Nuggets at Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers received a huge blow when it was announced that power forward Blake Griffin needs arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and will be sidelined three to six weeks. Griffin will undergo the procedure Tuesday, hours before the Clippers host the Denver Nuggets.
Griffin has experienced issues with the knee for the past couple of weeks and the club said he will have "loose bodies" removed from the knee. The 27-year-old is averaging 21.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season and is slated to become a free agent following the season. Denver suddenly is cranking up the points and is averaging 125.3 during a three-game winning streak, including a 117-107 home victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic narrowly missed his first career triple-double as he matched his career high of 27 points and also contributed 14 rebounds and nine assists.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (12-16): Shooting guard Gary Harris scored 24 points against the Mavericks and is averaging 19.3 points in three games since returning from a foot injury that sidelined him for more than a month. "He has three games back and I don't think it's a coincidence that we have won three games in a row," Denver coach Michael Malone said after Monday's victory. Harris is shooting 66.7 percent from the field — including 7-of-11 from 3-point range — during the three-game stretch.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (20-8): Griffin has been fighting through the pain and scored 20 or more points in four straight games, including a 26-point outing in Sunday's 117-110 loss to the Washington Wizards. His absence will mean more playing time for players such as Brandon Bass, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Marreese Speights and could even mean an increase for rarely used Paul Pierce if Los Angeles opts for a small lineup. Speights scored 14 points in just 12 minutes against the Wizards and typically provides instant offense as he is averaging 9.1 points while playing 15.5 minutes per game.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers have won five of the past six meetings.
2. Los Angeles PG Chris Paul has six double-doubles in the past eight games and is averaging 17.1 points and 11.4 assists during the stretch.
3. Denver PG Emmanuel Mudiay connected on four 3-pointers against Dallas and is 11-of-16 from 3-point range over the past four games.