Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin suffered a bruised right big toe Friday in a 111-106 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.
Griffin left the game in the first half and did not return. He had X-rays at the arena that were negative, and the Clippers said he would be re-evaluated after more tests later Friday night.
The Clippers lead the series 2-1.
Griffin came up limping after making a transition layup with 3:53 remaining in the second quarter. He exited the game 36 seconds later. He went to the locker room soon thereafter, slamming a chair in frustration before leaving the bench area.
With Griffin out, point guard Chris Paul took on more of the scoring load, finishing with a season-high 34 points, including nine straight during a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter.
Paul, who also had seven rebounds and 10 assists, explained how different the Clippers’ offense is without Griffin.
“One of the biggest adjustments is, we probably won’t be able to play through the post so much,” Paul said. “He’s such a dynamic player. We go to him in the post, and we cut and move off him. … He’s our other assist guy.
“Just his leadership, it’s just a different feeling when he’s on the court.”
Griffin, a five-time All-Star, averaged 21.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 61 games in the regular season. He missed an extended stretch because of surgery on his right knee.
Information from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and The Associated Press was used in this report.
Courtesy: ESPN.com
