Skip to content

Griffin back in Clippers' lineup after missing 15 games

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Blake Griffin's extended absence from the Los Angeles Clippers' lineup is over.

The All-Star power forward will return Sunday afternoon against the Houston Rockets, the club announced.

On Saturday, the team officially upgraded Griffin's status for the Rockets game to questionable. 

Head coach Doc Rivers admitted there was even a chance Griffin could have played in Friday's blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks. "I think everyday, including today, was in play," Rivers said of Griffin, who worked out in Los Angeles while the Clippers were playing in Dallas.

Friday marked the 15th straight game that Griffin has missed after undergoing surgery to remove a staph infection in his right elbow. The Clippers have gone 9-6 during that time.

Griffin, whose usage rate of 29.0 leads the Clippers for a second straight season, averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists while suiting up in the team's first 51 games.

The Clippers' No. 1-ranked offense scores an absurd 114 points per 100 possessions when Griffin is on the court, according to NBA.com, but scores only 103.4 points per 100 possessions with Griffin on the bench, a mark that would rank 12th.

The 42-24 Clippers sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, 1.5 games behind the fourth-place Rockets and a half-game ahead of the sixth-place Mavericks.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox