Clippers' Blake Griffin to miss next two games, returns to LA to rehab quad

Los Angeles Clippers superstar power forward Blake Griffin will miss the team's next two games in Indiana and Atlanta -- the remainder of their five-game road trip -- and has returned to Los Angeles to continue his rehab on his partially torn left quadriceps tendon, according to the Orange County Register.

Griffin left the Clippers on Sunday.

After starting 9-0 in Griffin's absence, the Clippers have gone just 2-3 over the past five games, as the bench's production has regressed to the mean and the team's 3-point shooting has cooled down. 

Granted, two of the three losses make sense -- road games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors are tough for any opponent, even at full strength (perhaps the unbeatable Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are the lone exceptions).

Griffin has been out since Dec. 26 after aggravating his quad injury -- Griffin said he began feeling discomfort in early December -- against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Clippers' win over them on Christmas.

Despite their 11-3 record in his absence, the Clippers clearly need Griffin back sooner than later.

Los Angeles has benefitted from a soft schedule recently, and as the competition has ramped up, so too have their losses. The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks are legitimate playoff teams, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Clippers lost to one or both this week.

Griffin is enjoying a career year, averaging 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists -- numbers no one else in the league is putting up (23/8/5). He's their best player and central offensive force, and any worries about his fit with DeAndre Jordan should be negated by his top-10 player production.

The Clippers (28-16) were just a game out of the No. 3 seed in the West last week, but now trail the Oklahoma City Thunder (33-13) by four games. They need No. 32 back.

Jovan Buha covers the NBA for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jovanbuha.