Blake Griffin increases conditioning, could return as soon as Sunday at Golden State

Reporting from Minneapolis — Blake Griffin has increased his workouts in his comeback from elbow surgery and could return as soon as Sunday, which would qualify as perfect timing for the Clippers and the NBA.

The Clippers play the Golden State Warriors, the team with the league’s best record, that day in a nationally televised game at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

“I guess it’s possible, yeah,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said Monday when asked whether Griffin could play against the Warriors exactly four weeks after learning he would need surgery to remove a staph infection from his right elbow.

Rivers described Griffin as going “full-tilt” in his workouts but said team doctors would need to clear the All-Star forward before he was allowed to play again.

If he returned Sunday, Griffin would have missed only 11 games. The Clippers also play the next day, March 9, against Minnesota.

Griffin was averaging a team-leading 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.