Fantasy Basketball Week 6 Schedule Primer: How much will Kawhi Leonard play?

Week 6 of the fantasy basketball season can be a bit wonky from a lineup standpoint due to a national holiday (Thanksgiving) that the NBA has surrendered to the NFL for years. Once again, there aren't any games on Thursday, and Tuesday's slate consists of just three games. The other five days have between eight and 11 games, with Monday and Friday being the busiest. Also, this is the week in which one of the league's established stars will be available, but for how many games? Let's look at the Week 6 schedule breakdown and some of the week's key storylines.

Week 6 Games Played

4 Games: DET, IND, MEM, MIL, MIN, NOR, NYK, PHO, SAC, TOR

3 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, GSW, HOU, LAC, LAL, MIA, OKC, PHI, POR, SAS, UTA

2 Games: ORL, WAS

Week 6 Back-to-backs

Sunday-Monday (Week 6): BKN, CLE, MIA, PHO, POR, TOR

Monday-Tuesday: None

Tuesday-Wednesday: None

Wednesday-Thursday: None

Thursday-Friday: None

Friday-Saturday: BKN, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, IND, LAC, MIL, PHO

Saturday-Sunday: BOS, CLE, MIN, NOR, TOR

Sunday-Monday (Week 7): ATL, HOU, LAL, UTA

Week 6 Storylines of Note

- How many games will fantasy managers get out of Kawhi Leonard?

Leonard, who has missed the Clippers' last ten games with ankle and foot injuries, is expected to make his return on Sunday against the Cavaliers. Given how much the team has struggled despite the efforts of James Harden and Ivica Zubac, going 2-8 without its star forward, getting Leonard back is enormous. If he plays on Sunday, there won't be a back-to-back to worry about to begin Week 6, as the Clippers play the Lakers in their first game of the week on Tuesday. However, they end the week with a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against the Grizzlies and Mavericks.

That means Leonard managers are most likely looking at a scenario in which Kawhi plays a max of two games. And that doesn't take into consideration any potential minutes restrictions due to the time missed. John Collins has started the last seven games, with rookie Kobe Sanders starting the previous three due to Derrick Jones Jr.'s knee injury. Collins is still rostered in 79 percent of Yahoo! leagues, which is shocking given the production, even with his move into the starting five.

- Move on from fringe Magic and Wizards players after Tuesday's slate.

Under normal circumstances, teams that only play two games during the week are the ones to avoid. For managers competing in leagues that set lineups at the beginning of the week, that still applies to Orlando and Washington. However, those competing leagues where lineups can be sat each day may want to hold onto those players to begin Week 6. Orlando and Washington both play their first Week 6 game on Tuesday, which is a three-game slate.

In the case of the Magic, Wendell Carter Jr. (37 percent rostered, Yahoo!), Anthony Black (16 percent) and Tristan da Silva (19 percent) would apply here. For Black (Jalen Suggs) and da Silva (Paolo Banchero), their fantasy values are impacted by the availability of starters ahead of them in the pecking order. For the Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly (26 percent) will be of greater value to fantasy managers at the beginning of Week 6 than after Tuesday's game against the Hawks.

- 19 teams will play a back-to-back at some point between Friday and Monday.

The Clippers aren't the only team that may spark concerns among fantasy managers regarding back-to-backs in Week 6. Among the other 18 teams that will have a back-to-back at the end of Week 6 are the Lakers, who are still working LeBron James back into the fold. Maybe the time off since Tuesday's win over the Jazz will be enough to ensure the team's Sunday/Monday back-to-back at the end of Week 6/start of Week 7 won't be an issue. But if the Lakers decide to manage LeBron's minutes, Jake LaRavia will once again be a streaming option for some 12-team formats.

Charlotte is another team to watch with a back-to-back at the end of the week, due mainly to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. The former's ankle issues are well-known by now, and he's yet to play both games of a back-to-back since returning from a five-game absence last week. As for Miller, Saturday's loss to the Clippers was just his second appearance of the season. His availability for Sunday's game against the Hawks to end Week 5 may give fantasy managers an idea of how Charlotte will handle their Friday/Saturday back-to-back to end Week 6.

- Four of those 19 teams will have Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs.

Boston, Minnesota, New Orleans and Toronto are the four teams in question, with the Pelicans (Zion Williamson) being the one most impacted by the back-to-back. Zion was held out of Saturday's loss to the Hawks, and his track record of lower-body injuries may mean that back-to-backs are still out of the question for the former first overall pick. Boston's Jaylen Brown navigated a hamstring issue earlier this season but did not miss a game, and he has not appeared on recent injury reports. As for Minnesota and Toronto, Mike Conley and Jakob Poeltl may be the players of interest, especially given the latter's time missed earlier this season due to a lower back injury.

