The following is a joint statement from L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Doc Rivers:

The L.A. Clippers announced today that forward Blake Griffin has been suspended without pay for four games for striking a team employee on Jan. 23 and his wages will be withheld for one additional game for injuries he sustained. The NBA has assisted us in this process.

The Clippers will donate the salary from the five games to charities focused on disadvantaged youth in Los Angeles. At his request, Blake will support this activity with his time.

We have made it clear that this conduct has no place in the Clippers organization. Blake is remorseful and has apologized for his actions. He is a valued member of our Clippers family and we support him as he rejoins the team. He understands his actions have consequences, and is eager to get back to work with his teammates, the organization and Clipper Nation which starts immediately with rehab, appearances and attendance at games.

For our team and organization, it is time to move forward which begins today and ultimately concludes when we have Blake back on the court.

The L.A. Clippers announced today that guard Austin Rivers suffered a left hand fracture in the second quarter of the Clippers loss to Minnesota on Feb. 3. Rivers did not play in the Clippers game Feb. 5 in Orlando and underwent an MRI Feb. 6 in Miami that revealed the fracture.

Rivers will be re-evaluated in Los Angeles on Monday and a timetable for his return will be established at that time.

This season, Rivers has appeared in 46 games (5 starts) and is averaging a career-high 8.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.6 minutes per game.

The Clippers are 33-17 this season and have played very well despite star power forward Blake Griffin missing serious time due to injury. But they have reportedly suffered another injury, this time to their backcourt.

According to several ESPN reporters (Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst), backup guard Austin Rivers has a broken hand and will miss 4-6 weeks of action.

Austin is the Clippers’ sixth leading scorer this season. Coming off the bench for 41 of the 46 games he’s played, Rivers is averaging 8.1 points in 21.6 minutes per outing.

FEB. 7 UPDATE FROM THE CLIPPERS: Austin Rivers suffers hand fracture

The L.A. Clippers announced today the team has signed forward Jeff Ayres to a second 10-day contract.

A five-year NBA veteran, Ayres, 28, has appeared in three games with the Clippers scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds.

In 223 career regular season games with Portland, Indiana, San Antonio and Los Angeles, he is averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 10.0 minutes. Ayres was a member of the 2014 NBA Champion Spurs and has played in 36 career Playoff games.

The Ontario, CA native most recently played for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Developmental League, averaging 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in 23 games this season and was named a 2015 D-League All-Star.

A stand-out at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, where he played with former Clippers guard Darren Collison, Ayres was originally drafted with the 31st pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings and traded to Portland on Draft Night.

The 6-foot-10 inch forward played four seasons at Arizona State (2005-2009) earning All-Pac 10 First Team honors in 2009 when he averaged 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Clippers center DeAndre Jordan shot 70.7 percent from the field, down from 74.7 percent in December, as he takes aim at Wilt Chamberlain’s record 72.7 percent in 1972-73. Jordan, who leads the NBA in field goal percentage (71.5) for the fourth straight season, picked a good time to have his best overall month of the season, with forward Blake Griffin sidelined and rivals such as red-hot Memphis looking to overtake the Clippers in the standings. He averaged 13.8 points and 15.1 rebounds in January as the Clippers went 11-3 to improve to 32-16, good for fourth place in the West. Jordan is within striking distance of leading the NBA in both field goal percentage and rebounding for the third season in a row: He is the only qualified player shooting better than 62 percent, and he ranks second in rebounding (13.8 rpg) behind Detroit’s Andre Drummond (15.0 rpg).

– NBA News

The following is a joint statement from L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Doc Rivers:

L.A. Clippers forward Blake Griffin suffered a spiral fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his right hand throwing a punch on Jan. 23 in Toronto.

This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who we are as a team. We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA. At the conclusion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.

Griffin received X-rays on Jan. 25th in Los Angeles that revealed the injury and he underwent a procedure on his hand Tuesday morning. The procedure was performed by Dr. Steve Shin. Recovery time from the injury is approximately four to six weeks.

The L.A. Clippers announced today the team has acquired the draft rights to Maarty Leunen from the Houston Rockets in exchange for forward Josh Smith, the draft rights to Sergei Lishouck and cash considerations.

