Paul will not require surgery on his shoulder, the team announced.
The AC joint separation is an injury to the area connecting the collarbone with the front part of the shoulder blade, and a Grade 3 is considered the worst of the three grades.
In order for the ligament to heal in Paul's shooting shoulder, he'll have to keep it immobilized for a few weeks and then begin range-of-motion work.
When Paul was injured Friday night at Dallas, the Clippers thought he would be out three to five weeks.
A potential six-week timetable would have the point guard returning after the All-Star break, which is Feb. 14-17. Their first game after the break is Feb. 18 against the
A six-week absence would cause Paul to miss a total of 20 games.
The Clippers are 10-10 when Paul hasn't played since he joined the team for the 2011-12 season.
The Clippers are 109-55 when Paul does play.
They beat Dallas after Paul was injured in the third quarter Friday night but lost to the Spurs on Saturday night.
"No one can replace Chris,"
Looking for replacements
With Paul out, Coach
The Clippers started the process by waiving backup point guard
That means the Clippers have a 14-player roster and now have room to add a player.
Rivers said they would look at free-agent point guards, or guards in the
Point guards Bobby Brown and Jamaal Tinsley are two players who could be available.
Brown is playing in China for the Dongguan Leopards but has an NBA opt-out clause in his contract.
He played two years in the NBA, including 23 games with the Clippers the 2009-10 season.
Tinsley is a 10-year veteran who played eight games with the
The 6-foot-3 Tinsley, 35, has career averages of 8.5 points and 6.1 assists a game.
Twitter: @BA_Turner
