Clippers' Griffin undergoes elbow surgery, out at least 3 weeks
Blake Griffin underwent successful surgery to remove a staph infection in his right elbow on Monday, the Los Angeles Clippers announced.
The team also revealed that Griffin will be re-evaluated in three weeks. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported on Sunday that initial projections have Griffin out for the next four-to-six weeks.
Griffin underwent a minor procedure to drain fluid from the elbow earlier this season.
The setback comes at the worst possible time for the Clippers. While the prolonged All-Star break does allow Griffin an extra week of rest without missing any games, the Clips have lost four straight games, have fallen to sixth in the Western Conference standings and play seven of eight games over the next three weeks against teams with winning records (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Memphis, Chicago).
The Clippers will play 12 of their next 15 games overall against teams currently in playoff positioning.
Griffin has averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists while suiting up in L.A.'s first 51 games, with the team performing 13.1 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court as opposed to on the bench, according to Basketball Reference.
Griffin, L.A.'s leading scorer, also leads the team in Usage Rate, using 29.2 percent of team possessions when on the court.