Blake Griffin Out for Pistons' Must-Win Game vs. Knicks with Knee Injury

Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin sat out against the Portland Trail Blazers because of knee soreness on March 30, and the All-Star is expected to miss the Pistons' final regular-season game Wednesday night for the same reason. 

Rod Beard of the Detroit News reported ahead of Detroit's game against the New York Knicks that Griffin would likely not play because of left knee soreness.

Entering Wednesday night, Detroit sits at 40-41 in the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Pistons must win in order to stave off the Charlotte Hornets. 

Griffin's injury history predates the trade that sent him from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Pistons last season. 

The six-time All-Star was diagnosed with a sprained MCL on Nov. 28, 2017, which cost him most of December. Once he landed in Detroit, Griffin missed the last eight games with a nagging ankle injury. It's far from the first time Griffin's season has ended prematurely. 

As a rookie No. 1 overall pick in 2009, Griffin underwent season-ending surgery on a broken left kneecap in Jan. 2010. Prior to the surgery, Griffin hadn't appeared in a single game that season because of initially hurting his kneecap on Oct. 23. 

In 2016, still with the Clippers, Griffin's season ended on April 27 with an aggravated left quadriceps. 

Overall, this season is the first since 2013-14 that Griffin has played more than 70 regular-season games. Across those contests, Griffin has averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds per game and 5.4 assists.