Chris Paul (hand) has been ruled out for the next four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on his hand Tuesday.

Paul (hand) has been ruled out for the next four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on his broken right hand Tuesday.

Analysis:

The four-to-six week timetable means that barring an improbable run by the Clippers to the NBA Finals, we've likely seen the last of Paul this season. He fractured the third metacarpal on his right hand in Monday's Game 4 loss to the Trail Blazers, which was the first of a pair of devastating injuries for the Clippers. Later in the contest, Blake Griffin ended up aggravating a left quad injury, and the team announced Tuesday that the big man would miss the remainder of the postseason. With the Clippers and Trail Blazers tied at two games apiece, the onus will now primarily fall on Austin Rivers to direct the offense in place of Paul as the series shifts to Los Angeles for Wednesday's Game 5. Along with Rivers, Jamal Crawford and Pablo Prigioni also figure to see heightened roles in the Clippers' backcourt rotation.