Clippers' Blake Griffin Records 8th Career 40-Plus-Point Game

Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin scored 40 points for just the eighth time in his career Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets, per ESPN Stats & Info. Each of the eight 40-plus point games have occurred at home, and Sunday's 43-point output was Griffin's highest of the season.

Multiple injuries in 2015-16 limited the star big man to just 35 games, breaking his streak of six consecutive All-Star Game appearances and four straight All-NBA teams. His stats slightly declined in that injury-shortened campaign but have bounced back this year.

Griffin has also missed games this season due to a knee injury, but he's posted 22.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals on average over 39 contests. He's also made a career-high 75.4 percent of his free-throw attempts in 2016-17.

The University of Oklahoma product took over the game late Sunday as well. Griffin tallied 36 points in regulation but added seven of the Clippers' 11 points in overtime en route to a 124-121 victory over the Hornets. Griffin collected 10 rebounds as well, giving him a double-double for the 16th time this season, per Basketball Reference.

The win Sunday kept Los Angeles 1.5 games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies for the fifth spot in the Western Conference and one game behind the Utah Jazz for fourth. The team has had struggles staying healthy, but everyone is available at the moment. If the group can remain that way heading into the playoffs, perhaps it can make some noise in the postseason and pull off some upsets to secure the franchise's first NBA championship.