The Los Angeles Clippers lost at home on Tuesday night to put the Memphis Grizzlies in the driver's seat as their Western conference first round series heads to Memphis for Game 6 and with Blake Griffin hobbled by an ankle injury, it could be the end for the Clippers, putting both LA teams out of the playoffs after the Lakers were swept by the Spurs.
Griffin injured his ankle in practice earlier in the week and after the 103-93 loss he was dejected and said he hopes that it will be better by Game 6 and that it happened after landing on the foot of a teammate. The Celtics and Knicks play on Wednesday night at MSG as the team tries to close out the series, while the Hawks and Pacers will play game five to see who can go up 3-2 and the Rockets will try to save elimination again as the Thunder head home to OKC.
Griffin was withdrawn during the third quarter of the 103-93 loss and is now questionable for Game Six on Friday with the Clippers 3-2 behind in the best-of-seven series. Following the game, he said he was not certain whether he would be able to play on Friday and his physical condition would likely to be limited even if he could.
Griffin, a dynamic presence known for his highlight dunks, was grounded by the injury and could only manage four points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action. The Grizzlies have won three consecutive games against Los Angeles to move into the driver's seat with the penultimate game in Memphis.
Though the outlook appears bleak for the Clippers, they can draw on the experience of last season's first-round series when they overcame the Grizzlies with a Game Seven triumph in Memphis.
"It's just an unfortunate thing, a freak accident," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro told reporters following his team's latest setback in the series.
"As the game went on, (the injury) got worse and worse. He was struggling to move in the third a little bit and that's when I just pulled the plug."
