Is Kawhi Leonard Playing Tonight? (Latest Injury Updates and News for Clippers vs Kings on March 3)

The Los Angeles Clippers are back in action on Friday night as they face the Sacramento Kings at 10 p.m. ET. One player's status to keep an eye on ahead of tip-off is Kawhi Leonard, who continues to deal with a knee injury.

Kawhi Leonard Injury Update (3/3/2023)

Leonard has been officially ruled out of Friday's game against the Kings due to injury management purposes (knee). It lines up with what the Clippers have been doing all season long in terms of attacking back-to-backs. Leonard played 32 minutes last night and will take tonight off to stay fresh.

This is an update Clippers fans expected to hear, yet it still comes as a brutal blow. LA has now lost four straight games and will be without one of their leading scorers against a talented Kings squad. Leonard is averaging 23.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists on a shooting percentage of 50.9%.

The good news is that all signs point to Leonard being ready to return to the court on Sunday. Look for added minutes from role players like Eric Gordon and Terance Mann in the meantime. The Clippers lost their only meeting against the Kings this season and enter Fridays' action with a 33-32 record.

Kawhi Leonard Fantasy Outlook and Prop Bets Today

Kawhi Leonard is not listed in terms of Milwaukee's player props available on FanDuel Sportsbook'sNBA odds. Of course, that is typical for a player that has been officially ruled out. The Clippers are slated as 6.5-point road underdogs against the Kings and there's not a lot to like about their chances of covering. LA is a disappointing 2-6 against the spread in its last eight games against Sacramento.

The San Diego State product is listed as a top option on FanDuel's DFS slate tonight, checking in with the second-most expensive price tag among small forwards ($10,000). Anyone looking to fill in the gap left by Leonard's absence can shift gears to sliding Mason Plumlee in the lineup ($5,300). Plumlee paced the Clippers with 12 points and a whopping 20 rebounds across 29 minutes in Thursday's loss.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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