Clippers' Blake Griffin Injures Hand In Altercation On Road
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Blake Griffin hurt his hand in an altercation with a member of the Los Angeles Clippers' staff on the team's current road trip and will be sidelined just as he was nearing a return from another injury.
Coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday that the team would be releasing a statement about the incident and that it would be addressed more fully before the Clippers' evening game in Indianapolis. A team spokesman confirmed the altercation, but provided no further details.
Griffin returned to Los Angeles early from the five-game trip, which concludes Wednesday night in Atlanta.
He has been out since Dec. 26 with a partially torn left quadriceps tendon, but was close to returning when the incident occurred. The latest injury could jeopardize Griffin's ability to play in next month's All-Star game if he is chosen as a reserve.
Last fall, Griffin was involved in an altercation at a Las Vegas nightclub. A man accused the All-Star forward of taking his cellphone and grabbing him after the man photographed Clippers players inside the club. The misdemeanor battery case later was dropped after prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence.
The Clippers are 11-3 in Griffin's absence and in second place with a 28-16 record in the Pacific Division.
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