Leunen, 30, was a stand-out at the University of Oregon and the 54th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by Houston. Leunen currently plays for Scandone Avellino of the Italian Serie A.

The Clippers signed Smith on July 16, 2015 as a free agent and the 11-year NBA veteran appeared in 32 games (1 start) for Los Angeles this season, averaging 5.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 14.3 minutes per game.

Originally selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, Smith has appeared in 868 career regular season games with Atlanta, Detroit, Houston and the Clippers and owns career averages of 14.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 blocks in 32.9 minutes.

The rights to Lishouck, 32, were acquired by the Clippers on Jan. 7, 2015 from the Philadelphia 76ers. Originally drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 49th overall selection of the 2004 NBA Draft, Lishouck currently plays for UCAM Murcia in Spain.

The L.A. Clippers announced today they have assigned forward Branden Dawson to the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League pursuant to the Flexible Assignment System.

This is the third Development League assignment for Dawson and his second in Grand Rapids this season. Dawson played in seven games for the Drive from Dec. 4 – Dec. 24 and averaged 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 16.1 minutes.

In 13 total games played for both Bakersfield and Grand Rapids this season, Dawson is averaging 5.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 16.8 minutes.

With the Clippers, Dawson appeared in two games and is averaging 1.0 point and 1.5 rebounds.

The L.A. Clippers announced today that forward Blake Griffin suffered a partially torn left quad tendon during last night’s win over the Lakers. Griffin underwent an MRI this morning that revealed the injury.

The Clippers leading scorer did not accompany the team to Utah and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Griffin is averaging 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 30 games (all starts) this season for the Clippers.

Russell Westbrook is dominant on the basketball court, and has made a huge move off of it, as reported by the Oklahoman:

How does “Russell Westbrook Court” sound?

On Monday, UCLA announced that Westbrook has a made a “significant financial contribution” to its Mo Ostin Basketball Center project — the largest donation by a former basketball student-athlete in school history.

For his contribution, the university will honor Westbrook, who played two seasons at UCLA, by naming the new men’s basketball practice floor “Russell Westbrook Court.”

“When I heard that I was a little surprised,” Westbrook said Monday via conference call. “I can’t wait until it is all said and done to kind of go in there and shoot and see the court and see my name. It is going to be a great thing to see.”

The L.A. Clippers announced today they have assigned forward Branden Dawson to the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League pursuant to the Flexible Assignment System.

Dawson, a Second-Team All-Big Ten performer in his final season at Michigan State University finished his four-year career for the Spartans as the all-time leader in blocks (142), fifth in starts (121), sixth in steals (163) and seventh in rebounds (902).

This is the second Development League assignment for Dawson, who participated in six games for Bakersfield and averaged 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds on 41.5% shooting from the field in 17.3 minutes.

He is one of three players in MSU history with 1,000 career points and 100 career blocks, joining Draymond Green and Adreian Payne.

The L.A. Clippers announced today they have assigned guard C.J. Wilcox and forward Branden Dawson to the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam pursuant to the Flexible Assignment System.

Wilcox appeared in 21 games last season for the Clippers, averaging 2.0 points and 0.4 assists in 4.8 minutes of play. During the 2015 Orlando Pro Summer League, he posted averages of 14.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 32.0 minutes of play.

This is the third Development League assignment for Wilcox who appeared in five games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists during the 2014-15 season.

Dawson, a Second-Team All-Big Ten performer in his final season at Michigan State University finished his four-year career for the Spartans as the all-time leader in blocks (142), fifth in starts (121), sixth in steals (163) and seventh in rebounds (902).

He is one of three players in MSU history with 1,000 career points and 100 career blocks, joining Draymond Green and Adreian Payne.

Both Wilcox and Dawson have yet to participate for the Clippers during the 2015-16 season.

Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on what you better not say to Clippers point guard Chris Paul:

Call him a wizard with the basketball. Call him a once-in-a-generation point guard. Call him competitive.

Call him out on not getting past the second round of the playoffs. Call him abrasive. Call him stubborn. Call him too demanding.

Clippers guard Chris Paul would probably be just fine with it.

But bad teammate?

“There are a lot of things you can say about me or what-not, but that’s not one,” Paul said. “I’m competitive and I want to win – you can say a whole lot of stuff about me – I’m not a saint by any means.

