Los Angeles

Clippers

Harden is dealing with a sore right foot, which he injured during Sunday’s loss to the Thunder. If he’s unable to play against the Knicks, the Clippers will have to fill a massive void in their starting lineup. Kris Dunn, already a starter, would have a higher ceiling, while Derrick Jones Jr., Bogdan Bogdanovic and Amir Coffey are potential replacements in the starting lineup. Of those three, Bogdanovic would offer the highest offensive ceiling as a starter.

Zubac has only failed to record a double-double twice since the All-Star break, as he continues to provide reliable (and excellent) value to fantasy managers. Over the past two weeks, the Clippers center has been a third-round player in eight-cat formats. Zubac will look to add another double-double to his tally on Thursday when the Clippers open a three-game week against the Knicks.

Leonard played 40 minutes for the second time this season and has been an excellent fantasy asset recently. Over the past two weeks, the Clippers star has provided top-10 value in eight-cat formats. For most players, a three-game week would be bad news for fantasy managers. However, the Clippers’ Week 21 slate should ensure Leonard managers of three games. The Clippers head east, beginning with the Knicks on Wednesday.

Harden played 35 minutes on Sunday, which Clippers coach Tyronn Lue regretted during his postgame press conference. During the third quarter, the Beard took a Luguentz Dort knee to the left thigh and struggled to move with his usual fluidity for the remainder of the game. Following the game, Harden said the real issue is that he rolled his foot after the hit to his thigh. The good news for the Clippers is that their first game of Week 21 isn’t until Wednesday night against the Knicks. If Harden has to miss time, Kris Dunn (7/3/1/1 with one three-pointer in 19 minutes) will have a higher fantasy ceiling, while Derrick Jones Jr. (9/4/1/0/3 with two three-pointers in 26 minutes) could return to the starting lineup.

Sunday’s game will be the fifth Miller has missed with left hamstring tendinopathy. He has not been in the Clippers’ rotation when healthy, so his continued absence will not impact fantasy basketball.

The last five games for Leonard should scare the rest of the NBA. During that stretch, he has averaged 26.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.8 three-pointers while shooting 60.2 percent from the floor. That has allowed him to provide top ten value in nine-cat leagues during that stretch. The Clippers have three more back-to-backs this season, though two of them are in April and one is during the final week of the regular season. There is no reason for him to play back-to-backs this close to the playoffs, but when he is on the floor, he will continue to shine.

Harden seems to have turned back the clock over the past few weeks, and he is producing like the player that won an MVP Award. He has had a strong year overall, but he has cleaned up the inefficiency recently, which has taken his game to another level. He has averaged 4.4 turnovers per game this season but has only turned it over five times over his last three games. On top of that, he has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in three of his last four games. This may not stick, but it has been a big reason for the Clippers winning eight of their last nine games.

Zubac added another double-double to his season total in another big win for the red-hot Clippers. They have won five in a row and eight of their last nine, and Zubac’s dominance has been a big reason for that. He has had the best season of his career, which includes career-highs for points, rebounds, assists and minutes per game. Tyronn Lue has finally handed the keys to the center position to Zubac instead of making him split minutes with another big, and it has resulted in success for both fantasy managers and the Clippers.

This will be a fourth-straight absence for Miller, though when he’s healthy, his place in the rotation isn’t always guaranteed. He has only made four appearances since the All-Star break and played a total of 41 minutes.