Kawhi Leonard expected to play Wednesday for first time with Paul George on Clippers

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Kawhi Leonard (knee) is expected to play Wednesday vs. the Boston Celtics and debut alongside teammate Paul George for the first time. Kawhi has missed the past three games, this time not for load management but because of his ailing knee. Let’s jump right into what it means for tonight’s 11-game slate and how you should attack betting on Celtics-Clippers.

Fantasy Basketball Analysis, Los Angeles Clippers SF/PF Kawhi Leonard

With Leonard ($9,300) back in the lineup, we should see Moe Harkless or Terrence Mann head back to the bench tonight. The most interesting aspect is how PG-13 and Kawhi will look together for the first time. I’d imagine it’s something like MJ and Pippen, but the Celtics are a tough defensive team. I think this bumps down George’s ($7,800) value a bit, but I think both players are viable in tournaments. Marcus Smart will undoubtedly be tasked with guarding one of Kawhi or PG, but he’s dealing with an ankle injury.

As for the rest of the lineup, everyone else takes a value hit. We can expect over 50% of the offense to come from Kawhi and George. Lou Williams ($6,500) will still get his and his price is really low, so I’m OK rolling him out in GPPs, but it’s a large slate. Montrezl Harrell ($7,000) at this price is a FADE. All other players we’ll have to wait on. I want to see how the rotation is.

The Clippers are favored by 7 points against Boston, which I still think is high despite Kawhi expected to return. This game should be tight so I’d still lean the Celtics way and take the points. But who knows, we’ve got Doc Rivers narrative and Kawhi-PG for the first time, it could be special.

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