The Clippers are playing their second game in two nights Tuesday vs. the Thunder and Los Angeles will be without Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Bradley Beal (knee) for this matchup.
This season, Leonard is averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game with a 27.7% usage rate. Meanwhile, Beal is averaging just 8.0 PPG with a 17.8% usage rate, both of which are career-lows for the veteran.
With these two players out Tuesday, Kris Dunn ($3,600) and John Collins ($4,900) are the top candidates to enter Los Angeles’ starting lineup. James Harden ($8,600) should also take on a featured role as the Clippers’ clear top option. In the 42 starts the former MVP has made without Leonard the last two seasons, Harden is averaging 22.6 points, 7.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game while leading Los Angeles with a 30.5% usage rate. Fantasy-wise, Harden is amassing 45.2 FPTS per game with Leonard inactive the last two seasons and at only $8,600, Harden is an obvious choice for Tuesday’s two-game NBA DFS night slate on DraftKings.
In those games with Harden active but Leonard inactive the last two seasons, the Clippers own a 24-18 record. However, they are facing the defending champion Thunder, who are 7-0 and lead the NBA in net rating this season. Los Angeles is an 8.5-point underdog for this matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook and this line will likely continue to move toward Oklahoma City before tip-off. The Clippers faced the Thunder three times with Leonard inactive last season and Oklahoma City won all three of those matchups by an average of 12.3 PPG.
