April 22, 2017

Blake Griffin has been ruled out for the rest of the playoffs after suffering an injury to his big toe on Friday night against Utah.  The Clippers made the announcement on Saturday morning.

Griffin suffered the injury in the first half Friday and did not return to the game.  The injury is to the plantar plate of his right big toe.  Griffin will visit a foot and ankle specialist when the Clippers return to Los Angeles.

It is the 2nd straight year that Griffin has suffered an injury that has knocked him out of the playoffs.  Last year against Portland, Griffin injured his quad, and was out for the remainder of the series, in which the Clippers were eliminated in six games.

He also missed 18 straight games earlier this season after undergoing surgery on his right knee. Griffin was the Clippers’ leading scorer and second-leading rebounder this season, averaging 21.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

Griffin could potentially be an unrestricted free agent this summer.  He has one year remaining on his contract for $21 million.  However, he has he has an early-termination option on his contract this summer, allowing him to test the free agent market, or re-sign with LA for potentially another 5 years and up to $180 million.