Chris Paul Fractures Hand; Blake Griffin Injures Quad In Loss To Blazers

Monday wasn’t a fun night for the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Portland Trail Blazers blew out the Clippers 98-84 in Game 4 of their NBA playoffs first-round series. Making matters worse, the Clippers lost star point guard Chris Paul midway through the third quarter with a hand injury.

Paul fractured a bone in his right hand — his shooting hand — and team sources told ESPN.com that Paul likely needs surgery. The normal recovery time for that sort of injury is three to six weeks, meaning Paul’s done for the Portland series and could be out longer if the Clippers advance.

“It doesn’t look good for him,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters, per ESPN.com.

Oh, and things still somehow got worse for Los Angeles. Forward Blake Griffin suffered a left quad injury in the fourth quarter, causing him to sit out the final few minutes. Griffin’s status for Game 5 on Wednesday is very much uncertain, Rivers said.

“It doesn’t look great for him, either,” Rivers said.

Griffin missed time this season with a similar quad injury. Coincidentally, he missed a chunk of the season after breaking a bone in his shooting hand, although he broke his hand in an altercation with a team employee and not actually in, you know, a game.

Regardless, it doesn’t look good for the Clippers, who finished the season as the No. 4 team in the Western Conference.

Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images