NBA

Blake Griffin will miss rest of NBA Playoffs, Clippers underdogs vs. Jazz

Clippers vs. Pistons

Blake Griffin will miss the remainder of the NBA playoffs and now the Clippers find themselves underdogs to the Jazz.

Griffin has an injury to the plantar plate of his right big toe. He suffered the injury late in the first half of the Clippers’ 111-106 victory versus the Jazz. It’s yet another blow to a Clippers team that can’t catch a break.

With Griffin out, Marreese Speights started in the second half in Griffin’s place. That said, if Austin Rivers (hamstring) is healthy enough to return to the lineup, Speights could move back to the bench. Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan will now be asked to shoulder the offensive load for L.A.

The Clippers will once again visit the Jazz in the NBA Playoffs conference quarterfinals on Sunday. Los Angeles owns a two-games-to-one lead in the series, but will find itself as an underdog tomorrow. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Jazz are -2.5 for Sunday night’s tilt.

How does Griffin’s injury impact the Clippers’ NBA finals chances? The Clippers are now 100/1 long-shots to win a NBA title this season. They were 35/1 to win this year’s championship before Griffin was ruled out for the playoffs. They’ve also gone from 15/1 to win the Western Conference down to 52/1.

Griffin averaged 21.6 points per game during the regular season. He also averaged 8.1 rebounds per game, as well as 0.4 blocks per contest in 22.71 minutes. His best game in the Jazz series came in Game 1 when he scored 26 points with seven boards. He followed that performance by scoring 24 points with five rebounds in Game 2.

The Jazz have dealt with their own key injury, as Rudy Gobert has missed the first three games of the series. He’s doubtful for Sunday’s matchup in Utah.

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