- Tuesday is the day to seek an advantage to set yourself up for a good week.

There are only three games on the slate, but there is a catch. All six teams in action (Hawks, Clippers, Lakers, Magic, 76ers and Wizards) play only three games during Week 6. That said, the Hawks, Lakers and 76ers have superior schedules for the week. Those three teams will play two games each between Friday and Sunday without a back-to-back. That's good news for those who have a Kristaps Porziņģis, LeBron James or Paul George rostered. We'll see if that means anything for Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, who has missed the team's last six games due to right knee injury management.

Harden sets Clippers record with 55 points in win

James Harden smiles
James Harden was part of the USA team that won Olympic gold at London 2012 [Getty Images]

James Harden set a Los Angeles Clippers record with 55 points in the team's 131-116 victory against the Charlotte Hornets.

The 36-year-old guard surpassed the previous Clippers record of 52 points in a game, which had been jointly held by Bob McAdoo and Charles Smith.

Harden's efforts helped the Clippers improve their record to five wins and 11 losses this season, and he said: "The work I put in individually, I do it for the entire team. I'm just trying to find ways to win games."

Elsewhere in the NBA on Saturday, Nikola Jokic put in a fine individual performance of his own, but the Serb's 44 points could not prevent the Denver Nuggets losing 128-123 to the Sacramento Kings - who ended their eight-game losing streak.

Detroit Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference, having extended their winning run to 12 games - their best sequence since 2004 - with a 129-116 victory against Milwaukee Bucks.

But the Washington Wizards slipped to a 14th consecutive defeat, losing 121-120 to the Chicago Bulls.

NBA results in full

Cooley Shines, Kadri Delivers as Flames Beat Stars in Shootout

The Calgary Flames (7–13–3) saw a two-goal lead disappear in the third period, but ultimately secured the extra point with a 3–2 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars (13–5–4) on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Matt Coronato jump-started the offence with a power-play marker—his eighth goal of the year—while Joel Farabee added his fifth to give Calgary early control. Nazem Kadri chipped in with a pair of assists and later delivered the decisive shootout tally to lock down the win.

In goal, Devin Cooley turned in another strong outing, stopping 28 shots to earn his second consecutive victory.

Cooley entered the night riding the momentum of his first win of the season against Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday and carrying a 1.80 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage through six outings. He was tested immediately, as Dallas pushed hard right out of the gate. The Flames’ netminder stood tall through an early Stars power play, turning away several in-tight chances and stopping all 13 shots he faced in a sharp opening frame.

The Flames fizzled on their first powerplay attempt, but broke through on their second man advantage of the period. Coronato took a feed from Nazem Kadri, spun out from the side of the net, and slipped the puck past Casey DeSmith to give the Flames a 1–0 lead.

© Brett Holmes-Imagn Images

The middle frame opened much like the first—with Cooley stealing the spotlight. The Flames netminder turned away another wave of Dallas pressure, including a spectacular glove stop on Alexander Petrovic that sent the building into one of its loudest, most genuine eruptions of the season. The surge of energy rippled through the crowd and seemed to lift the Flames bench.

Calgary kept the momentum rolling by running all four lines and pushing play consistently into the Stars’ end. They fired 17 shots on goal in the period but couldn’t extend their lead.

Tensions spiked in the final minute when Mikko Rantanen drove Coronato into the boards from behind, earning a five-minute major and game misconduct for Boarding. This was the second consecutive game where Rantanen was ejected for boarding.  Jonathan Huberdeau - who picked up an assist in the contest - immediately stepped in to defend his teammate, dropping the gloves and picking up both an instigator, five-minute fighting major and a 10-minute misconduct. Coronato, cut from the hit, headed straight to the locker room.

The tone inside the Saddledome shifted sharply as the horn sounded. Despite the chaos, Calgary carried a 1–0 lead into the third.

© Brett Holmes-Imagn Images

Calgary extended its lead early in the third, just 1:50 in, when Rasmus Andersson’s point shot was redirected by Joel Farabee for his third goal in two games, putting the Flames up 2–0.

Dallas pushed back. At 6:44, Jason Robertson cut the deficit when he stepped into the slot and let a shot go that glanced off a skate and slipped past Cooley, making it 2–1. The Stars completed the comeback at 16:53, when Roope Hintz converted a backhand feed from Robertson and fired it over Cooley to even the score at 2–2.

