Clifford is not in the Kings' starting lineup against the Timberwolves on Sunday, Brenden Nunes of KHTK Sactown Sports 1140 reports.
Clifford started in Thursday's 136-105 loss to the Nuggets, though he finished with just two points (1-8 FG, 0-6 3Pt), four rebounds and four turnovers over 28 minutes. He'll be available off the bench for Sunday's game while Zach LaVine (thumb) re-enters the Kings' starting five after a one-game absence.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Set to join starting lineup
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Clifford will be in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Nuggets, Mark Haynes of The Sacramento Observer reports.
After being recalled from the G League's Stockton Kings on Wednesday, Clifford will be thrust into the starting five for the injured Zach LaVine (thumb) on Thursday. The rookie first-rounder has averaged 7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 28.3 minutes per game covering a pair of contests as a starter this season.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Back with Sacramento
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The Kings recalled Clifford from the G League's Stockton Kings on Wednesday, per James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento.
After tallying 16 points (6-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds and one steal in 32 minutes during Tuesday's 112-99 G League win over the South Bay Lakers, Clifford is quickly making his way back to the NBA roster. The rookie first-rounder is averaging 16.2 minutes per game over 20 appearances for Sacramento.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Scores 16 points in G League
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Clifford produced 16 points (6-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds and one steal in 32 minutes of Tuesday's 112-99 G League win over the South Bay Lakers.
Clifford made his first cameo in the G League on Tuesday, but he's likely to be recalled ahead of Thursday's NBA game against the Nuggets. His role with the parent club has been inconsistent.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Scores eight points in loss
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Clifford logged eight points (2-3 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), two rebounds, three assists and two steals across 19 minutes during Thursday's 137-96 loss to the Grizzlies.
This game was a blowout, so fantasy managers shouldn't put too much stock into it. The Kings are now 3-13, however, and they are going to be without Domantas Sabonis (knee) for a while. It's easy to see a path to minutes opening up for the rookie in the near future.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Starting Wednesday
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Clifford will be in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Warriors, Matt George of ABC 10 Sacramento reports.
Clifford has come off the bench in all three games he's played this season. The Colorado State product is averaging 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 38.5 percent from the field.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Fares well off bench
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Clifford racked up eight points (4-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt), one rebound, three assists and one block in 19 minutes during Monday's 130-124 loss to the Nuggets.
Clifford made his third appearance of the season after a hamstring issue hampered him to open the campaign. Through three appearances, he's shooting 38.5 percent from the field with averages of 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks. Malik Monk is currently out for personal reasons, so playing time won't be easy for Clifford to come by once Monk is back in the mix. Clifford's role is likely to grow as the season progresses, to be clear.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Held scoreless in return
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Clifford (hamstring) logged zero points (0-1 FG), three rebounds and one block in 16 minutes off the bench in Saturday's 135-133 win over the Bucks.
Clifford started in the Kings' season-opening loss to the Suns on Oct. 22, but after injuring his hamstring in that contest and missing Sacramento's subsequent four games, he returned to action Saturday in a bench role. Though the Kings went with Dylan Cardwell alongside Domantas Sabonis as part of a supersized frontcourt, head coach Doug Christie ran out a smaller bench unit that resulted in the rookie Clifford logging more playing time at forward. Despite serving mostly as a guard during his collegiate career, Clifford could end up seeing most of his minutes as a reserve forward for the foreseeable future, as the Kings backcourt will eventually get another key player back in Malik Monk (personal), who sat out Saturday's win.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Cleared to suit up Saturday
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Clifford (hamstring) is available for Saturday's game against the Bucks, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reports.
Clifford has missed four straight games and will have a chance to see the court Saturday for the first time since the regular-season opener. The rookie was a focal point of the rotation in his only appearance thus far, playing 24 minutes as a starter. Clifford finished that loss to Phoenix with two points (1-3 FG), eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Out at least one week
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Clifford underwent an MRI that confirmed a right hamstring strain, Deuce Mason of NBC Sports California reports. He will be re-evaluated in one week.
The Kings are already shorthanded with Domantas Sabonis recovering from a hamstring issue of his own and Keegan Murray (thumb) out a month-plus. Keon Ellis will likely receive a boost in minutes while potentially being in the starting lineup while Clifford is on the mend. It's possible coach Doug Christie also dusts off Doug McDermott, who was a DNP-CD in the season-opening loss to the Suns.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Part of first unit
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Clifford will start Wednesday's game against the Suns, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reports.
Clifford draws the start in his first NBA regular season game, stepping into the starting small forward position as a result of Keegan Murray's (thumb) injury. Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Drew Eubanks make up the rest of Sacramento's starting five.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Scores team-high 19 points
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Clifford produced 19 points (8-13 FG, 1-1 FT, 2-5 3Pt), three rebounds and a steal across 20 minutes in Wednesday's 109-91 loss to the Clippers.
Clifford is following up a stellar Summer League with standout performances in the preseason. He can fill a few different positions as a second-unit replacement, where the first-round pick should rise to the cusp of fantasy relevancy. The team was a bit short-handed due to Keegan Murray's (thumb) injury, but Clifford is likely to earn comparable minutes when the team is fully healthy.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Scores 15 off bench in loss
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Clifford finished with 15 points (5-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block across 26 minutes during Friday's 124-123 preseason loss to the Trail Blazers.
Clifford led the way off the bench, as one of only two Kings -- Zach LaVine being the other -- to score 15 or more points Friday. The rookie guard was given the time to show what he could do during this one-point loss, playing a team-high 26 minutes.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Dishes out nine assists
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Clifford finished with 10 points (3-7 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, nine assists and two steals across 24 minutes during Wednesday's 120-122 preseason loss to the Raptors.
Clifford came one assist shy of recording a double-double, as he provided a spark off the bench. The Colorado State product also made an impact during the Las Vegas Summer League, showing the ability to fill up the stat sheet, especially crashing the glass and as a distributor.
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Kings' Nique Clifford: Double-double in SL win
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Clifford closed with 19 points (8-13 FG, 3-4 3Pt), 12 rebounds, five assists and one steal across 28 minutes in Saturday's 109-92 Summer League win over the Bulls.
Clifford delivered a strong performance Saturday, drilling three three-pointers and securing double-digit rebounds. The No. 24 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is coming off an impressive season at Colorado State, where he averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three across 36 total games.
