Blake Griffin's return brings confidence to Clippers

Ron Clements

•
Blake Griffin's return brings confidence to Clippers image

Blake Griffin may have only scored six points Sunday, but the most important thing for the Clippers is that he's back.

The Clippers forward started and played more than 24 minutes in Sunday's 114-109 win over the visiting Washington Wizards at Staples Center. 

MORE: Every team's worst first-round matchup | SN mock draft

"Just like riding a bike except it was a little rusty," Griffin said after the game, via NBA.com. "It was a blast being back out there. My rhythm was pretty bad, conditioning was a little bit better than I thought it would be, but not great. I feel good now, but the key is the next few days."

Griffin has been out since Christmas Day, when he suffered a partial tear of his left quadriceps tendon.

"It's a comfort level for us defensively," Chris Paul, who led the Clippers with a game-high 27 points, said of Griffin's return. "It's a confidence on the court that he brings to all of us."

Highlights:

Even when Stephen Curry doesn't have the ball, he's breaking ankles.

Curry's not the only one with sweet moves, as Portland's Damian Lillard showed him.

Stud of the night:

Curry (39 points) and Lillard (38 points) each did their thing in Golden State's 136-111 win, but the difference maker was Draymond Green. The Warriors forward scored 22 points — his first 20-point performance since March 21 — and pulled down 10 rebounds while dishing out 10 assists and blocking three shots. 

Dud of the night:

Sun forward Alex Len had just three points in Phoenix's 101-86 loss to the Utah Jazz. He's only averaging nine points per game this season, but what was most surprising Sunday is the 7-footer was 0-for-8 from the floor. When you're a 7-foot post player, it's pretty difficult to not make a single shot. It's been a tough stretch for Len, who is shooting under 40 percent over the last week with only nine shots attempted from outside the paint. 

Tweet of the night

New Orleans Pelicans guard Tim Frazier had himself a night in the 106-87 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Frazier came off the bench to score 19 points with 13 assists and made zero turnovers.

What's next:

Hornets (44-32) at Raptors (51-25), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET — With no games scheduled Monday because of the NCAA Tournament championship game, NBA fans will have to wait until Tuesday for a key Eastern Conference game. Both the Raptors and Hornets are battling for their playoff seeding, with Toronto on Cleveland's tail for the top spot in the East while the Hornets are trying to fend off the Heat, Celtics and Hawks for the No. 3 seed. 

Bulls (39-38) at Grizzlies (41-36), Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET — If the season were to end today, the Bulls would be on the outside looking in. Chicago is two games back of the Pacers, who beat the Knicks on Sunday. The Grizzlies are tied for fifth in the Western Conference. 

Ron Clements