The Flames found themselves down two men late in regulation but held firm, killing off a critical 5-on-3 to reach overtime. With no solution in the extra frame, the game moved to a shootout—where Kadri ended it with a slick backhand move to secure the win.

© Brett Holmes-Imagn Images

Three Takeaways:

1. Cooley’s confidence is growing fast

Devin Cooley followed up his first win of the season with another composed performance. His positioning was sharp, his reads were on point, and he battled to limit second-chance looks. With each start, he’s looking more assured, and you can see the ripple effect—his teammates appear increasingly settled playing in front of him.

2. Kuznetsov logging big minutes

Yan Kuznetsov quietly shouldered a heavy workload, leading all Flames defencemen with 8:20 in the opening period and finishing with a substantial 22:55 total ice time alongside partner MacKenzie Weegar. This marked his ninth NHL appearance of the season, and he’s now all but certain to hit the 10-game threshold that officially burns the first year of his entry-level contract.

3. Kadri sets the tone again

Nazem Kadri was everywhere. He drew two penalties, picked up a pair of assists, and buried the shootout winner. From the opening faceoff, he dictated the pace and drove play—another reminder of how essential he is to Calgary’s identity and competitiveness.

The Final Word: 

Cooley on the team performance:

“When everyone’s going together, we’re a really solid team. We just went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the league and I thought we were incredible.”

Huberdeau on the overall group effort:

“I thought we were a fast team tonight, I think that was one of our best games, I felt, all year.”

Coronato on the bounces: 

“I think as a group I think we’re playing with more confidence, we’re playing better... It’s just sticking with the same plan, trying to play our game, getting to the net…We knew if we kept sticking with it, the bounces and the chances would start to turn.”

Rangers go winless on West Coast road trip following 3-2 loss to Mammoth

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nick DeSimone scored the tiebreaking goal 7:32 into the third period and the Utah Mammoth beat the scuffling New York Rangers 3-2 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

JJ Peterka and Clayton Keller also scored for the Mammoth, who overcame a 2-1 deficit in their seventh comeback victory this season. Karel Vejmelka made 20 saves.

Vladislav Gavrikov and Artemi Panarin scored for the Rangers, who have lost four consecutive games — all in regulation and three by one goal. They finished 0-3 on their Western Conference road swing.

Jonathan Quick stopped 31 shots in a terrific performance for New York.

DeSimone scored unassisted off a deflection for his second goal this season and first game-winner.

Utah struck first on Peterka’s goal at the 10:08 of the first period. Peterka poked in the puck with his stick from behind Quick’s skate.

Gavrikov tied it at 15:19 when Adam Fox’s pass redirected off the shaft of his stick. Panarin gave the Rangers the lead at 8:07 of the second when he scored on a breakaway, with the puck squeezing through Vejmelka and dribbling across the goal line after he initially made the stop.

Keller pulled the Mammoth even following a takeaway by Kailer Yamamoto, snapping the puck over Quick from close range at 11:15.

DeSimone fired a slap shot off the shin pad of a Rangers player to put Utah ahead.

Up next

Rangers: Host the St. Louis Blues on Monday night.

Mammoth: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night

Nine-man Vancouver Whitecaps dump LAFC, Son Heung-min from MLS playoffs in stunner

  • Whitecaps win on PKs after surrendering 2-0 lead

  • LAFC hit woodwork three times in extra time

Defender Mathías Laborda scored a first-half goal before delivering the winner in a penalty-kick shootout and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Los Angeles FC in a Western Conference semi-final on Saturday night before a club-record crowd of 53,957 at BC Place in Vancouver.

The second-seeded Whitecaps advance to their first Western Conference final after the two clubs played to a 2-2 draw through regulation and 30 minutes of extra time.

Continue reading...

Mike Sullivan Not Pleased With Rangers' Lack Of Energy In Loss To Mammoth

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Three games and three losses for the New York Rangers on their most recent road trip. 

On Saturday night, the Rangers capped off their three-game road trip with a 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth, marking their fourth consecutive loss. 

J.T. Miller suffered an upper-body injury in the Rangers’ previous game against the Colorado Avalanche, and his presence was clearly missed. 

Miller’s absence elevated Jonny Brodzinski into a top-six role on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle, while Sullivan put Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafrenière back on a line together. 

When Vincent Trocheck missed time with an injury, the lineup’s overall offensive depth took a major hit, and it was no different without Miler. 