“But that’s the one thing you cannot say.”

Here’s the Long Beach Press-Telegram reporting on a solid player for a team to be able to bring off a pretty full bench:

It’s been quite an offseason for Luc Mbah a Moute. After playing 61 games for Philadelphia last season, the free-agent forward out of UCLA signed with the Sacramento Kings in mid-July.

Mbah a Moute failed a physical examination administered by the Kings, the contract was quickly voided and the players association filed a grievance on Mbah a Moute’s behalf.

Mbah a Moute ended up in Clippers camp and when the team waived forward-center Chuck Hayes on Saturday, that meant Mbah a Moute had made the roster. Not that he was told.

“They didn’t tell me I can’t be here anymore, so I’m here,” he said, laughingly, at practice Sunday morning.

The L.A. Clippers announced today they have waived center/power forward Chuck Hayes.

Originally signed on August 31, 2015, Hayes appeared in four preseason games and averaged 0.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 6.7 minutes.

The Clippers roster now stands at 15.

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog reporting on the Clippers and star power forward Blake Griffin, who appears ready for regular season action to begin. The Clippers on paper look like a championship contender, but the problem there is, plenty of other Western conference teams do as well. As for yesterday:

Clippers forward Blake Griffin led everyone with 29 points, J.J. Redick scored 15 and DeAndre Jordan had 10 points, 10 rebounds and four steals and the Clippers demolished Golden State 130-95 on Tuesday night in exhibition play at Staples Center.

Three reserves – Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford and Josh Smith – all scored in double figures with Rivers getting 16 and Smith and Crawford 13 apiece.

The Clippers – now 2-3 in exhibition play – had lost their previous three games. They lost their most recent game – to Charlotte in China – by 42 points.

Here’s the Los Angeles Times reporting on Clippers guard Austin Rivers, who took a very hard elbow to the mouth that continues to affect him:

Clippers backup guard Austin Rivers has been to the dentist four times, including getting a root canal Saturday, to repair three teeth that were loosened and one that was knocked out by a wayward elbow from teammate Branden Dawson during a practice in China on Oct. 9.

“As long as they make it look good, that’s all I care about,” Rivers joked before the team practiced Sunday.

The contact happened when Rivers tried to block a layup attempted by Dawson. Rivers said he had never taken a worse blow to his mouth.

“They were kind of just hanging there,” Rivers said of his teeth. “And I had to stick my teeth back in my mouth.”

Early report: Paul Pierce fitting in with Clippers

NBA preseason is just getting started, so it’s super early, but right off the bat the Clippers have reasons for optimism. Here’s the Orange County Register reporting:

Even though it was his first start as a Clipper and even though he was joining a starting group that was one of the NBA’s best, Pierce had few problems fitting in during the Clippers’ preseason opener.

That was especially evident on a possession in the second half, where the Clippers zipped the ball around the perimeter, finding Pierce open in the corner for a 3-point shot.

“That’s what we’ve got to kind of emphasize,” Pierce said. “When you have the weapons that we have, we don’t care who gets the shot, who gets the credit, it’s tough to guard. These guys make the extra pass when it’s there; everyone is being selfless. Those are the teams usually standing at the end of the day.”

Pierce, 37, is able to fit so seamlessly partly because of his smarts, partly because of his 17 years of NBA experience and partly because a huge chunk of that experience came while playing for Doc Rivers.

The L.A. Clippers announced today the team has waived free agent forward/center Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

Tskitishvili did not appear in a preseason game for the Clippers. The former fifth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, Tskitishvili has appeared in 172 career games (16 starts) for Denver, Golden State, Minnesota and Phoenix averaging 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.3 minutes of play. The Tbilisi, Georgian native has played in Spain, Italy, Iran, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates post-NBA. The 32-year old played for Champville of the Lebanese Basketball League last season.

Clippers win 2015-16 NBA preseason opener

DeAndre Jordan had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets 103-96 on Friday night in the first game of the NBA preseason.

Jordan scored 12 points in the first half on 5-for-6 shooting, including three dunks.

The Clippers spoiled Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s debut.

Nuggets: Joffrey Lauvergne scored 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting and had 11 rebounds in a reserve role. Rookie Emmanuel Mudiay missed eight of his first 11 shots and finished with 14 points.

– Associated Press