Matias Testi to Rejoin Clippers After Incident with Blake Griffin

Los Angeles Clippers big man Blake Griffin will miss significant time with an injury he suffered during a fight with a member of the team’s equipment staff, but that equipment staffer will reportedly be back with the club.

According to a Wednesday report from Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, head coach “Doc Rivers said Matias Testi will rejoin the Clippers.”

Sam Amick of USA Today reported Griffin fractured his hand in a fight that occurred at a restaurant in Toronto and will miss four to six weeks.

Rivers and team owner Steve Ballmer also released a statement Tuesday regarding the situation, per Amick: “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.”    

With Testi set to rejoin the Clippers, the equipment manager appears to be at least somewhat in the clear of the investigation.

Amick pointed out Testi and Griffin have been friends for years and they “routinely” banter with each other. Both were sent back to Los Angeles after the fight in Toronto. 

Griffin offered an apology for the situation on Twitter:

This isn’t the first time Griffin has made headlines off the court. Mike Wells of ESPN.com noted the former Oklahoma Sooner “was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery after allegedly getting into an altercation with a man at a Las Vegas nightclub” in November 2014. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the case in March 2015 for lack of proof.

As of Wednesday, the Clippers were fourth in the Western Conference at 29-16. Griffin has appeared in 30 games this season and is averaging 23.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.