Clippers at Hawks
The Los Angeles Clippers were anxious to get All-Star forward Blake Griffin back from a quadriceps injury, but following a reported altercation with equipment manager Matias Testi, Griffin underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a broken right hand. Griffin, who according to published reports sustained the injury Saturday at a Toronto restaurant, is expected to be sidelined at least four weeks.
“This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who we are as a team,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers and owner Steve Ballmer said in a joint statement released Tuesday before Los Angeles won at Indiana 91-89, improving to 12-3 since Griffin tore his quadriceps Dec. 25 versus the Los Angeles Lakers. The Hawks return home following a 2-2 road trip, beating Denver 119-105 Monday as forward Paul Millsap returned to the lineup. Millsap, who missed Saturday’s loss at Phoenix to attend his grandfather’s funeral, scored 22 points with nine rebounds as Atlanta rebounded from back-to-back three-point losses. “It was a much more focused effort,” Atlanta center Al Horford told reporters after adding 18 points.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (29-16): Griffin was averaging 23.2 points and 8.6 rebounds when he got hurt, but Los Angeles possesses plenty of firepower even with him sidelined. Guard J.J. Redick leads the NBA in 3-point shooting at 48.9 percent, and center DeAndre Jordan is shooting a blistering 71.4 percent from the field (tops in the league) while ranking second in rebounding at 13.5. Point guard Chris Paul remains one of the top playmakers in the league, scoring 26 points with seven assists and six rebounds on Tuesday.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (27-19): Millsap leads the Hawks in scoring at 18.4 and rebounding at 8.8, averaging 19.1 points in his past nine games while shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 32-of-38 from the free-throw line. Point guard Jeff Teague scored 12 points with 10 assists for his third double-double of the season for Atlanta, which has struggled with slow starts most of the season but scored 66 points in the opening two quarters. The Hawks rank second in the NBA entering Tuesday’s play in points off opposing turnovers (19.9) and third in steals (9.6).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers have lost six in a row at Atlanta, their last victory at Philips Arena coming on Feb. 7, 2009.
2. Los Angeles F Wesley Johnson hit five 3-pointers off the bench Tuesday, one away from his career high.
3. Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer won his 125th game as Hawks head coach Monday; Budenholzer’s .595 winning percentage is highest in franchise history among coaches with 100 or more victories.