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Injured Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin could be close to returning. Clippers coach Doc Rivers indicated before the team's game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night that Griffin is ahead of schedule in his comeback from a sprained left medial collateral ligament. The injury occurred Nov. 27.
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"Obviously we miss him," Rivers said. "Offensively, you just miss so much of what he can do and all the other stuff.
"But he's really close. Will he play tonight? No. Will he play the next game? He actually could. So he's that close."
The Clippers' next game is Friday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
In 19 games before sustaining the knee injury, Griffin was averaging 23.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
After Griffin was hurt, the prognosis was a two-month recovery, but he has bounced back in a month.
Asked how Griffin recovered so quickly, Rivers said, "I don't know the answer, I just know his work ethic has to have something to do with it. Blake, he gets a lot of heat for getting injured, but no one gives him credit for getting healthy.
"He works his butt off, I'm telling you, like no one I've ever seen since I've been here. Blake does not want to miss games. Blake wants to play, and if you can see him work in the gym, everyone would understand that."
Griffin, 28, did not speak to the media before the Tuesday game.
