Clippers’ Blake Griffin out 4-to-6 weeks after breaking hand

Griffin’s recovery time is expected to be approximately four to six weeks, the team said, though Rivers expressed his own doubts later on Tuesday.

Griffin’s teammates also said he will be missed on the court, but they avoided directly addressing the punch and surrounding circumstances.

Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin was nearing a return from a quadriceps injury when it was reported Monday night he’d miss the rest of the team’s road trip with a hand injury.

A team statement released later on Tuesday confirmed Griffin’s injury and said an investigation into the circumstances of the incident was under way. The NBA’s security unit is investigating the incident. Griffin took to Twitter, posting a picture of a long paragraph explaining Griffin regretting his actions and apologizing to fans and the team for creating a distraction. PG Chris Paul, SG J.J. Redick, and C DeAndre Jordan have been shouldering the load on offense while Griffin recovers from a left quad injury. The Clippers never trailed again thanks largely to Paul, who made three 3-pointers and was 8 of 13 from the field in the second half and finished with six rebounds, seven assists and one steal.

“I am working with the team on a resolution and getting back in the game as soon as possible”, he added.

Griffin and a team equipment staffer got in an argument at a Toronto restaurant.

“With Blake out, we’ve had this mode of trying to win every game and that’s how we have to continue to play”, Rivers said.

The altercation started inside a restaurant with a back-and-forth exchange that led outside, with Griffin throwing multiple punches, said a league executive with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to publicly disclose it.

The Clippers’ final road stop is in Atlanta on Wednesday. Both Griffin and Testi were sent home after the incident.

The Clippers beat the Indiana Pacers 91-89 last night and are 29-16 this season.

“I’m not satisfied”, Rivers said. We did an OK job defensively – better than in our recent games – so to still lose this game sucks. Having said that, we have to move forward.

Things looked good early for the Pacers, as they took a 51-46 lead into halftime.

On October 2014, an unidentified man filed a battery complaint case against Griffin in an incident in Las Vegas, Nevada.