Kawhi Leonard will miss out tonight as the Los Angeles Clippers face the Milwaukee Bucks.
The two favourites for the NBA title are meeting for the first time this regular season.
Fans were desperate to see last year’s MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, squaring off against each other.
However, Leonard will not play any part in tonight’s game, with the Clippers opting to rest him against Milwaukee and play him tomorrow night against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Leonard rarely plays in back-to-back games, after long-standing injuries kept him out of the 2017-18 season almost entirely.
The small forward also sat out last week’s game against the Utah Jazz, opting to play against the San Antonio Spurs instead.
Tonight’s game with the Bucks and last week’s against the Jazz were both nationally televised in America, leaving the Clippers facing the prospect of a hefty fine.
The NBA can now fine teams up to $100,000 if they fail to play healthy players for nationally televised games.
But the Clippers are insistent that Leonard isn’t registered as a healthy player tonight.
And in a statement, the NBA agreed.
“Kawhi Leonard is not a healthy player under the league’s resting policy, and, as such, is listed as managing a knee injury in the LA Clippers injury report,” a statement read.
“The league office, in consultation with the NBA’s director of sports medicine, is comfortable with the team medical staff’s determination that Leonard is not sufficiently healthy to play in back-to-back games at this time.
The Clippers don’t have another back-to-back until the end of the month.
They face the Dallas Mavericks on November 27 before taking on the Memphis Grizzlies a day later.
Tonight’s game between the Clippers and the Bucks takes place at 3.00am UK time.