Nique

Clifford

Murray suffered the injury in Sunday’s matchup with Milwaukee, and the injury will keep him out through the end of January at the earliest. Precious Achiuwa is the most likely beneficiary of Murray’s absence from a fantasy hoops perspective, but Nique Clifford is also in the mix to see increased run.

A double-figure scorer in two straight and four of his last six appearances, Clifford recorded a season-high point total on Tuesday. And it’s worth noting that the rookie did not have to wait until “garbage time” to put up his points. Clifford shot 6-of-8 from the field in the first three quarters and finished a steal shy of a complete stat line. One solid performance does not make him a player worth adding, but Clifford is undoubtedly someone who would have added value if the Kings move some of their veterans before the February trade deadline.

Murray is back a few days sooner than expected, but it’s unclear if he’ll face a minutes restriction after getting injured last Tuesday. He should reclaim his starting role, which means Nique Clifford will head back to the bench.

On Friday, it was reported that Murray would be out for at least one week with a strained calf. Well, he may be back sooner than that. The Kings’ forward, who was injured during a December 23 loss to the Pistons, has missed his team’s last two games. If Murray plays, Nique Clifford is likely headed back to the bench.

Murray suffered a mild right calf strain during Tuesday’s loss to the Pistons. Due to the timeline, he’ll miss at least four games before being re-evaluated. Nique Clifford replaced Murray in the lineup to begin the third quarter of Tuesday’s game, which may be a sign of how the rookie will be used. While a risky streaming option, Clifford would be worth a look in deep leagues if he starts.

Murray landed awkwardly and appeared to tweak his right calf during the second quarter of Tuesday’s game. While there wasn’t much made of the injury at the time, the Kings forward was not on the court to begin the third quarter. Nique Clifford was inserted into the lineup and could take on that role if Murray misses time.

Precious Achiuwa has been starting in place of LaVine, but he hasn’t seen the minutes that starters typically do. Dennis Schroder and Nique Clifford have seen extra minutes off the bench, and Schroder has been particularly productive, which should continue for at least one more week.

Lavine exited early from Sunday’s game, and he’ll now miss at least three more games. Nique Clifford started in place of LaVine when he missed Thursday’s game, and he could start again for a few games, though Malik Monk should also see a bump in minutes.

LaVine is back in the lineup after sitting out Thursday’s loss ot the Nuggets. His return means that Nique Clifford heads to the bench, where he provided minimal fantasy value at best. There may come a point later in the season when Clifford is worth rostering, but not now.

LaVine was held out of Thursday’s loss to the Nuggets due to a sore right thumb, opening up a spot in the starting lineup for Nique Clifford. Look for Clifford to head back to the bench on Sunday, but his playing time would not take as significant a hit if Keon Ellis (wrist) cannot play. Ellis is considered questionable for Sunday’s game.