Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin will likely miss the entire first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks because of a left knee injury, sources told Yahoo Sports. Griffin has battled the injury for the past several weeks, getting pulled from the Pistons’ second-to-last game against Memphis and missing the season finale against New York, games the Pistons needed to win — and did — to qualify for the last playoff spot.
More on Blake Griffin Injury
Griffin will be listed as day to day for the remainder of the series, with a league source calling it a "slim chance" he plays this weekend. There's no structural damage in the left knee, and it's unclear whether he'll need some type of minor procedure this offseason. Griffin and team doctors will decide the best course of action when the season concludes.
Malika Andrews: Thon Maker starts for the Pistons in place of Blake Griffin. Griffin has been undergoing ongoing treatment to try to control the inflammation in his knee, league sources told ESPN.
Rod Beard: #Pistons Dwane Casey says Blake Griffin (sore left knee) is OUT for Game 1 tonight at #Bucks.
Rod Beard: #Pistons Blake Griffin (sore left knee) still is listed at questionable on today's injury report for tonight's Game 1. #Bucks list Brogdon, Gasol, DiVincenzo and Snell as OUT. #DFS
Detroit Pistons star forward Blake Griffin is still day-to-day heading into the postseason, coach Dwane Casey said Friday. Griffin, who has been dealing with a troublesome left knee, did not play in the regular-season finale Wednesday when Detroit wrapped up a playoff spot by winning at New York.
James Edwards III: #Pistons’ Blake Griffin (left knee) is out on the floor getting in extra work post practice.
Michael Pina: Blake Griffin is out tonight
James Edwards III: Dwane Casey on Blake Griffin: “I don’t think he’s going to go tonight.”
James Edwards III: Blake: “I couldn’t help us tonight.” He said he’ll take it day-by-day, meet with doctors and together everyone will decide on if he can go tomorrow.
Rod Beard: #Pistons Blake Griffin will start tonight vs. #Grizzlies
Rod Beard: #Pistons Blake Griffin (left knee soreness) is listed as questionable on the preliminary injury report for Tuesday vs. Memphis. #Grizzlies Mike Conley, Jaren Jackson Jr., C.J. Miles, Joakim Noah, Jonas Valanciunas, Dillon Brooks, Avery Bradley and Kyle Anderson all are OUT. #DFS
Vincent Ellis: Dwane Casey says Blake Griffin (sore left knee) feels better after a night and morning of rehab. #Pistons.
Rod Beard: #Pistons Dwane Casey said Blake Griffin is at a point where his playing can't injure the knee any worse, according to the medical staff. That's ... interesting.
James Edwards III: Casey on if Blake would be playing if this were December: "Probably not."
James Edwards III: Casey on Blake: "He's not 100 percent, no. He's giving us all he's got."
Royce Young: Blake Griffin is listed in the starting lineup tonight.
Brett Dawson: Blake Griffin will be a gametime decision for the Pistons, Dwane Casey says.
Vincent Ellis: #Pistons coach Dwane Casey says Blake Griffin (sore left knee) is a game-time decision vs. #Thunder tonight.
Rod Beard: In preliminary injury report for Friday vs. #Thunder, #Pistons list Blake Griffin (left knee soreness) as questionable. Luke Kennard (right foot soreness) is probable. Here's a new one: Svi Mykhailiuk (left index finger fracture) is OUT.
Rod Beard: Confirmed: #Pistons Blake Griffin (sore left knee) is OUT.
James Edwards III: #Pistons’ SVG on if Blake Griffin will play again this season: “I don’t know.” He said he’s working hard in his ankle rehab.
James Edwards III: SVG said he won’t play this weekend and Wednesday. Then they’ll go from there.
James Edwards III: #Pistons' Blake Griffin got a MRI on his right ankle, results are expected to come tomorrow. He tried to do pregame but decided he couldn't go.
Rod Beard: #Pistons Blake Griffin is a late scratch because of a right ankle contusion. #DFS
Brad Turner: Blake Griffin and Milos Teodosic both playing tonight vs Kings
Connor Letourneau: Blake Griffin has a concussion and will not return.