The Rangers struggled to generate consistent scoring chances and maintain quality offensive-zone time. 

Mike Sullivan feels that Miller’s absence should not be used as an excuse for their struggles over the course of the night.

“It's going to provide opportunities for others to step up and make an impact,” Sullivan said of the fallout from Miller’s injury. “Every team goes through it, we’re not the only ones. We've got to find a way to bring more of a collective effort.”

New York has been outshot in all three of their games on this road trip and has notably failed to even record more than 22 shots. 

Once again, the Rangers are going through an offensive rut as the frustrations continue to mount. 

“I feel like we’re disconnected. I think we’re too far away from each other,” Zibanejad said. “It’s a lot of one-and-dones in the O-zone, try to get on the forecheck, it’s one guy, one guy, one guy. We don’t come up with five together and I just feel like we’re a bit late everywhere.”

The Mammoth are known to play a fast and up-tempo game, which the Rangers simply couldn’t keep up with. 

J.T. Miller Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury Suffered Against Avalanche J.T. Miller Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury Suffered Against Avalanche J.T. Miller is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will miss the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a>’ Saturday night matchup against the Utah Mammoth.

This loss for the Blueshirts stems from an overall lack of intensity, shown by all of the high danger chances they were giving up and struggles to maintain consistent offensive pressure. 

“I didn't think, for whatever reason, we had the juice, the energy. If you don't bring a certain amount of energy to the game, it's hard,” Sullivan said. “I just didn't think we won a whole lot of foot races. I didn't think we won a lot of puck battles. When you don't win foot races or puck battles, you don't tend to have the puck. I felt like that was the case for a lot of the night.”

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, and the Rangers find themselves at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. It’s not a good position to be in 23 games into the season. 

The Rangers will have an opportunity to flip the switch on Monday night when they face off against the St. Louis Blues.

Takeaways: Penguins Lose Heartbreaker To Seattle Kraken, Fall Out Of Playoff Position

After a disappointing effort in a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Friday, Pittsburgh Penguins' young goaltender Sergei Murashov declared that the team would come out much better on Saturday.

Well, it was a much better effort from the Penguins against the Seattle Kraken

But, unfortunately, it wasn't enough. 

The Penguins fell to the Kraken, 3-2, with just 49.6 seconds left in overtime on a Brandon Montour goal despite Pittsburgh dominating much of the extra frame. They are now 0-2-3 in overtime and shootouts this season, and they fell to 10-6-5 overall. 

And - with an Ottawa Senators win Saturday - the Penguins have officially fallen out of playoff contention. 

There was no score after one, and the Kraken went up early in the first when Mason Marchment used a screen to capitalize off of a defensive zone turnover by Penguins' forward Ben Kindel. Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby tied the game late in the middle frame off of a gorgeous feed by Connor Dewar from the left wall, as he was perched at the net-front and got on one knee to put it home.

Then, five minutes into the third period, Evgeni Malkin put the Penguins ahead on the power play with his sixth goal of the season by burying the loose change at the net front. However, the Penguins could not hold on, as Matty Beniers sniped a perfect shot past Murashov in the back half of the third to tie the game and force the overtime. 

The Penguins are in a bit of a slide, and they need to find a way to come out on top of these close games in order to find their footing again. The response in general was good, but - according to head coach Dan Muse - it wasn't good enough. 

"I'm not going to keep coming in here and saying that one point is good enough. It's not," Muse said after the game. "And I think we're better than that. Our standard needs to be better than that."

Takeaways: Penguins No-Show In 5-0 Loss To Minnesota WildTakeaways: Penguins No-Show In 5-0 Loss To Minnesota WildWell, there certainly wasn’t much to write home about in this one.&nbsp;

Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this tough loss:

- I had seen former Penguins' head coach Mike Sullivan get angry a few times last season. Sullivan was very much reactive to the results of each game. 

However, Muse was angrier Saturday than I've seen a Penguins' head coach in quite a while. 

You could practically see steam coming out of his ears at the podium. He is typically such an even-tempered guy, but not Saturday. He couldn't stop saying how the Penguins simply haven't been good enough and that the results right now aren't good enough. 

I'll just let you read this one.

"Our game was better. But we just came out of this weekend with one out of four points. That's not good enough. So, was our process better? It was. But we need to get points. We had an opportunity to, so, it's a fine line. Those little details, the little things, they make a difference here. Finding a way to get another opportunity. Finding a way to take away one of theirs. And so, I'm not going to sit here and say that that's good enough. It's not. We're past that. We need points right now, and we have a weekend here where the game was no good yesterday, it was much better today, but if you go through this month, it's been too many games here where we've said there's positives to take from. 

