Austin Rivers could return from broken hand in less than 2 weeks

Though it's not quite as glaring as their power-forward void, the Los Angeles Clippers have been playing without their backup point guard for the past five games. They may not be without him for much longer.

Austin Rivers has been sidelined since breaking his left hand on Feb. 3, but he said Thursday that the hand has been healing faster than expected, and he may be ready to return in less than two weeks, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register.

Rivers' initial prognosis suggested he would miss four-to-six weeks.

Rivers' production has been spotty, but he's the second most-used player on a precariously thin Clippers bench, and his absence has stripped them of secondary ball-handling behind Chris Paul, of which they already had precious little.

In 46 games before suffering the injury, Rivers averaged a career-high 8.1 points on a career-best 43.8 percent shooting.