Ohm Youngmisuk: Doc Rivers says Blake Griffin will play tonight and the only restriction is just how his conditioning is and monitoring when to rest.
Brad Turner: Blake Griffin said "I don't know" when asked if he'll play tomorrow with Clippers against Lakers, but he also said, "it's a good day." BG has missed 14 games with left knee injury. He has been practicing and improving.
Brad Turner: Doc Rivers said after Clippers game Tuesday night that Blake Griffin will practice Wednesday with their G-League team, Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. It'll be another step towards BG hopefully playing vs. Lakers Friday night. He's been out with left knee injury.
Blake Griffin could return to play from left knee injury by end of December, the Clippers are hoping. Griffin has been out 13 games. Clippers play Kings tonight, Lakers Friday, Charlotte Sunday
Brad Turner: After reviewing more tape of Blake Griffin’s left knee injury, early indications are that Clippers forward has a sprained MCL and will be out for extended period of time. Clippers will know full extend after complete test today.
Blake Griffin fell down under the basket and clutched his left knee with 3:53 left in a 120-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. The team said he’s day-to-day and will be examined on Tuesday. A grim-faced Griffin dressed and left the locker room without speaking to reporters. "It didn’t look good, obviously," coach Doc Rivers said.
Rivers told reporters that Griffin’s exact diagnosis would remain unknown until further testing is completed on Tuesday. Griffin exited Staples Center under his own power, walking without crutches or a brace. He dressed in LA’s locker room like usual but did not take questions from reporters. “He was not in high spirits,” Rivers acknowledged. “He was down. Right now, he’s where we are at: hoping that it was just a bang and that it hurt. But he’s down right now.”
Griffin was going for a loose ball in the paint with teammate Austin Rivers and Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball. It appeared Rivers fell on Griffin, whose knee got twisted as he landed on his back. Griffin got up, but soon left the game and the court. "Lonzo knocked someone into Blake and it was a trigger effect," the elder Rivers said. "Blake said he was OK. Then he just couldn’t move. He’s hoping it was just a bang."
Griffin left the locker room without speaking to reporters. "I knew immediately, I thought," Doc Rivers said. "But then Blake said he was OK. I just saw his leg go in, and then when they switched on back-to-back plays, he couldn't move so we had to get him out of the game."
Adrian Wojnarowski: As for seriousness of left knee injury that Blake Griffin sustained in victory over Lakers tonight, Clippers consider it "too early to tell."
Arash Markazi: I just talked to Steve Ballmer. He doesn't know the status of Blake Griffin's injury but he is concerned. It has been that kind of season already.
Ben Golliver: Clippers’ Blake Griffin (left knee) exited arena walking under his own power, no crutches or brace. Didn’t take questions from media.
Complicating the matter however, sources told ESPN's Michael Eaves, is that Griffin may not be ready for the start of the next season and could possibly be out until December due to a toe injury that cut short his postseason. A separate source told Shelburne the team believes Griffin's toe will be healed and he'll likely be ready for the start of the season.
Brad Turner: Blake Griffin had successful surgery today to repair plantar plate injury to right big toe. Surgery was in Charlotte
Bill Oram: No official recovery timeline for Blake Griffin following surgery, but Clippers believe he will be ready to play in preseason.
Bill Oram: Update on Blake Griffin: He is seeing a specialist on the East Coast. Appointment was scheduled before the Clippers forced Game 7.
Marc J. Spears: Clippers forward Blake Griffin to miss rest of playoffs due to toe injury pic.twitter.com/ariIa2FKFu
Arash Markazi: Blake Griffin is out for the rest of the playoffs after injuring the plantar plate on his right big toe.
Bobby Marks: Griffin has a $21.4m (Early Termination Option) for 17-18. Opt-out date is on or before June 28. Max salary slot is $30.3m for next season.
Clippers forward Blake Griffin has left Game 3 against the Jazz with a bruised right big toe and will not return. The five-time All-Star left the game with 3:18 remaining in the second quarter after landing awkwardly following a transition layup. He had 11 points, six rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes. Griffin had X-rays at the arena that were negative and the Clippers planned to re-evaluate him later Friday night. He averaged 25 points, six rebounds and 2.5 assists in the first two games of the series.
Kevin Arnovitz: Blake Griffin will play tonight against the 76ers in Philadelphia. He will be on a minutes restriction. He will start.
Sam Amick: Blake Griffin ready to return from knee surgery in Philly tonight, I'm told. (Dec. 18 last game). Doc Rivers called it 'likely' last night.
Dan Woike: Blake Griffin won't play tonight
Dan Woike: Blake Griffin upgraded from OUT to DOUBTFUL for Monday's game in Atlanta
Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin said on Saturday that he's ready to return to action, and expects to take the floor during the Clippers' current road trip. "I'm as close as you can feel," Griffin said in his first public comments since he underwent a routine arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies from his right knee on Dec. 20.
Sources say the most likely return date for Griffin is the Clippers' Tuesday night date at Philadelphia. Following their game at Denver, the Clippers fly to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Monday night.
Brad Turner: Blake Griffin said will play on this trip but not tonight vs Denver. Clips play Atlanta Monday and Philly Tuesday
Dan Woike: Clippers forward Blake Griffin is out, but he went through a pretty extensive workout pregame w/ no brace/sleeve on his knee.
Griffin will miss his 13th consecutive game on Wednesday night. Rivers wouldn't specify a return date, but team sources said the Clippers are hopeful he could return during the last week of January, which would correspond with the initial diagnosis of four to six weeks.
Clippers forward Blake Griffin is on target for his return, coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday night. "He feels great," Rivers said prior to the Clippers' game against the Orlando Magic at Staples Center. "He told me that he's felt as good as he's felt in a long time. I think that the four to five weeks ... it's still that."
After Blake Griffin had another routine follow-up examination Thursday on the right knee he had surgery on last month, Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said his star forward has been making progress. Rivers said Griffin has looked great when they saw him at the team’s practice facility in Playa Vista. “You can just tell he’s in better spirits, which tells me that his body is feeling better,” Rivers said. “That’s good.”
Rivers said forward Blake Griffin, who is two weeks into his recovery from right-knee surgery, has “been out on the floor, but I can’t tell you what he’s actually doing, so I don’t know. I’m sure he’s shooting free throws.” Griffin, who has a 21.2-point average, is expected to be out until late January.
Rowan Kavner: Clippers announce Griffin underwent his procedure. Updated timeframe is 4-6 weeks pic.twitter.com/pDOxri9FLx
Ramona Shelburne: Essentially: Blake's knee had been bothering him for a few weeks. Was swelling up and sore. Drs decided better to do this now than later.
Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin will undergo minor surgery on his right knee and is expected to return at some point in January, league sources told The Vertical. Griffin will undergo the procedure, considered a “clean up,” early this week, league sources said. Recently, Griffin has also struggled with left calf and knee soreness. Griffin played 38 minutes in the Clippers’ loss to the Washington Wizards on Sunday, posting 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Rivers casually mentioned that the team is monitoring Blake Griffin and a sore right knee, a problem that could keep Griffin out of the lineup Saturday when the Clippers host New Orleans on Saturday at Staples Center. The team has currently lost two in a row at home and five of their last seven. A Clippers spokesperson said Griffin will be a gametime decision against the Pelicans, though the injury is “nothing serious.”
Dan Woike: Blake Griffin says he's 100 percent.
But, according to one opposing team exec, there is another question with Griffin. “I still think there’s a concern with his leg,” he said, referring to a partially torn left quad tendon that cost Griffin serious time last season and never fully healed before causing him to miss the end of the playoffs. He reportedly received a bone marrow injection following the season, which is keeping him off the U.S. Olympic team. “We looked into him, and we’re hearing that’s a pretty serious thing,” the source continued. “I’m not saying you don’t go after him, but you’d better be really sure about that leg before you go making any big commitments.”
Marc J. Spears: Clippers say Blake Griffin will not play for @usabasketball this summer after bone marrow procedure in his left quad https://t.co/aWrvPao2uv
