LA Clippers

Blake Griffin suspended four games for assaulting Clippers' employee

Published Feb. 9, 2016 4:27 p.m. ET

foxsports

Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin has been suspended four games for punching team employee Mathias Testi in the face last month, the team announced Tuesday:

JUST IN: The @NBA has suspended Blake Griffin for 4 games. pic.twitter.com/GBt2DEa0CX
— FOX Sports Live (@FOXSportsLive) February 9, 2016

Griffin broke his hand in the altercation, which occurred outside of a restaurant in Toronto. He's expected to miss approximately four to six weeks of action while recovering from the injury.

The five-time All-Star is averaging 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season, but hasn't played since Christmas night, when he injured his quad.

The Clippers are 18-4 without Griffin this season, and currently sit in fourth place in the Western Conference.

Griffin is arguably one of the top seven or eight talents in the world. But within the context of the Clippers' roster, some of his skill-set overlaps what center DeAndre Jordan already provides.

Both big men do the most damage in the paint, and are ferocious above-the-rim weapons in the pick-and-roll. It's not a surprise to see Los Angeles thrive without its 26-year-old franchise player at full strength.

But stringing together a winning record in the regular season is way different than defeating a top team in a seven-game series. The Clippers can't do the latter without a healthy roster.

And that allows a tiny bit of "good" news:

If need be, the Clippers can start the clock on Griffin's four-game suspension before he's technically healthy enough to play. Timing something like this is tricky, though, so they wouldn't want to cut it too close.