJ should start and play significant minutes - Core play
  • AJ Green - OUT
  • Noah Clowney - OUT

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 1/2

 

 

 

NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews

In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat

  • Total: 225
  • Spread: MIA -2

Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Total: 218.5
  • Spread: BOS -4.5

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Total: 215
  • Spread: OKC -11

Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks

  • Total: 221
  • Spread: MIL -13

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Golden State Warriors

  • Total: 216
  • Spread: GSW -3

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

  • Total: 224
  • Spread: LAL -9

 

 

 

NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks

Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.

High

Mid

Value

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Stacks

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