Clippers’ Blake Griffin returns to practice

Clippers forward Blake Griffin returned to practice Saturday.

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin was cleared to return to practice Saturday, head coach Doc Rivers announced.

Griffin has not played or practiced since Dec. 25, when he sustained a quad injury during a win over the Lakers. Griffin also broke his right hand during a fight with a team equipment manager in late January, but it has been the quad injury keeping him out of the lineup.

The Clippers have mostly played well without Griffin, though they lost three games in a row before a win over the Trail Blazers on Thursday. Los Angeles entered Saturday fourth in the Western Conference at 44–27.

Griffin played in 30 games before his injury. He was averaging 23.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game before exiting the lineup.  

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The forward will still need to serve a four-game suspension for punching a Clippers employee. The suspension will begin once Griffin is cleared to play in a game, which could happen as early as Sunday.