So, I liked our game more. I thought we did a lot of things that we need to do on a consistent basis. I think we did a lot of things that are going to lead to success. But one out of four points on the weekend is not good enough."
- - Penguins' head coach Dan Muse on Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken

Frustration is starting to boil over for both coaches and players. The Penguins need to stop the bleeding fast, even if they feel they're getting the better of most of these games. They need to find a way to finish and shut things down like they were able to do at the beginning of the season. 

- I thought Murashov was really solid for most of this game. However, I didn't like the overtime goal. It was a shot from distance that he was off-angle for and was simply beat on.

It's hard to blame him for this loss at all, and I'm not. He's also a 21-year-old rookie who has largely been a positive since his recall. But I think he'd tell you - after watching it - that he'd like to have that one back.

Still, this kid's confidence really is something. He makes himself as big as possible in net and challenges shooters at the top of the crease. There's no panic in his game whatsoever. It's impressive.

Penguins' Forward Hits MilestonePenguins' Forward Hits MilestoneThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> always seem to be hitting milestones, especially with all-time greats in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson on their team.

- At this point, I'm not convinced that having Matt Dumba or Connor Clifton in the lineup is any more a net positive than simply letting the rookie in Harrison Brunicke get some runway.

I realize he's probably headed for an AHL conditioning stint right before getting loaned to Team Canada for the World Junior Championship. But if the Penguins' bottom pairing on the right side continues to be an issue, you reach a point where you just let the kid play.

It's been three weeks since he's seen a game. Not ideal for anyone, honestly. 

And if it's not going to be Brunicke again at any point this season for the Penguins - it's becoming doubtful at this point - Jack St. Ivany should be given a look as soon as he returns from injury. 

- The lack of production from Bryan Rust on the top line is starting to become a problem. 

After a stretch of five points in three games, Rust has no points in the last five. With Rickard Rakell out of the lineup, he needs to be dependable in terms of putting the puck in the back of the net. And he has only registered 10 shots on goal in the last five games. 

He needs to get more pucks to the net, and if he doesn't, the Penguins need to start thinking about shifting things around. This team is having a hard time scoring without two top-six players in its lineup, and sooner or later, they simply need to score more goals.

I'd give it one more game before a shakeup.

Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby Hits New Milestone Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby Hits New Milestone Sidney Crosby hit a new milestone on Saturday night.

- Speaking of, I really think it's time for the Penguins to give some of their youngsters a shot.

It's tough to expect the team to bring up Rutger McGroarty from the AHL after just two games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but he has two goals in those two games - and they were both beautiful skating plays, with the latest being a shorthanded tally that he carried almost 200 feet in a 1-0 win over the Providence Bruins. He doesn't look a step behind in the slightest over that two-game sample.

Tristan Broz centered McGroarty and Avery Hayes - who also just returned from a short-term injury - on Saturday. Broz, especially, has stood out this season, as he has eight goals and 13 points in 18 games and continues to play solid two-way hockey.

The Penguins need some help scoring goals right now, and they could use some young legs. It can't hurt to give these guys a look until the Penguins start getting healthy again. Pull the trigger. It's time. 

- The Penguins are 2-4-3 since Justin Brazeau left the lineup due to injury. 

Am I saying Brazeau is the MVP of this Penguins' season so far? No. But that's no coincidence. He was the second top-six player to go down, and - with Noel Acciari exiting at the same time - this team has not been the same ever since.

Of course, injuries are usually not an excuse. But there comes a point where they do start to actually become a bit of an excuse. 

I think the Penguins are at that point. They can't tread water much longer as is. If some of these guys don't come back soon - or if they don't attempt to shake things up by trying some younger players in their lineup - things could get ugly very quickly, especially with a gauntlet of a schedule in the month of December. 

Rakell, Brazeau, and Acciari are all skating. While Rakell probably still won't be back until the end of December, hopefully the other two make their way back as soon as possible. There is only so much a team can do and only so much depth a team has when an injury situation is as bad as the Penguins.'

They need a jolt. And they need it fast. 

For Pittsburgh Penguins' Olympic Goaltender Artūrs Šilovs, No Stage Is Too BigFor Pittsburgh Penguins' Olympic Goaltender Artūrs Šilovs, No Stage Is Too BigPittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs - acquired from the Vancouver Canucks over the summer - has proven he can perform when the stakes are highest and will get another chance with Team Latvia at the 2026 Olympic Games.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!